Stretching their minds: how yoga can teach your children important life lessons

PoseTivity, a programme that teaches children yoga, will host the UAE's first family yoga retreat on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island next month.

PoseTivity classes are held every Saturday at The Archive in Dubai's Safa Park. Courtesy PoseTivity

Considering the rise in childhood obesity in the UAE, there’s no question that children should be taught the importance of physical activity. But Natalie Hassanie, an Argentine of Lebanese origin, believes that children should not only be physically fit, but also socially and emotionally equipped with the tools to lead happy and stress-free lives. Hassanie, a Dubai-based mother of three girls, co-founded the PoseTivity programme for kids ages 3 to 18 last September with Katherine Cebrowski.

“It began as a curriculum that we wanted to provide in schools, based on combining the three elements of yoga, which covers the physical aspect of a workout, with life skills and mindfulness. This has not been implemented before in the UAE but the benefits are amazing,” she says.

Through the PoseTivity programme, explains Hassanie, children are taught to have more awareness of themselves, connect with their inner voice, learn how to relax and combat stress and become more grounded.

The yoga element

Because parents felt yoga was too boring for kids, Hassanie decided to appeal to youngsters by providing complimentary yoga lessons tied to physical education classes in schools around Dubai.

In no way does PoseTivity’s yoga have any religious connotations, says Hassanie, which eliminates any controversy about providing yoga for children in schools. “In no time, the perception of yoga and meditation changed; teenagers found it interesting,” she says.

The life skills element

Through coaching from their yoga instructor, kids are taught the powers of positive thinking. During class, subjects such as trust, cooperation, anger management and compassion are discussed. “These concepts will equip them to deal with life’s challenges but also create a positive effect within their circle of friends and family,” Hassanie says.

The mindfulness element

Mindfulness refers to being in the present and acting consciously.

“Through mindfulness, we can create awareness and show children the interconnectedness among them and their environment,” Hassanie states. She points out that in schools, the practice of mindfulness has been known to eliminate bullying, creates a sense of compassion and transforms classrooms into communities.

PoseTivity is looking into creating workshops for teachers on mindfulness, as it helps create a deeper connection with students and reduces the shouting and frustration in the classroom.

What’s the point?

“You have to create a desire in a child to have a healthy lifestyle, otherwise your efforts will go to waste, because if they don’t make this choice from understanding it, they won’t do it,” insists Hassanie. So far, 12 schools in Dubai have incorporated the PoseTivity programme as an after-school activity. In April, the Dubai American Academy will dedicate four weeks of its physical education curriculum for students between the ages of 11 and 13 to the PoseTivity concept.

“We also want to reach government initiatives and show them how much this concept can help in combating diabetes and obesity in children,” says Hassanie.

Her hope is that PoseTivity will become integrated into the physical education curriculums of all schools in the UAE.

A family experience

Working with Emerge life coaching based in Dubai and The Retreat Collection, PoseTivity will be hosting the UAE’s first family yoga retreat in Abu Dhabi next month. Held from March 13 to 15 at the St Regis Resort on Saadiyat Island, the two-day programme will combine yoga for adults and children with coaching techniques from a certified life coach and bonding activities for the entire family. Rates for the weekend start at Dh6,300.

Also, PoseTivity conducts community classes at The Archive in Dubai’s Safa Park. Classes for children and separate yoga classes for adults and teenagers are held on Saturdays at 11.30am.

• To register for the Family Retreat in March, email [e-mail] or call 050 426 1366. Visit www.posetivity.com and www.facebook.com/PoseTivity or contact [e-mail]