Child's Pose - The Manly Daily

Beaches mums have created yoga mats for kids, writes Erina Starkey - The Manly Daily 

Do your children need a little inner peace? Do you need a little outer peace? If so, it might be time to encourage the littlies to take up yoga.

And to ensure they are appropriately kitted up for their classes, northern beaches mums Kristy Moore and Jennifer Temple have begun making premium yoga mats, designed for children aged three to eight.

“I teach a regular Pilates class at a primary school and I noticed that all the children had to carry these big, heavy mats around, along with their school bags and everything else,” Kristy Moore, co-owner of Sunchild Yogi, said.

“It started me thinking about designing a smaller, lighter mat that would be easy for them to carry.”

Sunchild Yogi mats are 136cm long, which is 47cm shorter than a typical adultsized yoga mat.

The mats are also made from high-quality and safe materials and have a texture that is appealing to children.

“The mats are made from 100 per cent natural rubber with a beautiful, soft microfibre suede top – kids just love the feel of this. It’s so soft.” Moore says.

“Plus, they are machinewashable, which is an absolute must with kids.

“They are also biodegradable, PVC- and silicone-free and have no phthalates, so they are ecofriendly and safe for little bodies.”

As well as yoga and Pilates, the mats can be used for meditation, mindfulness, stretching and play time, Moore said.

And hopefully, having their own special mat will help children get more excited about exercise.

“Having their own special mat to take along with them to a kids’ yoga or Pilates class can really encourage them to participate,” she said.

As a yoga teacher, Moore said kids’ yoga and Pilates were great forms of exercise for littlies and could promote happy, healthy and calm children.

“There are countless articles and studies being done on the benefits of teaching kids practices such as meditation, yoga and Pilates,” she said.

“It has been shown to help increase confidence and concentration and decrease the level of anxiety that many young children today are starting to experience at much younger ages than has been seen before.

“Starting to build healthy routines and experiences in children’s day-to-day life is more important than ever.”

The Sunchild Yogi range consists of three yoga mats in orange, pink and purple and features cute kidfriendly designs.