Cosmic Kids Yoga

I'm so excited to introduce you to Cosmic Kids (if you haven't been already). It's an absolute FAV in our home and it's just so brilliant! My kids are in love with their yoga adventure they get to go on each day! And yes it's an adventure!

Here they are surfing the waves:

Here they are unlocking a treasure chest:

Can you see their shark fins below while they chat with a shark?

And here my daughter is making a quick phone call to mom to let her know she is A-Ok!

Let me introduce you to the face of Cosmic Kids. Her name is Jaime, and she's quite the enthusiast. Have I mentioned that her yoga videos are all exciting adventures?!

Seriously...they're exciting.

I wanted to know so much more as soon as I first found Cosmic Kids! So I wrote and invited her over to That's So Cuegly and she answered some Interview Q's for me!

1. Please tell us a little about yourself?

I'm Jaime.  I live in the countryside just outside London, England with my partner Martin and our two dogs Spencer and Mini. I trained as an actress at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and have been a professional fairy (children's entertainer) for many years. As well as teaching kids' yoga I also teach grown-ups!

2. When did you start Cosmic-Kids and what gave you the idea?

Cosmic Kids began in 2010. I had been improvising using yoga as a physical storytelling technique for years at children's parties and decided there must be a way to make it more official. I trained with a lovely lady called Fenella Lindsell who has helped create the Waybuloo TV series. From then I began creating my own stories and sequences to teach in schools, nurseries, preschools and private studios. I currently teach around 200 kids per week and use yoga at children's parties! 

We began filming and posting the Cosmic Kids videos in May 2012. I wanted kids to be able to do yoga whenever they feel like it as coming to a scheduled class might not always be available or affordable. I also wanted to provide teachers with a resource to bring yoga into the classroom as a brilliant and fun way to balance energy levels, calm things down or get everyone feeling ready for a day of learning.  

3. Why Yoga?

Yoga gives us stability, and space. We breathe through and remove the obstacles and limitations that block our energy channels and set ourselves free. The challenges we face on a yoga mat are a metaphor for the challenges we face in life. Through yoga practice we learn to handle 'real life' challenges with steadiness and ease. I have been practicing yoga since I was a teenager and know how beneficial and fun it can be. Kids love to move and yoga postures come naturally to them. When we physically engage with a learning process we absorb so much more, so with kids yoga we have this wonderful opportunity to not only help kids maintain a good level of physical fitness and reduce their stress, but also to communicate valuable life lessons through stories.

4. Can you tell us a bit more about the program and any upcoming goals?

There's a really cool process at work in the making of Cosmic Kids. After I write each story I take it into the schools and nurseries to try it out with the kids I teach regularly. Their reactions help me understand what works best and they continually give me new inspiration for themes, unique yoga moves and characters. I also listen to parents and teachers to find out what issues they feel need tackling so I can design stories to help with specific problems. Coming soon as a direct result of this is a series of bedtime stories - this seems to be a universal issue for many kids (and their parents!) 

We shoot the stories in our local social club in front of a green screen. I do the whole story in one take. It flows well and I feel a sustained connection with the kids doing the yoga, and it's great for holding attention.

There's a small and talented team that work behind the scenes to make Cosmic Kids happen. There's Jake the cameraman, Dylan the illustrator who creates all the wonderful back drops, the logo and other artwork and Konrad who creates 3D animated worlds out of them and puts me in them. At the helm of it is my partner Martin. Together we collaborate and come up with new ideas and innovations to make CK brilliant. Martin brings the whole team together and has instilled an open, happy and creative culture in all of us working on CK. Without him Cosmic Kids would never have happened.

We are blown away by how many people are watching Cosmic Kids now. I come in from teaching 2 or 3 classes of 15 kids and in the same time thousands of kids around the world have been doing a class too. At the moment, we just want to keep having fun making them and see what happens. We are always interested in hearing from people who use the videos to find out how they are helping and what we can do to make them even better. 

5. Where else can we find you on the web?

We have a DVD available on Amazon.You can also come and join the CK gang on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cosmic-Kids/223487707770690, subscribe to our channel on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga, or visit our website http://www.cosmickids.co.uk/ or you can follow me on twitter @jaimestweets. 

I've also written a book about running kids' parties and have a blog where you can pick up lots of ideas for games, themes and making your next kids' party a huge success. http://www.howtorunakidsparty.com/ 

6. Do you have any tips for keeping your child healthy and/or active?

Kids need a good example. When we are active and healthy ourselves, kids follow suit. When you show them how much you value yourself and enjoy keeping up your own fitness, they will be keen to find their own.  I am also a huge juicing fan and know that the fruit and vegetables I eat are a constant source of health and wellness. The more naturally we can eat and drink the better. 

7. What is your favorite Yoga Adventure so far?

That's a tough one! Squish the Fish is probably up there, but coming soon are Spartz 24 The RoboDog of 2112 and Mike The Cosmic Space Monkey - so there's lots to look forward to!

8. Is there anything else you would like us to know?

The next Cosmic Kids episode, Enzo the Bee, will be out in early March. Join us on Facebook or subscribe to the YouTube channel to get it as soon as it's available.

Thanks Jaime for stopping by and letting us get to know more about you and the program Cosmic Kids! Everyone please share this with your friends! 

My kid's workout routine has changed for the good and they look forward to working out EVERY single day! Thanks Jaime!

-Linds