Watch Video of "Crazy Over Itsy Bitsy Yoga"
with Helen Garabedian
on Fox 25 News WFXT Boston (airdate Dec. 21, 2006)



Think Small: Be good to the parents on your list—choose gifts that will make life with a new baby a little smoother. By Miriam Axel-Lute
A copy of Itsy Bitsy Yoga. Unless you’re the evangelical type, it can be wise to steer clear of giving parents books on parenting that will weigh in on any of vast array of matters of dispute. If they want more input, they’ll ask. But Itsy Bitsy Yoga adds rather than argues. Written by a yoga instructor who taught parent-and-baby yoga classes, it offers a series of “poses,” separated by developmental stage (newborn, head-holders, almost sitting, almost crawling), that promise to help babies sleep, digest and develop better. It’s fun and easy, and sometimes can calm a screaming fit when nothing else would.
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September 2006 Chicago Social Magazine
"The Radar Trends" by Amy Tara Koch
Helen Garabedian's Itsy Bitsy Yoga bordered on miracalous: Two constipated tykes relieved themselves on the spot. Fussy babies cooed. Non-nappers napped.
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March 2006 Parenting Magazine COVER STORY
"6 Things Your Baby Would Tell You (if only he could talk!)" By Jana Murphy
Babies can be so adept at letting us know what they don’t like. The first (and last) time my husband gave our daughter ham from a baby-food jar, for instance, she thrust it back at him with her tongue, and gagged in disgust. In case that was unclear, she proceeded to turn purple with fury and scream herself hoarse. Even though she was just 8-months old, she could not have made her opinion any more clear.
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'The Most Extreme TV show' featured Itsy Bitsy Yoga and broadcasts frequently through the fall '05 tv season on the Animal Planet Network.

From the October 2005 Issue of FSB: Fortune Small Business Magazine
"The Battle for Your Baby's Brain" By Elaine Pofeldt
What? your 6-month-old daughter still doesn't know her 3-wood from her 9-iron? Help is on the way. Entrepreneurs are creating new products that will familiarize your baby with the most esoteric of skills before she graduates from her Pampers. READ COMPLETE STORY



August 2005 issue
"Mommy and Me Yoga: Whether you're 3 or 33, yoga is good for you."
VIEW ITSY BITSY YOGA IN PARENTS MAGAZINE



August 2005 Online feature
"Yoga to Bolster Baby Development: Babies receive many benefits from yoga, especially from the bond it fosters between parent and child." READ COMPLETE STORY

June 2005 Oxygen Magazine Buff Moms Tribute Issue
"Itsy Bitsy Yoga"
Is your baby fussy at night? Gassy after eating? Difficult to put down? Perhaps a little yoga can help you both. Yoga instructor and child development specialist Helen Garabedian has put together a program of simple yoga poses to help your baby sleep longer, digest better, grow stronger and increase your parent-child bond. READ COMPLETE STORY

Thursday, June 16, 2005
'Parenting made easier with these helpful books'
Child rearing is arguably one of the most challenging responsibilities taken on by adults. It is made even more daunting by the plethora of books written on this topic. Parents want to be reassured about how they are raising their children; as a consequence, we librarians are regularly asked about information on this subject. READ COMPLETE STORY



Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses To Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better, and Grow Stronger SELECTED AS BEST CONSUMER Children's Health BOOK OF 2004! With yoga increasing in popularity, it is small wonder that a creative facilitator has adapted it for babies. Garabedian, a certified yoga instructor and developmental movement educator, has developed a series of yoga postures that parents or caregivers can do with infants from newborns through toddlers; the photographs and instructions are intended to ensure safe practice. READ COMPLETE STORY

Family Energy Magazine
April/May 2005
"Study Buddies: The Fun and Variety of Baby and Me classes"
Lisa Kenny took a yoga class with her new daughter Leilani, because she wanted to get back in shape, learn how to relax her mind and meet other new moms. What she didn’t realize, however, was how much it would benefit Leilani. READ COMPLETE STORY

People Magazine
Febuary 21, 2005
According to PEOPLE Magazine, Itsy Bitsy Yoga® is on “The HOT List” and can be found in the rolodexes of Star moms. SEE US IN PEOPLE next to Gwyneth Paltrow, Debra Messing and other Celebrity Moms!



Family Energy Magazine
February/March 2005
“Movin’ and Groovin" Indoor Activities to Keep Children Active
Some may be surprised that movement and exercise are important for babies, but no one questions a toddler’s need – or desire- to move. So what’s a parent to do when cold weather or storms keep a child from being able to run around outdoors? READ COMPLETE STORY



Medical Reports: Young Yoga
Air Date: 01/10/2005
WSVN -- Can't calm your little one -- won't sleep through the night -- Don't know what to do.Give Itsy Bitsy Yoga a try. It's for moms and tots as young as three weeks old. READ TRANSCRIPT

Familyworks Segment on Itsy Bitsy Yoga with Helen Garabedian
December 8, 2004



Yoga Journal Book Review
September/October 2004
Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better and Grow Stronger by Helen Garabedian
A Certified Yoga Teacher, infant developmental movement educator, and certified infant massage instructor, Helen Garabedian has compiled some 70 yoga postures (well, some of them are simple stretching or movement exercises) and nearly three dozen sequences for moms, dads, and other caregivers to do with baby, from infancy to about two years of age.
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From Downward Dog to Crawling to Triathlons?
Experts debate the utility of yoga for babies, but students gurgle their approval
While the conventional wisdom holds that babies must learn to crawl before they can walk, a new exercise discipline is teaching babies the downward dog before they’ve learned to crawl. The experts seem divided in their opinions about yoga instruction for babies, but some contend that it can improve motor skills, increase parent/bonding, and, conceivably, help set the stage for a life of good health. READ COMPLETE STORY

The Washington Post
Aug. 18, 2004
Even babies benefit from yoga
Nine-month-old Bryce Saunders giggled, legs dangling, as his mom held him in what was meant to be a soothing yoga pose. Then, with one hand clutching Bryce's bottom and the other wrapped around his stomach, she bent her knees and dropped down quickly into a squat.
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CBS Evening News
LA JOLLA, Calif., Aug. 19, 2004
Weight Loss A Family Affair
(CBS) Thirteen-year-old Lauren Pappert is working hard on her summer vacation, trying to kick her lifelong weight problem at Camp La Jolla, a family fitness program near San Diego.
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The Asheville Citizen-Times
August 17, 2004
Try Doing Yoga With Your Babe:The Latest Craze in Fitness is for Babies and Toddlers
Yoga is the rave. Next time you hit the mat, don't be surprised to find that your yoga neighbor is still in diapers, sucking his thumb.
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"Fitness classes for babies may improve health"
in the following Publications:
Obesity & Diabetes Week
Health & Medicine Week
Fitness & Wellness Business Week
Women's Health Weekly
Hospital & Nursing Home Week
Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week
Law & Health Weekly
between June 28-July 3, 2004
Lucy Brown does a backward somersault down a ramp, leaps over a mat, rolls across a platform, jumps over a series of hoops, squats into a yoga pose, soars over a rope and hops over a row of cones. And the grinning, cherubic blonde does it all with her diaper intact.
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Science & Spirit
July/August 2004
"Learning to Pose"
Yoga: a gentle form of exercise, a way to wind down, a spiritual high. But a way to bond with your child? The growing number of parents who do yoga with their babies say it works, and the trend might be here to stay.
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MSNBC Television - The Keith Olbermann Show
June 23, 2004
"Yoga for babies: But is it safe?"
If you've been within a doughnut's throw of your local gym lately you probably have a passing familiarity with yoga. In addition to poses no single-jointed individual could possibly hope to get themselves into, it also includes exotic vocabulary like Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kundalini… and Itsy Bitsy.
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USA Today
June 14, 2004
"Parents flocking to baby/toddler fitness classes"
(AP) As the country's population of overweight children swells, parents are flocking to baby exercise classes where tots as young as one day old can start getting fit. While mainstream medical experts remain dubious, baby fitness advocates say getting babies and toddlers involved in exercise can set them up for a life of good health and improve motor skills and parent-child bonding.
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June 2004
Hundreds and hundreds of newspapers, websites, radio and television stations across the world feature Helen Garabedian and Itsy Bitsy Yoga
SEE PARTIAL LISTING OF EXTENSIVE MEDIA COVERAGE - Read Story

June 15, 2004
BBC Radio Interview, Helen Garabedian speaks on Child Obesity in the United States


The Boston Parents’ Paper
June 2004
“Yoga for the Youngest”
Yoga is immensely popular nationwide. It’s not surprising that sooner or later this stress-reducing, fitness craze would reach the youngest among us—infants. Sudbury resident and yoga teacher Helen Garabedian believes yoga can help calm a baby, ease his digestion, lengthen his naps and promote neuromuscular development. Furthermore, Garabedian says her Itsy Bitsy Yoga program is a great bonding activity for parents and infants.
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WCBS-2 TV New York City
May 30, 2004
IBY Author Helen Garabedian featured on Sunday Morning News Show



The Metrowest Daily News
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
'Itsy Bitsy Yoga': The teeniest tiniest babies do yoga with mom using Marlborough author's book
What's nirvana to a new mother? A napping baby.
Mothers and babies in Helen Garabedian's "Itsy Bitsy Yoga" classes regularly achieve that feeling of great bliss by the end of class at Earthsong Yoga in Marlborough. Babies, who at the start of the class fussed or looked around wide-eyed at all the other infants, are reduced to slumber after an hour of "Swirlies" or "Divine Drops."
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Metrowest Daily News
Sunday, May 9, 2004
Itsy Bitsy Yoga by Helen Garabedian is #8 on the Borders Best-Sellers Nonfiction list
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The Boston Globe
Sunday, May 2, 2004
Author helps parents stretch to connect with their babies
When Helen Garabedian says, ''Babies are born breathing," she's not just stating the obvious. She's referring to the correct breathing of yoga, breathing through the nose and into the belly instead of the shallow mouth-breathing often seen in stressed-out parents.
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Spirit of Change Magazine
May/June 2004
Yoga for Kids
It is never too early to begin something that is enjoyable and exciting, and children can begin practicing yoga at any age. According to Ann Kay, a certified YogaKids® facilitator, Itsy Bitsy Yoga® facilitator, and Yoga for the Special Child® instructor, yoga is a wonderful, gentle way for a child to begin building a lifelong foundation for wellbeing.
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Featured on the 5:30 News - WBZ4 TV Boston
Monday, 4/26/04 and Sunday, 5/2/04
Helen Garabedian and Itsy Bitsy Yoga for children from birth to age 4



Metrowest Daily News
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Itsy Bitsy Yoga by Helen Garabedian is #3 on the Borders Best-Sellers Nonfiction list
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Library Journal
Thursday, April 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW of Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better and Grow Stronger
by Deborah Broocker
Garabedian, a yoga teacher and an infant developmental movement educator, presents a yoga program designed to benefit children from three weeks to 24 months of age. Arguing that yoga helps promote sound sleep, health digestion, and strong bodies, she includes more than 75 gentle movements and techniques (based on standard yoga postures) that are actively facilitated by the parent or caregiver.
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WB56 WLVI-TV Boston
Wdnesday, April 7, 2004
Baby Yoga Big Fun With Infant and Toddler Crowd!
by Darcie Fisher, Health Watch Reporter
Darcie Fisher:YOU WON'T FIND SUN SALUTATION OR TREE POSE IN THIS YOGA CLASS.BUT YOU WILL FIND A VARIATION OF DOWNWARD FACING DOG.AND SOME REALLY... REALLY CUTE BABIES.
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Publishers Weekly
Monday, Feb. 23, 2004
Just in the Niche of Time: In this age of specialization, publishers are targeting ever-more-specific child-rearing issues
by Karen Holt
Like doctors and radio stations, parenting books have become more specialized, as the all-knowing authorities give way to experts who tackle one child-rearing challenge at a time. Today's parents, savvier and more time-pressured than those of previous generations, want information that pinpoints their concerns, say publishers—who are more than happy to address moms' and dads' concerns.
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The Boston Globe
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2003
Seeking yoga's soothing touch: Many say children with medical issues benefit from its use
Two-year-old Elisabeth Tucker is too young to know that her downward-facing dog, a yoga position that brings her into an upside-down V, may relieve her asthma symptoms. She scurries across the room of a Marlborough yoga studio, pigtails bobbing, while her instructor, Helen Garabedian, gently coaxes her back into the group that includes her twin brother, Benjamin.
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The West Coast Yoga Magazine
September 2003
Itsy Bitsy Yoga! 10 Itsy Bitsy Yoga Facilitators in the LA/San Diego area just completed their training and are offering classes starting in September.
Helen Garabedian, Infant Developmental Movement Educator, Certified Yoga Teacher and Founder of Itsy Bitsy Yoga believes that over 5000 years ago when yoga was first developing, the yoga masters studied the movements of babies to create yoga postures or asanas.
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July 24, 2003
Yoga spawns business instructing preschoolers
Yoga classes designed for small bodies and short attention spans are increasing in popularity as parents seek an alternative to the world of children's sports.
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The Metrowest Daily News-Weekend
Thursday, May 8, 2003
Yo, Mama!
For Mother’s Day it’s easy to send mom a bouquet, treat her to dinner or a day of shopping. But why go for the ordinary? This year why not treat her to something extra special that she’s sure to remember long after the flowers with her away.
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CNN Headline News and
CNN Your Health
First Aired on May 26, 2001
You've heard of yoga, but what about baby yoga? Coming up, how these ancient postures may help keep both baby and mom healthy and happy. But first: our "Doctor Q&A" from our CNN health Web site.
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Yoga Research and Education Center / International Association of Yoga Therapists
May - August 2003
What are the benefits of Yoga for infants and how does Yoga relate to an infant's movement repertoire? answered by Helen Garabedian
Yoga is a key part of an infant’s developmental movement repertoire. In my research as a yoginî and Infant Developmental Movement Educator, I have correlated 22 Yoga poses/techniques and 22 infant developmental movements.
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Baby Years Magazine
October/November 2001
“ Om, Baby!” Mommy and Baby Yoga
Between getting to know and caring for a new baby, the last thing on a new mom’s mind may be exercise. But instructors of a gentle form of yoga, that incorporates the baby into the exercises, say it’s the perfect way for a mom to connect with her baby while easing back into a fitness regime. READ COMPLETE STORY

WHDH-NBC Boston Channel 7
September 2000
"Baby-Yoga"
We've all heard of the benefits of yoga for adults, but what about yoga for babies? In today's parentcast, a look at what this ancient discipline can do for you and your little one.
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Spirit of Change, New England's Holistic Magazine
May/June 2001
"Baby-Yoga: an Interview with Helen Garabedian"
Many women continue with formal yoga instruction after the birth of a child. In some cases mom and infant classes are offered. Classes can focus on helping the mother to restore her own fitness level using the child primarily as a prop. Other classes consist of yoga exercises for the new mother accompanied by some movement for the infant. Yoga instructor Helen Garabedian offers classes which focus on babies and toddlers where mothers who may or may not have previous yoga experience teach their babies. We spoke with Helen about her work with baby yoga.
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Today's Parent
September 2000
Babies in training ~ Exercise classes for infants and toddlers
Exercise classes for infants and toddlers offer a number of benefits to both children and parents. At a time when a child’s body is growing so quickly, exercise classes help children develop strength and agility, and aid in fostering a positive body sense. Furthermore, classes provide an opportunity for children to socialize with others, and for parents to meet other parents.
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Sunday, June 17, 2001
Yoga bonds babies with dads
MARLBOROUGH, MA- Since Helen Garabedian started offering baby yoga classes in Natick and Marlborough a year ago, mothers have clamored for an opportunity to bond and actually relax with their babies. Yesterday, for the first time, Garabedian opened the doors of her Marlborough studio to area dad in honor of Father’s Day.
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Bringing Along Baby
After Bailey arrived, my husband and I constantly handed him off to each other, but never for the purpose of exercise.Our focus was survival: food, laundry and the occasional shower. I searched in vain for pockets of "alone" time to exercise. Then I decided to make fitness part of life with my son.
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Wednesday, July 19, 2000
An exercise in futurity - Yoga class helps new moms bond with babies
Nestled atop her mother's knee yesterday afternoon, Kayla McNamara's tiny face was a picture of serenity as her mother gently tapped her lower back. That effect is just what Kerri McNamara was looking for when she signed herself and her 9-week-old daughter up for a baby yoga class at Maya's Dream in Natick last week.
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Television
"A Health Minute"
November 2002
They're only a few months old, but already these babies are reaping the benefits of yoga. ROBIN GOODMAN (mother of Ethan): Instead of him crying all the time and being colicky, this sort of helps calm him down.
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Saturday, October 3, 2000
“ Bonding with Baby” New moms introduce their babies to yoga at Hopedale's Women's Center
HOPEDALE, MA- There is soft music playing in the corner of a warmly lit room, and the delicate sounds of babies cooing and gurgling can be heard. It's not a baby's nursery, but the Baby-Yoga program at the Women's Center for Wellness in Hopedale.
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Thursday, November 8, 2001
Bend Me, Shape me - Giving Yoga and meditation for couples a try
MARLBOROUGH, MA- My girlfriend was grinning at me with a gleam in her eye. And, that's never a good thing. Usually, a gleam like that involves discussions of ice cream, diamonds or her beloved dog (and crazed eating machine), Chance:
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Friday, July 25, 2003
Yoga craze spills over to preschoolers
NEW YORK (AP) -- When the yoga teacher urges her students to stretch like trees, Benjamin Wolfgang gets up on his toes. Jenna Katz opens her palms to the ceiling.Francis Karagodins, however, runs around the room and plays with the curtains.He can be forgiven: he's just 3 years old. Jenna is 4, and with two years of instruction behind her, a veteran in an increasingly popular activity, yoga for children.
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Q & A
Pat: Why did you decide to specialize in teaching yoga to infants and toddlers?
Helen: It is my belief that over 5000 years ago when yoga was first developing, the yoga masters studied the movements of babies to create yoga asanas. Visualize in your mind a baby just learning to hold themselves up with their palms and belly flat on the earth. Here you can see our cobra pose being performed by infants. Again, surrender and see downward dog in your mind. Here you can find a baby that is on hands and feet pushing up just before coming into standing. In a sense, through the practice of yoga we are returning to the unrestricted innocence and bliss of a infant.
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