TOT YOGA: New DVD teaches parents and toddlers the benefits of yoga

When my children were very little, I was not aware of any programs or videos for kids that offered yoga instruction. I didn't even know such an exercise even existed, so I did not search for any.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Havona Madama of Tuesdays at Ten, Ltd. about her company's new DVD released December 2009 by Loft 49 Films, Inc. entitled TOT YOGA: Yoga for You and Your Toddler from 10 Months to 3 Years Old. I was fascinated to learn about her program and the many benefits yoga offers children, including relaxation and self esteem.

Tot Yoga, which focuses on traditional Hatha Yoga, is an instructional DVD for parents and toddlers to use together. It is the first and only DVD which provides yoga instruction at this important developmental stage. Tot Yoga encourages parents to use traditional yoga movements to increase exercise and reduce stress for themselves and their children.

Many failed attempts to timely attend the local toddler-preschooler yoga class, left Havona searching for a DVD instructional program she could do on her own schedule. To her surprise, all the DVDs were aimed at pre-crawling babies and children over 3 years old. She was inspired to create a program that would benefit a child from 10 months to 3 years old as well as the parent.

Tot Yoga refreshes and revitalizes all participants by creating a cool down for toddlers, promoting a post workout nap, and a warm up for parents, who are encouraged to continue the video for a complete workout and relaxation session while their child naps.

The video features three distinct sections:

1. The first section - Toddlers Teach Yoga - parents learn to mimic their child’s natural movements to create simple stretching and strengthening poses. Parents are encouraged to follow their child’s natural movements. This section focuses on younger children therefore most poses are on the floor instead of standing to avoid frustration.
2. The second section - Parents Teach Yoga - parents learn how to engage a child between the ages of 10 months and 3 years in focused and relaxing playtime exercise. These are primarily animal based poses that the parents can use to make a story and engage their child in playtime exercise.
3. The third section - Parent Yoga - parents follow a simple routine of strengthening and stretching poses intended to reduce stress and increase strength and flexibility. This section is meant for parents to follow when their child is napping or otherwise occupied. The DVD ends with a refreshing rest period.

To learn more about Tot Yoga, visit TotYoga.com. To purchase, click here or visit The Mom Entrepreneur Holiday Co-op Shop.

Join us next week when we will continue our interview with Havona of Tuesdays at Ten, Ltd. about her new DVD Tot Yoga and the many benefits for having toddlers do this type of exercise.