Getting to know... Pippa, Founder of ‘Press Pause’ - yoga for children and adults

Pippa has always worked in health, fitness and wellbeing – she's been a gym instructor, group exercise teacher, trainer, assessor and quality assurer. More recently she had a full-time career developing health and fitness qualifications. In 2017 she decided to follow her dream of setting up Press Pause to share yoga and mindfulness to families, children, young people and adults.

What was it that made you want to set up a business focussed around yoga and mindfulness? 

I had been working in a corporate environment for quite some time and really felt disconnected from my community. At the age of 50 and after some challenging times at work, I decided that the time was right to come back to my love of teaching yoga and retrain as a children’s yoga and mindfulness teacher. I’ve always had a natural affinity with children and felt this was a natural path for me to follow. Having a young son, I also realised the ‘stress’ and ‘worries’ that were abundant in young people’s lives and felt that yoga and mindfulness could support them. At the same time I also embarked on a masters in mindfulness-based approaches at Bangor University which will enable me to teach the mindfulness-based stress reduction 8-week courses once my teacher training pathway is underway. Hopefully this time next year these courses will be up and running ready to support adults with their stressful lives.    

We’ve been to some of your yoga classes and they are very different from other classes we’ve ever been to.  Your focus is in encouraging people to experience their ‘own yoga’ - why do you do it this way and how does it work?

I have been teaching adult yoga now for 11 years and children’s yoga for two years. During this time I have evolved my teaching to enable ‘every body’ to benefit from my classes. Whoever walks through the door of my class should be able to take part comfortably and be able to feel the benefits of the practice even after their first class. I truly believe that yoga should be accessible for all. The yoga I teach is not about trying to push our bodies into extreme ‘instagram’ worthy postures; you certainly will not see pictures of me performing acrobatic-yoga-style poses as I deeply feel that this is not what yoga should be about. It is about understanding our own bodies, listening to our own bodies and moving our bodies in a way that is kind, nurturing and ultimately beneficial. Each class is planned to ensure we move the spine in all directions, tune in to every part of our body; every joint, every muscle and to truly notice our bodies. 

I emphasise that if something does not feel right, we should not be doing it. I teach non-judgement and non-comparison of not only each other but of ourselves too. Not comparing our bodies to how they used to be or comparing them with others, not judging others or indeed ourselves in any way.   

If someone wants to challenge themselves and that is their intention, they can do this in class but if someone wants to be compassionate and look after themselves in class, they are encouraged to do this.

As I age, I realise that this is the only way to teach. As my arthritis has shown up in numerous joints, I have to work with it to see what my body will allow me to do and what it won’t and I weave this into my teaching. The message is to be ok with our bodies today and in this moment and recognise that this is ever-changing. 

What are the main benefits for children from doing yoga? 

There are so many benefits. There is the social aspect, mixing with other children all taking part. One of my children’s classes has been running for two years and they have built up such a friendly and supportive rapport with each other. There are the physical aspects, increasing strength, flexibility and coordination. There are the mental aspects of concentration, attention, focus and resilience plus the benefits of mindfulness to aid their emotional wellbeing to support them in times of anxiety, worry and stress. 

What age can you start doing yoga with children?

I teach 4 sessions a week in a nursery and also teach a preschool class at a local cafe. The children in these classes range from 2-4 years old. So as long as a child is walking, they can give it a go. 

How do you inspire and encourage children (and their parents) who might be reluctant or sceptical about doing yoga?

Often the term ‘yoga’ puts people off as they link it to religious contexts. All of my classes are completely secular and the yoga I teach is mindful movement linked with some hatha yoga postures. Children will be encouraged to move their bodies in a way that suits them and does no harm. I explain that the postures are designed to put our bodies into a ‘happy place’ so we can sit and concentrate for longer periods of time. We can also use our movements to energise us or relax us. Yoga postures can challenge children and they often like the more advanced type of postures so we sometimes explore these in class but with adaptations for all. Yoga is fabulous for children who feel that they don’t excel well at sport or don’t particularly like team games. It allows them to tune-in to their growing bodies and just have fun. 

I don't use any Sanskrit or complicated posture names and all postures have simple names such as ‘tree’, ‘mermaid’, ‘snake’, ‘dog’, ‘rock’ etc.  

What happens at a children’s yoga class that is different from an adult class?

A children’s yoga class is playful. I don’t tell them how to put their bodies into certain poses but allow them to discover this for themselves. I teach that we are all different and some of us can do poses and some of us can’t. Sometimes we are wobbly and sometimes we are steady. The children get to explore what their bodies are capable of doing and this helps them with balance, coordination and strength. Children’s classes involve yoga games that may be energising or help them to focus. There are stories and crafts too. Sometimes we will have a theme for a term and all of my classes weave in mindfulness practices in a child friendly way. We learn to find our breath and focus on it and learn how to be still and focused. All skills that can help children as they grow. 

What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened in one of your children’s classes (if you can tell us!)?

Rather than funny things that happen, there are often real heart-melting moments such as the child at nursery that burst into tears and announced ‘I don’t want yoga to ever stop’.

One child was excited at the first session of a new term and carefully handed me a scrunched up piece of paper hand towel, explaining that it was a present. She said it was a tiny potato that had dried out. When I opened it, I discovered a tiny little pebble. I still have it and it makes me smile every time I see it.

After a rather chaotic class for an after-school club of 5- and 6-year olds, one of the children stood up and announced to all of the others ‘just breathe’.

We know that you work with children and schools around exam times to help the children with stress – what kind of things do you do with them?

I volunteer every year to teach mini mindfulness practices to the year 6 children in a local junior school. Before each of their SATs they all come into the hall for 15 minutes to learn some tools to aid them with any exam-based stress, worry and anxiety. At the start the children learn to check in with their feelings; to turn towards sensations in their bodies and to really listen to what their bodies and minds are telling them. They learn to recognise that thoughts are not facts and that everything is impermanent. The children learn to connect with their breath in numerous ways, such as finding and following the breath in their body, counting their breaths, breathing up and down a sheet of paper (SATs breath) and extending their out breath by blowing a feather. The children are given a glass nugget to explore; to really focus their attention on to it and they also use this as a ‘worry stone’ that they can keep in their pocket to remind them to breathe. This and many other simple practices act like a little toolkit for the children in times of unease.

Can you give us some tips for what people can do at home to help relieve stress for their children and for themselves?

There are many lovely breathing practices that are simple and easy to do. The first thing is finding the breath; noticing it at the nostrils, the collar bones, the lungs, the ribs, the belly and really exploring the texture, rate and depth of it. Just noticing our breath in this way can bring calm and sense of relaxation. Finger breathing is lovely and calming and small children really like this. Splaying our hand out in front of us. Take the forefinger of the other hand and trace from the thumb joint up to the top of the thumb whilst breathing in, then breathe out as you trace down the other side of the thumb. Repeat this up and down each finger and then back the other way, breathing in as you trace up and then breathing out as you trace down. 

The three-step-breathing space is another great tool for children and adults. Imagining a shape of an egg timer. Think of the wide part at the top and think of wide awareness. How is the mind right now and how is the body? What is there for us in the moment? We then focus on the narrow part of the egg timer in the centre, we bring ourselves to narrow awareness of just our breath; noticing and feeling it. We then move to the lower part of the timer and think of our wide awareness but this time of everything we see and feel. How do our feet feel on the floor, tips of fingers? Are we warm or cold? What sensations do we notice in the whole body? What do we notice around ourselves? This is a lovely practice to do. 

Don’t forget that we offer parent consultations should you need support with anything from sleep to behaviour and so much more! Details of the packages we offer can be found here.

We also have a podcast - ‘Newborn to Teen and Everything in Between’ - listen here.