Toy ray-gun blast sounds emanate from around the corner. A moment before, cheeky 4-year-old You Shanglin, or Youyou, had been physically removed by the instructor, as he was proving to be too much of a distraction to everybody else. At one point, he had wrapped himself up in a thin mat, perhaps imagining himself to be a sausage roll.

As the electronic ray gun whirls become more frequent and other young attendees start to notice his antics, one can't help feeling sorry for Youyou. He is, after all, only doing what 4-year-olds do. They get lost in their own universe, and they don't choose their extra-curricular activities. That's the job of their parents. Youyou's parents have chosen yoga.

This Monday, March 11, will be the last day that Dulwich College Beijing plays host to Incy Wincy Yoga, a Beijing-based company specializing in pre-school yoga activities for expat and local children from newborns up to 12 years of age. Husband and wife team Ian Gordon and Angelina Liu originally founded the company in 2006. Since 2010, Incy Wincy has broadened into the mainland domestic market with centers in Shanghai and Tianjin, and reached out internationally with centers in Singapore and most recently Bangkok.

Benefits for all

Yoga for kids seems to be on the rise and Gordon and Liu may have a unique product on their hands. But can yoga really help a child achieve balance in their young, boisterous little lives?

"The benefit of yoga for adults is the same as it is for children," says Liu, 28, originally from Shandong Province and who is the chief baby yogi instructor at Incy Wincy. 

 "Now we have about 300 students, mostly from international kindergartens. We have different parts to our classes," said Liu.

She explains that teaching methods for the tots include simple breathing exercises and visualization techniques that help with creativity.

"We also have games to help them control their breathing. We do trust and coordination activities. We tell them to learn how to build teamwork and trust other people, which is very important," says Liu.

Metro Beijing recently attended one of Liu's classes at the Incy Wincy headquarters in Shuangjing, Chaoyang district. At the front of the large space, Liu played teacher to three young students: the aforementioned Youyou, her son Oliver who is 5, and another slightly older girl called Lucy who is 8. 

The class curriculum that Liu teaches is a program tailored for various age groups written by Liu and other members of Incy Wincy staff but based on her own study of yoga online and reading books which culminated in the completion of a course in baby yoga in the UK around 2008.

Everybody in position

So far, in the classroom, everyone seems calm and obedient. Liu proceeds to reenact 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' by bending over to her right side in a fluid yoga pose as her young protégés mimic her actions as best they can and chant along. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves immensely.

These visualization type exercises are particularly interesting to observe because they are reminiscent of any activity-filled kindergarten classroom. However, the only difference is that the children here are stretching and attempting to physically reproduce a simple yet elegant yoga position, something Youyou (the youngest) is finding difficult to do. "Can you please focus?" implores Liu as the two youngest - Youyou and her son Oliver - discover untold joy and fascination in one of the little holes in Oliver's yoga mat. "I don't want you to have some time out," she threatens mildly in both English and Chinese.

By far the quietest and most able mimic of Liu's yoga moves is 8-year-old Lucy. Up until now, she has been a model student and has listened to every instruction, posing quite ably in the various positions.

They do have their favorites though. Oliver's is the spider pose, and he is quite adept at demonstrating the move in front of the class. This must be good for the children as it builds up their confidence in ways standing up in front of a classroom and simply reciting multiplication tables may not.

Zhai Xiaoying, 36, is originally from Tianjin and is a full-time mother of Youyou in Beijing. "I did yoga before, and I know the benefits, so I think it's really good for him if he starts early," says Zhai of her 4-year-old. "I just wanted to find him something constructive to do."

On Incy Wincy's website, the benefits of doing yoga for children are listed in some detail. A lot of it seems too good to be true for any prospective parent. Under the subheading 'Baby Yoga Benefits' there is a claim that Incy Wincy can provide a service that "turns fussiness and crying into smiles." Under 'Tot Yoga Benefits' Incy Wincy claims to be able to help increase a child's attention span.

When asked to help Metro Beijing ascertain the scientific basis of these benefits, Liu alluded to a study carried out in Los Angeles in 2003 by the Charter College of Education which concluded that "the preponderance of evidence shows [that] yoga is clearly related to desirable school outcomes."

Zhai says it's hard for her to tell whether the proposed benefits of teaching yoga to young children is good for concentration. However, she is happy that her son is learning English through Liu's instructions.

Again, the benefits are hard to ascertain. Zhai was hard pushed to give a concrete example of how Youyou's temperament had changed since taking up yoga.

Whether Youyou, or anyone else as young, is willing to listen to an adult all the way through an hour-long yoga session remains debatable. As Youyou departed with his mother and toy gun in tow, Oliver proceeded to wrap his mother's legs with a piece of wire. Later on he seemed distraught about something. Perhaps when he is older he'll be better equipped to notice the benefits of the yoga he currently participates in.