ABOUT

Yoga Teacher and author

Founder of Orange Lotus Publishing

Anna Smithers is an award-winning author, fully qualified yoga teacher (500h yoga teacher training), and yoga therapist for children and young adults (350h yoga therapy for children training). She has also trained extensively in yoga for children and people with autism. She works closely with neurodiverse children. Anna holds two master’s degrees; in Science and Business Management. She also completed the Science of Well Being Course at Yale. Her Yogi Superhero Adventures in Nature – Forest won a bronze medal in a children’s picture book category in Living Now US Awards 2020. Yogi Superhero book is a Red Ribbon Winner in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2020.

Poetry and writing were always present in her life. Even as six-year-old girl, she was creating the stories and drawing her own illustrations. Later in life, poetry took more serious direction, and she was using poetry to express her feelings and emotions. When she was 18, her poems were published in local and national newspapers and magazines. Some of these won competitions. However, life has taken her on a completely different journey. It was only when she started Yoga that the inspiration to write returned to her. Yoga came to her life many years ago and she started to share it with others.

Teaching yoga to children is her passion. Combining passion for writing and yoga seems to be perfect combination. Latest books are based on the Yogi Superhero programme for children ages 4-12, which she created and delivered for the last few years. She lives and teaches in Cheshire, England.

Why Yoga for children?

Photo by Anna Smithers.

Inspiration for the Yogi Superhero Book series – Anna’s god-daughter – Wiktoria, during one of the Yogi Superhero classes.

When Anna was a child, she was very emotional. She felt the world, you may say she was an empath. But no one taught her how to be aware of her mind and emotions. That’s what yoga does. It teaches how to become a Superhero with special power of being calm, still in face of anything which life presents to us. If she knew then what she knows now, she would be a completely different person. Yoga gives children tools to self soothe and self-regulate and decrease the impact of trauma. Asanas are very important part of yoga. They regulate the body, mind and energy if taught properly. Even modern psychology recognises that imprints of our past experiences, memories, trauma, are stored also in the body and not only the mind. There is so much more to yoga then just asana. It’s important to start showing children breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques. This helps children to transform. That’s the future of our evolution.

Benefits of Yoga for children:

  • increases strength and flexibility
  • helps them relax, unwind, and calm down to reduce stress and anxiety
  • helps them sleep better
  • promotes interaction between adult and child, and between multiple children
  • improves their fine and gross motor skills, as well as their coordination
  • develops self-confidence, self-expression, and body awareness
  • promotes a healthy, active lifestyle
  • learn simple breathing techniques
  • enables children to learn about emotions, recognise them and help to cope with them

More about classes and programmes on www.orangelotusyoga.co.uk


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