Young yogis stretch, get silly during Auburn YMCA's new family yoga class - Auburn Citizen

AUBURN | On Sunday mornings, the YMCA becomes more than just a place to work out.

For about 45 minutes, the Auburn center transforms into a place where yoga mats turn into cars — where children morph into hopping kangaroos and parents pretend to finger-paint with their feet.

This weekly session of imaginative fun occurs during the YMCA's family yoga class — a class that makes exercise enjoyable for children.

Instructor Mandy Learo said the two-month-old class was created in part to provide members with a wholesome activity that would get families out of their homes on gloomy winter days. But Learo, who has dedicated much of her time as a yoga instructor to teaching children, has another hope for her young yogis.

"The main thing is they leave this class knowing that yoga is fun," she said. "Yoga will be there for them for life."

And from start to finish, it's clear that there's no shortage of fun in the YMCA's family yoga class.

Minutes before the class started, smiling children — tailed by a parent or grandparent — rushed into the group fitness studio. After the colorful mats were laid out, the group circled up and waited.

Learo started the class off with the traditional "namaste" greeting before leading the children through their weekly adventure.

Using traditional yoga stretches, Learo introduced her students to Parsnip, a butterfly-chasing cat. The children juggled at an imaginary circus, and even created their own yoga poses.

The interactive story made children and their adult relatives giggle and grin while they stretched their muscles and raised their heart rates.

Learo said she cooks up a new story for each class, tailoring her tale to correlate to the yoga moves she plans to use.

"The story keeps their attention, and helps them have fun," she said.

Learo said she also hopes the story-based class helps her students form lifelong connections that associate yoga with family, exercise and enjoyment.

Katie Lynn, of Auburn, said she and her daughter decided to try out the class as part of their search to find "something to do."

"She has a blast," Lynn said.

When asked what her favorite yoga pose is, Gracie Lynn, 6, stood shyly next to her mother and quickly replied, "tree."

"It's fun," she said.

Devon Roblee, of Auburn, said she and Alex, her 5-year-old son, used to practice yoga together in the past. So when Alex told her he wanted to try yoga with her again, Roblee was thrilled to attend the YMCA's family yoga class.

"We enjoy it," she said. "It's a good way to get us out and moving."

Roblee added that Learo's storytelling is especially enjoyable for Alex, whom she said has a healthy imagination.

"I think it's a great way to engage," she said. "He's always making up stories."

Looking around at her class full of students — many of whom have become regular attendees — Learo encouraged YMCA members to give the new class a try.

"It's an opportunity for the kinds to get up and move," she said. "It's an opportunity for them to gain confidence."