In a bright, sun-filled studio in northwest Washington, D.C., a group of children stand with their arms in the air, pretending to be trees. Some have the sole of one foot raised and propped comfortably against the opposite thigh; others keep their foot lower, on an ankle or calf. Posing alongside them, like oaks among the saplings, are parents, grandparents or caregivers. Occasionally, someone (more often than not an adult) will lose her balance and topple out of her pose, but this generally provokes smiles around the room, rather than expressions of frustration or scorn. This is family yoga, after all, where adults and children alike come together to participate in an activity where no expectation, no competition and above all, no judgment are involved. It is, instead, simply a place for them to feel free — to unwind, to connect and just be.

As a certified Next Generation Kids yoga instructor, I have been teaching family yoga here in Washington, D.C., for over a year, after I began receiving an increasing number of inquiries from parents who were interested in taking a yoga class along with their children.

Using a combination of partner poses, yoga games, themes and improvisation techniques, family yoga builds strength and flexibility and teaches physical and sensory awareness as well as mental concentration—skills adults need to refresh and children need to learn, in order to understand their bodies and focus their minds. And for working parents, in particular, who may not have time to bring their children to class during the week, let alone attend a class themselves, a family yoga class in the evening or on the weekend offers the chance to practice together, in a way that benefits them as individuals and as a family unit at the same time.

Annie Mahon, founder of Budding Yogis and Circle Yoga in northwest Washington, D.C., believes that family yoga provides children with an activity they can share with their parents, without being judged. "We start evaluating and comparing our children from such an early age, whether consciously or not," she says. "Starting from the moment they crawl, we are constantly encouraging them to run faster, throw farther or study harder. Family yoga offers parents and children a chance to step outside that judgmental sphere and do something that is purely relaxing for a change. Parents and children both learn how not to judge their performance — or anyone else’s — during class, although you can imagine how delighted kids feel when they see that Mom may not be quite so adept at the frog pose as they are!"

Forrest McKennie, whose two daughters practice family yoga with him and his wife, agrees. "My girls are very high energy," he says, "so we were looking for an activity we could do together that would allow them to be active, while channeling that energy in a positive way. Family yoga provides that. They’re happy to be there and happy to be with us, too."

Family yoga is just one of many yoga options available these days. Indeed, there are now almost as many different kinds of yoga classes for children as there are for adults — from mom/baby yoga, to family yoga, to yoga for toddlers and teens. According to "Yoga Journal," the number of American adults practicing yoga topped 15 million in 2003 and is still growing — a fact that supports the well-known benefits of yoga for adults. But just what are the benefits for children?

After practicing yoga myself for a number of years, I became interested in teaching yoga to children when I became a parent and saw the increasing amount of pressure put on kids today. Between the demands of school and homework, high rates of divorce and the fact that children are engaging in competitive, strenuous sports at an ever-earlier age, many children are now almost as stressed out as their parents.

At the same time, there are fewer and fewer safe outlets for children to help them unwind. The days when parents allowed kids to ring on a friend’s doorbell or ride a bike unsupervised are almost gone; indeed, many parents are now reluctant to let their children even watch television because of the violence and advertising on-screen.

I wanted to help restore the balance in children’s lives by imparting some of what I had learned through my own yoga practice. By teaching children how to find their own center of calm, yoga provides them with a healthy way of dealing with stress and anxiety — one that is more effective, not to mention more constructive, than simply playing computer games or watching TV. And by encouraging children to move and stretch playfully while bringing their energy inward, yoga teaches them to focus calmly on the present moment, rather than scattering their energies in a constant pursuit of the future and the "next big thing."

Yoga also teaches children creativity and respect for themselves, their bodies and others, as well as physical and sensory awareness. For children suffering from depression, low self-esteem or poor body image, in particular, yoga provides a non-judgmental environment in which to discover the joys of physical activity — one that is sorely lacking from most competitive sports.

As Mahon says, "With yoga, nobody is watching or comparing your performance to anyone else’s, so it is almost impossible for a child to leave practice feeling bad about himself."

So just how does a class for very young children differ from one for say, 10-year-olds or from a class for teens?

A toddler class will generally engage children in yoga practice using a combination of yoga themes, improvisation and games. A child may be asked to roar like a lion or stand like a tree, for example, or to lie on the floor and pretend she is a frond of seaweed, drifting gently along in the current of the ocean. Through exercises such as these, a young child will learn basic physical movements, like jumping or galloping, as well as more general skills, such as body awareness. She will also learn how getting upset can constrict her muscles and make it hard to breathe — and what to do when she feels like this. One 3-year-old boy in my class learned to lay his favorite stuffed animal across his eyes whenever he needed to relax and go to sleep at night — something he had learned from using the eye pillows we provide during relaxation in class.

A class for older children and preteens may revolve around a different theme each week — one that includes yoga poses, breathing, movement and even art projects. A teacher might ask a 10-year-old to express how he feels coming into the class by drawing a picture, modeling with wikki stix or by writing, if he prefers. At the end of the class, she might ask him to do the same, to see how his feelings have changed. These exercises help children channel their energies and focus on the class, as well as demonstrate how yoga can help them control their own emotions and their bodies. The poses in these classes tend to be more advanced, but kids love the challenge, particularly when they know they are not being judged.

Teenage classes are generally taught more like adult classes. A teacher may talk about how you feel when your life and/or your body are off-kilter, while guiding the class through a series of yoga poses focusing on balance. By teaching body awareness, yoga can help teenagers identify their fears, as well as feelings they have floating around, which is often the first step in learning to handle them. Adolescence can be an extremely insecure time, as teens struggle to establish their own sense of identity, and yoga can help them learn to respect themselves and their bodies, just as they are — abilities, limitations and all.

As a yoga instructor who teaches adults and children, it’s wonderful to see how people who might otherwise feel too intimidated to come to an adult class can lose their inhibitions by participating in a class with their kids. It’s also very empowering for children to see their parents learning alongside them. Often at the end of class, during relaxation, I will see a parent reach out and take the hand of her child lying next to her — something she may never have a chance to do in the course of a normal day, unless it is to hurry them across a road. But the most important benefit of yoga for children is its ability to provide a sanctuary in children’s lives — an all too rare time and space where children can come to relax, enjoy the moment and luxuriate in just being themselves.