When Children Become Our Teachers

A playful yoga journey that ended in stillness and wonder.

On International Children’s Day, I was invited to give a yoga class for 45 little ones in a hospital.  So, we journeyed through a story: tigers prowling, dragons breathing fire, snakes, eagles, and locusts moving with us in play. Together we searched for a sage beneath a bridge, chanting Aum and listening to the fading sound of a Tibetan bowl. Then, a miracle happened…

The Day Children Taught Me About Silence

It was the 1st of June, International Children’s Day, when I was invited to give a yoga class for 45 little ones, aged three to six, who had come to the hospital for their routine consultations.

I set a simple intention: to remind them that returning to silence, even for a moment, can be a gift for their well-being.

So, as we always do for a children class, I wove a story. Together, we entered a magical forest, walking silently like tigers on the prowl. Soon, we met a dragon spitting fire—and with our hands, we too became dragons. Then came new friends: Bhujanga the snake, Garuda the eagle, and Shalabha the locust—all brought to life with playful yoga postures. Our journey led us to the ancient bridge, Setu, beneath which the sage Ramana was meditating. We crossed the bridge in Setubandhasana, then sat beside the sage, legs crossed, spines tall, chanting softly: Aum, Aum, Aum.

 “What is the secret of my Self, and where can we find it?” I asked, in the name of the children. The sage did not answer… He just broke the silence by playing a Tibetan bowl. A beautiful sound rang out. “Do you hear it?” he asked.
“Yeees!” the children replied, eyes wide.  The sage asked: “Where is the sound going? Can you find where it vanishes?” Again, and again the bowl was struck. Again, and again came the same question…  

Then it just happened – the miracle of that class: forty-five children sat in perfect stillness, Kaya Sthairyam. Not a whisper, not a movement. Just presence.

At the end, I asked gently: “What did we learn today?”
“About silence”, they echoed the answer with a chorus voice.
“And where do we find this silence?”
One by one, their small hands pointed to their chests.
“Here,” one child whispered. “Here is where your true Self lives.” I whispered back. With a smile.

I had never once spoken that we can find silence when we root in our hearts. We had only played as tigers and dragons, that are making friends and seeking a secret together. 

And here they were, all of them, with shining eyes teaching me about perception, truthiness, awareness, silence and Heart. What a miracle! 

Every single yoga class that I have with children is teaching me so much, and gives me so many blessings! 

Their eyes, their smile, their happiness…It is priceless!            

Carmen Prema