Sonas kids are reaping the rewards of weekly yoga, movement and mindfulness sessions as part of their early learning curriculum.
Facilitated by Sunita and her experienced team of instructors at Tara Entertainment, the Tara Yoga and Dance program includes yoga poses, breathwork and calming Bollywood music.
We want this help these children bring out the best versions of themselves. We want them to shine, but it’s also about teaching them life skills that they can use when they leave Sonas and start school.
Sunita, yoga and dance instructor
Research has long shown the physical benefits of yoga and dance in developing balance and muscle tone, building core strength, improving flexibility and mobility.
In children, the emotional benefits can be even more profound, fostering increased focus and concentration, anxiety and stress relief, and improved overall wellbeing.
Sunita said the weekly sessions were held in the Zen rooms at each Sonas centre, with children taught in groups depending on their age and cognitive ability.
“Yoga and dance aren’t just about moving your body. They are also about focus, listening and breath to help still the mind. The program has been developed with regular lesson plans according to the natural environment,” she said.
“Initially we started with Bollywood dance sessions and it was about getting the children to experience something out of their world – the music, the movement and the exercise, and musically a different language. That’s now transitioned to our regular yoga sessions and we will reintroduce dance again soon.
“With the yoga, I’ve introduced sound bowls, we use rain sticks and any other musical instruments that are quiet and have a calming effect. It gives the children something different that they haven’t experienced before.”
Sunita said the sound component of the program had particularly resonated with babies in the Nest.
“We do make a point to go into the Nest to see the babies because the sound bowls with the babies has been an absolute hit,” she said.
“We found they would all stop crying, it was incredible. Even staff have told us they’ve been looking forward to us coming in because of the calming influence the sound bowls have on the younger children.”
Sunita said she had been overwhelmed by the impact the program had on the little people.
“The kids absolutely love it. They’re hugging you when they see you, they’re really excited to be part of it,” she said.
“I’ve started to change the program in line with the seasons because seasonal times are when people generally get sick and are very stressed. I’ve changed the program to see what energetically is happening with our bodies and change the mat work according to that.
“We want this help these children bring out the best versions of themselves. We want them to shine, but it’s also about teaching them life skills that they can use when they leave Sonas and start school.
“I talk a lot about emotions and how children can use breathwork in everyday life to help children learn to regulate their emotional states by themselves. When we get frustrated or feel angry or sad we go through emotional states, and that ties in with the calming breathwork that we teach them. All of these elements combine to form the bigger picture of holistic health and wellbeing.”