PRESQUE ISLE, Maine—Julie French, local wellness enthusiast and yoga instructor, visited preschool students at the Wintergreen Arts Center today for a special session of children’s yoga and mindfulness.
“Children need to move their bodies a lot during the day,” said Lisa Brewer who co-teaches Wintergreen’s creative preschool, Under the Willow Tree, with Katie Greenlaw. “And, one of the ways we satisfy that need is by doing yoga.”
Lisa added, “The boys and girls love yoga, so they are going to really enjoy children’s yoga with Ms. Julie. Julie French has many years of experience teaching yoga to both adults and kids. She connects quickly with children and they really respond to her style.”
During her visit, Julie helped Wintergreen’s preschool students learn stretching exercise and yoga poses such as the Three-Legged Downward Dog. She also talked with them about breathing, visualization, and relaxation techniques.
“Yoga helps kids in many ways,” said Julie. “From body awareness and building self-confidence, yoga helps children manage stress through breathing, meditation and healthy movement. Plus, it’s fun!”
Julie explained, “There are lots of tools for teaching yoga to young children like playing games, and doing poses while singing songs with big, expressive movements. Yoga is a low-cost way to introduce positive concepts in the classroom.”
About Julie French: Julie French has been interested in Wellness since college. Whether it is sharing yoga, meditation or massage, Julie believes that all ages can contribute to their own physical and emotional health. She leads yoga classes from toddlers to seniors and teaches for a variety of organizations like Hope and Justice Project, Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Upward Bound and Aroostook Teen Leadership. Some of her topics include healthy dating relationships, mindfulness, home/work-life balance, respectful communication, and conflict transformation. She personally practices yoga and meditation as well as spending ample time in nature….biking, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, paddle-boarding, etc. The rest of her energy is focused on her dog, her partner, her son and as much travel that fits in between the spaces.