Worcester, MA (PRWEB) June 13, 2012

Ivy Child International (Ivy Child), a nonprofit that practices cross-cultural positive psychology to help children, families and communities across the globe, is partnering with Metrowest Yoga in Worcester for a Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids Six-Week Summer Program to keep children active and engaged during the summer break when weight gain and risk of obesity, as well as learning loss are at their peak.

Ivy Child?s Summer Program will be held at Metrowest Yoga every Tuesday and Thursday from July 10 to August 23, 10am-12pm. The classes will be taught in two batches for ages two and a half to six, and seven to ten. Parents can choose to observe or participate in the classes as well.

Studies show that inactivity during the summer months can cause children to gain weight three times faster and lose more than two months of reading progress than during the school year.

Rose Pavlov, founder of Ivy Child International concurs: ?Without structure and with ample free time, kids are more inclined to watch television, use computers and other gadgets and play video games while indulging in unhealthy snacking for hours on end. Enrolling kids in mindful movement classes during the summer will keep them active while inculcating deep respect for and sustained focus on using their minds and bodies in a healthy and positive way.?

Ivy Child’s Yoga and Mindfulness Summer Program will incorporate traditional yoga poses as well as contemporary ones inspired by nature to encourage enhanced imagination and participation by the children. It will also teach mindfulness techniques and coping strategies such as the Feelings Chart? and Pavlov?s Calming Hands? to assist children with identifying nuanced, complex emotions and with controlling stress triggers to circumvent negative patterns of thought and behavior.

Metrowest Yoga is an alignment based yoga studio that teaches primarily Vinyasa and Hot Hatha Yoga and caters to all people, no matter what level of yoga knowledge. Metrowest Yoga invited Ivy Child International to offer their unique approach to students at their center. Shawn Shaw, owner of Metrowest Yoga: “We are partnering with Ivy Child because we are very impressed that the services they offer embrace positive psychology, yoga and mindfulness and cross-cultural education for children. Together, we aim to provide children with the tools they need to be happy, peaceful people and contribute to the world in a positive way.?

The Summer Program was launched in response to the success of the 16-week pilot hosted at SALMON Center for Early Education, Worcester, MA this past spring. The pre-school participants of the SALMON program showed significant improvement in managing their emotions and subsequent behaviors, according to their teachers and parents.

Ivy Child also recently announced its specialized Yoga and Mindfulness program for improving the holistic health of pediatric cancer patients and their families and is currently seeking partnerships with hospitals and care centers for hosting group or individual private classes.

In addition to its Yoga and Mindfulness programs, Ivy Child also offers kids, teens, caregivers, educators and administrators Bullying Prevention and Leadership as well as Multicultural and Music Education, to teach conflict resolution skills, and to cultivate cross-cultural understanding in schools, after-school programs and community centers. For details visit: http://ivychild.org/programs

To partner with Ivy Child or for an interview, please contact:

Rose Pavlov, Founder of Ivy Child International, by phone: 508-299-7905 or via email: rpavlov(at)ivychild(dot)org.