“Special needs” yoga student David Vital, age 8, and “typically developing” Jessica Fuller, age 7, practice a partner pose under Darlene D’Arezzo’s gentle guidance.
Photo: Catherine Gallegos
October 2005 | Features
Calming the Buzz
Yoga for Challenged Kids
By Catherine Gallegos
Darlene D’Arezzo sits on the floor in the center of her small Kids’ Yoga Circle studio in Santa Monica, surrounded by the chaos of six youngsters: average kids, children with Down Syndrome, kids who suffer from hyperactivity disorder and one child with a terminal diagnosis. Six yoga mats radiate like purple rays from her peaceful sun. But the kids aren’t on the mats. Not yet, anyway.
Gentle music softly wafts about the room, and just outside, a bubbling fountain lends additional calm. The lithe, mild-mannered, 30-something D’Arezzo closes her eyes, sits up straighter and seems to quietly will the restive children, one by one, onto their mats.
Little five-year-old Alex, climbing the walls instead of cooperating, looks more exhausted than energized. D’Arezzo suggests he curl up in “child’s pose.” He acquiesces and within minutes is fast asleep, oblivious to the children leaping over and around him. Max, who has Down Syndrome, is the next to calm down. But before long, all have taken their places, sitting (albeit tenuously) in casual versions of lotus.
“Bumblebee breath is a good breath to practice when you wish to calm down,” D’Arezzo quietly counsels. “Let’s start with Om.” Soon, the hum of six little Om voices envelops the now-peaceful space, clearly, if briefly, relaxing the children. The sound gradually slips into a soft buzzing, indeed faintly reminiscent of bumblebees.
In the next half hour, D’Arezzo will gracefully encourage the children through “mountain,” “volcano” (“lava pouring all the way down to the floor”), “frog,” “butterfly” and “hissing snake” poses. She will soothe energy bursts with instructions to “give yourself a hug.” And she’ll demonstrate “gentle touch,” encouraging her young yogis to help each other through partner poses.
“People think yoga is a religion, or about stretching or sitting still,” D’Arezzo comments, explaining, “Yoga is a way of life. It is about honesty, respect, sharing and harmony. It’s about doing our best and practicing patience.” And just as yoga helps big people, children, too, benefit from increased flexibility, strength, balance and improved self-esteem.
At the end of the kids’ half-hour practice, D’Arezzo asks her charges to lie still, eyes closed, and listen carefully for the barely audible “butterfly” song she will begin to sing, gradually drifting off into a few moments of listening to their own breathing.
The hyperactives in the group are soon back to roving the room—but for a short time, they were at peace. That’s a big step, D’Arezzo notes. “To achieve focus, to be quiet, to open their ears to listen to the sound of their breathing is tremendous,” she explains. “To hold a posture for 30 seconds, one minute, then two is a significant accomplishment.”
The idea of yoga for kids is not a new concept, although D’Arezzo’s Kids’ Yoga Circle—opened just last year—is the area’s first dedicated children’s yoga studio.
D’Arezzo worked in children’s television and also taught media arts and literacy until a visit to India to further her own yoga practice inspired her to quit the entertainment business and begin teaching. She focused her yoga studies on children with special needs, and founded Kids’ Yoga Circle last October.
Although she has a perceivable effect on all her students, perhaps most impressive is D’Arezzo’s finesse and patience with kids who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and related Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
“It is an enormous challenge,” D’Arezzo acknowledges, “especially for the kids who have the shortest attention spans. Developing a routine like yoga—giving them a concrete beginning, middle and end—really helps them. Yoga also establishes stress management techniques and helps children learn to filter what is and isn’t important at any given moment.”
June Doyle says her nine-year old has benefited dramatically. “Kaitlin is much more centered and relaxed after yoga practice, almost as if she’s just gotten a massage,” Doyle explains. “She comes out of class much calmer, and this lasts several hours.”
Doyle has noticed longer lasting benefits as well. “Yoga has definitely helped Kaitlin with listening, and her disposition has improved,” the mother explains. “She is more tolerant, and has learned to share and interact well with other kids. Kaitlin does a lot of yoga and occupational therapy. I think it all goes hand in hand.” Her daughter is doing so well, in fact, that Doyle recently took her off Concerta (a methylphenidate drug, like Ritalin, prescribed to aid children with ADHD), and, “So far she’s doing great.”
Back at Kids’ Yoga Circle, another day of classes has concluded, and D’Arezzo says she feels inspired, if a little tired. “Sometimes it’s difficult to keep the kids engaged and on their yoga mats,” she says. “Sometimes for weeks I’ll think I’m not getting through. Then a dad or mom will call and tell me their kid is practicing downward dog at home and is sleeping better, behaving better at school and generally more at peace. I get a lot of those calls,” she adds, “and they make my day.”
Catherine Gallegos serves as editor-in-chief of Novica.com, a world arts website affiliated with National Geographic. Observing these children brought back beautiful, painful memories of her older brother Patric, who died from complications of Down syndrome at the age of eight.
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