Many adults have realized the benefits of yoga, including increased flexibility and strength, better posture, improved balance and stressrelief.

But what about yoga for babies andtoddlers?

Yoga instructor Valerie Pike, of Oxnard, says babies as young as 2 months old, as well as toddlers and children of all ages, benefit from the stretchingexercise.

This winter, she brings her class for babies to Camarillo for the first time. Mommy & Me Itsy Bitsy Yoga is offered from 10-11 a.m. Wednesdays at the Camarillo Community Center, 1605 E. Burnley St. The first class was Jan. 9, but classes will be held weekly through March, and the class still has openings for moms and children ages 2 monthsto4.

Jeri Armstrong, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District community programs supervisor, said Pike approached the district about offering her class, and she hopes to offer more, including a children's summercamp.

"We definitely are always looking for additional 'mommy and me' and preschool-age programs," Armstrong said. "We thought this would be a good way to encourage health and wellness at a young age. A lot of moms are looking to get back in shape. And it's a great way to bring moms to the communitycenter."

Armstrong noted that the district offers other yoga classes for adults, too, with differentinstructors.

Pike has taught yoga to children and adults through Ventura's recreation program for more than a year, and she will teach classes for adults, children and babies at the Barranca Vista Center in east Ventura beginning nextweek.

Pike, 39, had taken up yoga several years ago but had stopped for a time. When she gave birth to her daughter more than four years ago, Pike said she wanted to do yoga again because her pregnancy caused arthritis inherback.

"It hurt me to drive, to sit. When I got back to doing yoga again, it strengthens the muscles around your spine," Pike said. "Now I don't have any arthritis. It cured me; it reallydid."

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Youngsters, moms share benefits from yoga