Pilates and Yoga For Children

Kids Pilates and Yoga has become more popular as parents are seeking exercises to keep their children healthy, strengthen their muscles and improve their coordination and balance. However, when teaching children anything, an Instructor must remember to create a fun and engaging environment for the child. Classes may include music, for example, although classical Pilates is traditionally taught in a silent atmosphere. Classes for children at Balance Pilates & Yoga Centers also include creativity and memory exercises, crafts to help learn certain fundamentals, and games to enable children to practice Pilates and Yoga in a fun and unthreatening way.

Kids Pilates & Yoga on Saturdays

Starting in January, 2010, Balance Pilates and Yoga Centers will be offering a children's Pilates and Yoga class from 9:00 am to 10:00 am at their Northwest Bradenton location (Manatee Avenue West). Parents can either attend the 9:00 am Pilates Reformer Group Class, or drop their children off by 8:55 am and pick them up no later than 8:45 am. To enroll your child in the Kids Pilates & Yoga Classes, purchase a Mat Package under their name and let us know your child(ren) will be joining us!

At Balance Pilates and Yoga, we are dedicated to teaching our youth the benefits of both Pilates and Yoga, and have years of experience working with children.

Kids Pilates has lots of benefits, including, but not limitted to, the following;

· Strengthening of Core Muscles
· Improves Flexibility
· Better Balance and Coordination
· Better Posture
· Injury Prevention
· Better Concentration
· Increase Self-Esteem and Confidence
· Weight Management

Pilates exercises are useful for children who do lots of dance, ballet, soccer, and other sports as it helps them improve their balance and coordination.

One of the premier Pilates associations in the nation agrees the benefits of Pilates is so encompassing that even our youth (and maybe especially our youth!) should participate in at least one hour of Pilates each week! Well, why not? If it is an excellent form of exercise for men and women (Joseph Pilates originally designed the exercise to rehabilitate male war veterans!), then why would children not benefit as well?

The Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) dedicates a day each year, referred to as the Annual International Pilates Day, to raising awareness of the increasing inactivity in our nation and launching its new Pilates exercise initiative in the public school system. Our goal is to offer this Pilates initiative at no cost to the schools, as a public statement of the PMAs dedication to worldwide health, said Kevin Bowen, executive director of the PMA. Through our pre-pilot study we have found that just a short Pilates routine once a week not only improved the physical fitness of children but also resulted in increased mental focus and productivity in the classroom.

Children love to be active, so Pilates exercises for kids will seem like play to them. Teaching children Pilates will get them started in the basics at an early age, such as a connection between the mind and body, how to engage their core muscles and build abdominal strength, and how to breath properly. These are some health basics that many adults do not know! When children learn about Pilates, and physical fitness in general, they are enables to establish a more dedicated practice to enjoy for years to come. Truly, in the case of Pilates, it is never to early to start your practice!

  [Click here to read about Pilates For Teens....]