I first heard about local organization Little Hippies Kids Yoga while reading the “giving back” section in issue 2 of Dote Magazine and the idea behind it immediately caught my attention. Since its conception in 2013 by Jenna Galloway and Chloe Dusser, the local organization has become known for its charitable work in providing free yoga classes to children who are sick, recovering, disabled, low-income, or simply in need. Little Hippies operates under the “buy one give one” system, which means every time you purchase a class from them, you are giving a free class to a child in need. Prior to reading about Little Hippies, I had always thought of yoga as something that requires the focus of adults. However, the more I thought about it, the more the idea made sense. Yoga is known for its physical and psychological benefits and is a tried-and-true stress reliever, so shouldn’t kids who are facing stress and anxiety get to enjoy those benefits? These ideas are just some of what drove Jenna and Chloe to be where they are today.
Jenna was only 21 when she first got the idea for Little Hippies. She was (and still is!) a student at the University of Calgary who had worked with kids with autism quite extensively while studying Health Sciences and wished to find other ways to benefit those with disabilities. Having turned to yoga in stressful times of her own life, she soon put up an ad around the city asking for yoga mat donations to kickstart her idea. That’s when Chloe reached out to her and together, they became the founders of Calgary’s kid’s-only yoga studio. Since then, they’ve transformed their Bridgeland home into a beautiful and functional studio, taught countless classes at locations such as the Children’s Hospital, traveled to Mexico together to receive their yoga certifications and just extended their program to teens as well!
If any of you have tried to attend a yoga class at a studio in town as a minor, you probably known how complicated the process may be. Most studios require a parent to attend or to sign a bunch of consent forms. Luckily, Little Hippies makes the process quick and easy; just print off their waiver from their website beforehand and you’re good to go! This makes it easier than ever for teens to de-stress after a long day. The schedule for their new teen classes are on the image below.
Having recently entered the second and arguably most stressful year of high school, I often get the feeling that I’m not taking enough time to wind-down and reconnect with myself and as much as I’d like to believe it, binge watching The X-Files doesn’t really count. Truthfully, part of it was that I didn’t know how. Last Thursday night I had the pleasure to attend one of the first teen classes and enjoyed my experience completely. After a short walk from Bridgeland LRT Station, I was greeted at the door by the incredibly welcoming Jenna and her and Chloe’s (adorable) pups Ollie and Henry. While I was there, Jenna introduced me to the concept of Little Hippies and gave me a glimpse into the merchandise with their artful logo on it. The merchandise is extremely soft and great for casual wear or your yoga class, I just had to have one. I attended the Yang/Yin class, which places focuses half on traditionally-paced yoga movements and half on slower, stretch-based movements. This makes it the perfect class to attend at night before you tuck in for a night of rest. After a long day of school, a relaxing yoga class is the perfect anecdote. I know for sure that I’ll be back in the studio when I’m stressed (soon!). If you’re looking for a relaxed, non-judgmental environment to practice yoga and relieve-stress, give Little Hippies a try. All their classes are drop-in for $15 a pop, and passes are also available. All classes are taught by certified instructors and yoga mats and other supplies are all provided, though you can of course bring your own.
If you’re looking to try a teen yoga class, I’m happy to announce that Little Hippies will be giving away a free teen yoga class to YAA readers! The giveaway winner will receive a free yoga class of their choice (refer to previous image with class times). To enter, simply like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook post about this blog (x) or retweet our tweet about this post (x). The winner will be selected and contacted through the social media platform they entered through on September 23rd. Hope to see you in the Little Hippies studio soon!
xperience, seeing the product of your work and talent was incredibly inspiring, not the mention how great partaking in your class was! To find out more about Little Hippies, visit their website at http://www.littlehippieskidsyoga.com/ and be sure to follow them on the social media links on there to get the latest news and updates.
Featured image taken by Jenna Galloway