Five-year-olds don’t know their Vedas from their Asanas, yet it is believed that if you put them in a room full of adults doing cobras and downward dogs in yoga class, you will be amazed at how quickly most fall in line… most. Practitioners tout the positive effects of teaching kids relaxation techniques, but many parents of sprightly students, battling with the problem of helping them find their own place of stillness, know that introducing busybody kids to the peaceful sanctity of a yoga studio can be like setting a bull loose in a china shop. So how can you help active kids slow down? Eventually we realized the parental touch of massage can do wonders.
My son is such a child. If Devon were given the freedom to plan his own activities, we would participate daily in the kid equivalent of a decathlon that might include, but is certainly not limited to dancing, skateboarding, basketball, bicycling, swimming, soccer, baseball, playground romps, kite flying and impromptu mat wrestling matches that usually begin with a surprise drop kick to dad’s midsection. But we’re not maniacs. Devon does not always have his way.
My wife Liza tried the aforementioned yoga routine with Devon at home. But it always devolved into the young cobra becoming entangled around the leg of the older downward facing dog, or the cow taking refuge under the wheel. She has since shelved the idea.
Taking a cue from my wife’s efforts, I decided to try massage. I remembered that when Devon was a newborn, Liza had come across the book Infant Massage: A Handbook for Loving Parents, by Vimala McClure. In the book McClure informs readers that massaging children was a common practice in most cultures outside of the western world. Not only do caregivers use it as a means of bonding with their newborns, she proposes that infant massage, along with other nurturing basics such as breastfeeding and carrying, will lead to less instances of aggression and violent behavior later in life.
Seeking a bit more personal professional advice, I contacted Denise Bradbie, a licensed family acupuncturist and mom, who suggested that at Devon’s age, starting the massage at the feet might be best. “When a kid is being treated, the feet are great because the child can see everything that is going on. It’s good to bring attention to this area of the body in a Chinese medical sense because it is how we connect to the earth and feel more grounded.”
