Terms such as Pranayama, Bikram and Namaste could become commonplace amongst local youths before long.
Peaceful Warriors, a new yoga studio for children, teens, and families, had its grand opening on Friday.
"Yoga has always been a passion of mine, and having children of my own, I saw that its very important to be physically active, but also mentally active and to instill positivity," said owner and certified instructor Christina Budd.
Childhood obesity rates have been steadily increasing in recent decades in Canada. National efforts made during the fitness blitz of the 1980s have since eroded away due to budget cutbacks, and many experts say children simply do not get enough exercise.
Budd is hoping to spark a local renewal in childhood fitness.
"Physical activity is extremely important, and I find yoga to be highly beneficial, no matter what other activities someone does. We have hockey, we have martial arts, but we have a lot of those people who come to yoga to help further their abilities in those aspects, or just to have a fun creative space without rules, without the competition, to just hang out and have fun" she said.
Budd says she has a good partnership with Bodhi Tree Hot Yoga, another local studio, and still teaches hot yoga to adults.
"I was teaching kids yoga over there for a bit, but having my own studio space was just ideal and something I wanted to do," she said.
Budd said she has had a positive response from other parents.
"Our enrollment is pretty good, a lot of our classes are full which is nice. A lot of families come for various reasons and it's doing well."
She feels that yoga class can also help timid kids come out of their shell.
"It depends on the child. Yoga is very inclusive, so I encourage children to come on their own a lot of the time, because they act a little differently when they aren't around their parents. They might open up a little bit more. But for those children that are more reserved, more shy, or that have special needs, parents are absolutely more than welcome to stay and engage as well," said Budd.
Previous generations might not have had any familiarity with the practices of yoga, but Budd says kids today are provided with more opportunities.
"I think now more and more its being introduced into the school system. I actually have a lot of schools contacting me to go see them, to do their classroom yoga, which is great. The majority have a lot of knowledge about it actually."
Peaceful Warriors Yoga is located at 45A Spruce Street South.
More information can be found at their website
