Yoga classes incorporate art, crafts

Beginning May 23 and running through June, children ages 3 to 8 have the opportunity to experience stories through yoga and art at the Mather’s Museum of World Cultures/Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology.

Samantha King, a local yoga instructor, leads the sessions. She spoke to the museum this spring to see if they would work with her to provide a space for her program.

“It seemed like such a natural fit,” Curator of Education Sarah Hatcher said. “It seemed like a great opportunity to incorporate a new age group.”

King said she has a passion for cultures, children and teaching them about the world. When looking for a place to instruct children, she said she wanted a space that would utilize their imagination.

“Not only could the story transport the kids, but the surroundings can transport kids to another dimension,” King said.

King’s own children inspired her to start teaching kids. She has a 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. When her son was 2, she started instructing a yoga program for toddlers and parents at Bloomington Area Birth Services. She used this time to expose her son to yoga in a fun environment.

King said it’s important for children to learn about other cultures from an early age.

One of the reasons she picked the Mather’s Museum as her space was to get more youngsters into the museum.

“I think it’s a really great museum for children,” King said.

The sessions are about an hour long and start out with a warm-up. She said she likes to incorporate magic into her stories and may use a wand, cape and native feather fan while performing.

“It inspires them to think outside the box,” King said.

After the warm-up, King tells them the story orally. Many of King’s stories incorporate world culture and have a life lesson. Then, the story is retold while using yoga poses.
A song is sung and the children do some relaxation yoga. It all ends with a craft or art project.

“The imagination is how the kids connect to the higher self, their authentic self,” King said.  

At the first session, ten children attended and many more were on a waiting list since only ten children per session can attend.

“It’s probably the perfect sized group for this. I think it went really well,” Hatcher said.

“The children all seemed to enjoy themselves. There were absolutely no problems.”

There will be two more sessions on June 13 and 27. The program is free, but families must register in advance at museumed@indiana.edu.