THEY might not quite be doing downward dog or saluting the sun but the babies and toddlers at Bibble and Bubble Baby Yoga look like they’re enjoying themselves.

It seems that you’re never too young to take up the activity – some of the little ones in the class have been being brought along since they were a matter of weeks old.

The sessions are run by Megan De Kok, who is teaching the class with her nine-week-old daughter April strapped to her body and has been bringing her daughter to the class since she was three weeks old.

She explains that one of the huge benefits of baby yoga is that it is a very bonding experience for the parent and child.

She used to work with school-age pregnant girls, teaching them parenting skills, and it was while doing this that she realised just how important it was to focus on parentchild bonding as well as relaxation.

This led her to learn how to teach baby massage and then baby yoga after her first daughter, Violet, was born three-and-a-half-years ago.

“It’s very bonding for the parent and child because they’re doing everything together,” says Megan.

The classes give both parent and child the chance to get some exercise as well as to relax.

“It’s really important to teach babies and children relaxation. In today’s society children become over-stimulated. Relaxation is a learnt skill,” she says.

“If you teach it to children when they’re small, it sets them up for life.”

Although the room is full of small children, the parents say that they also find it relaxing coming to the classes and enjoy spending this special time with their children.

Michelle Flood from Fareham has been bringing her 20-month-old daughter Sophie to the class at the Meadowside Leisure Centre in Whiteley since she was three months old.

As well as enjoying the classes they also practise at home together. Michelle thinks that the classes have improved her daughter’s motor-skills and flexibility as well as boosting her confidence.

For Anna Bowman, who has been bringing her 14-month-old son Lewis to the classes for around a year, relaxation and bonding are the main benefits of coming.

“When we did the baby massage he would sleep for ages afterwards,” she says.

Michelle Griffin also believes that her nineand- a-half-month old son Alexander has developed his motor skills thanks to yoga. She says it also helped him get over colic.

“He really enjoys the class,” she says.

“He has become mobile very quickly and it’s helped us to bond, without a shadow of a doubt.”

Attending the class for the first time was Robert McLaughlin, with his ten-and-a-half-month old daughter, Isla, who has been coming with her mother for around six months.

He was struck by the fact that the children seemed to know what to do at different points in the class and that this was a special time.

Megan explains that songs are used to help the children learn the moves that are used in class.

Some of the time the babies are involved in the moves, perhaps being swung around by their parent, and at others they are encouraged to copy what their parent is doing.

“When the children are a bit older they can do things like the downward dog position themselves,” she says.

It has been reported that the Duchess of Cambridge has taken up yoga to help her stay healthy during her pregnancy and Megan, who returned to work three weeks after giving birth, certainly feels it has benefitted her.

The class ends with the parents laying down and resting, with Megan explaining that if they relax, their little ones will do likewise.

“Bonding and relaxation are just so important,” she says.

“Focusing on your breathing can really help you to relax, and it can help your baby to relax too.”

  • For more information about Megan’s Bibble and Bubble Baby Yoga classes, visit bibblebubble.com