Youngsters in Ellesmere Port have been enjoying yoga and mindfulness.
The 12 week sessions at the Westminster Community Centre were made possible by a £500,000 wellbeing project called The Wellbeing High Street.
The initiative was part of the three year project funded by the Big Lottery to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in the town.
It is pointed out that mental health issues in children are on the rise and yoga has been ‘strongly linked’ with improving the mental health not only of adults but children too.
The classes ran every Monday in the centre with the children enjoying their yoga through story and song which they rehearsed every week and went on to perform to their families and friends.
The children are said to have ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ the classes with one parent saying ‘the relaxation has really helped calm and focus my two daughters’. All the parents mentioned their children were practicing yoga at home after the sessions.
They also improved some of the children’s behaviour and allowed them to make new friends in new surroundings while doing a different kind of physical activity they were likely not to find at school.
Project manager Seóna Dunne said: “The programme has been ever so beneficial to the children, each week they have developed and grown a love for yoga.
“We are extremely proud to have been able to give the children of Ellesmere Port the opportunity to learn yoga.”
Due to the ‘fantastic feedback’ the project has had from the sessions it is to fund new free a new Yoga and Grow programme at Bridge Community Farm where parents/carers and children can take part in yoga as well as allotment activities.
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To find out more about the Wellbeing High Street visit http://www.healthboxcic.com/project/wellbeing-high-street/ or like their page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheWellbeingHighStreet/.
For more information about the Yoga and Grow programme contact Seóna by calling 0151 355 0205 or email seona@healthboxcic.com.
