CNN.com:

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Lucy Brown somersaults backward down a ramp, leaps over a mat, rolls across a platform, jumps a series of hoops, squats into a yoga pose and hops over a row of cones.

And all with her diaper intact.

The cherubic, grinning 2-year-old was one of eight toddlers stretching and puffing their way through yoga poses and aerobic exercises at a recent toddler fitness class at the Seattle Holistic Center.

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.

"I have this little mantra and it goes like this: fit baby equals fit toddler equals fit child equals fit teen equals fit adult," said Helen Garabedian, author of "Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better, and Grow Stronger." She also teaches an Itsy Bitsy Yoga class in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Lisa Orkin, a Yoga teacher and therapist, discusses her experience working with children. On her site, YogaSite.com she writes:

Children today are under a lot of stress. Homework, pressure to compete with other children, endless after-school activities, over-scheduling -- it all adds up. And just like their parents, kids today are turning to Yoga to help them relax.

Teaching Yoga to children, I've seen how Yoga helps them develop better body awareness, self-control, flexibility and coordination. I've also seen how they can carry these skills beyond class and into their daily routines. For example, one of my students, Liza, a 10 year old, asked me what to do when she gets frustrated, like when her computer doesn't work properly. First, I asked her what she thought would help.

"Sometimes I do the child's pose when I've had a bad day" she said. I told her that was an excellent idea. We then talked about breathing exercises, such as the three-part breath, that could help her stay centered and calm in difficult situations throughout the day.

Yoga has also been shown to help the hyperactive and attention-deficit child. These children crave movement and sensory/motor stimulus. Yoga helps channel these impulses in a positive way. Yoga poses that seem to work especially well are the warrior pose and tree pose. They help instill calm, confidence and balance. The trick is to get beyond just "doing" the posture. I try to get them to think about what the postures mean, to become like the postures -- strong and confident like a warrior.

On Saturday in Pasadena, I took my first yoga class since I injured myself two years ago doing Bikrum Yoga. While my back is a bit sore today, I'm not sure if it was the Ashtanga Yoga class I took in the morning, or the eight hours of driving I did back to San Francisco in the afternoon and evening. Regardless, this one class inspired me to look into taking more classes for myself and with my family. Throughout the ninety minute class I kept thinking about how much my six and nine year-olds would love this.

If you're still looking for a great Father's Day gift, perhaps a few sessions of yoga for dad and the kids along with Helen Garabedian's book Itsy Bitsy Yoga and/or Annie Buckley's Kid's Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Games would be just the thing.

Another option: Consider investing in the DVDs Animal Yoga for Kids - African Plains Adventure Level One and YogaKids 3: Silly to Calm (2003) -- available through Amazon by clicking on Related Products below -- and try all of this out in the privacy of your own home. For my husband, a guy who played football his whole life, going to a yoga class might be a bit intimidating before getting comfortable with moves like the Downward Dog.

To healthy, adventuresome, soulful living -- for you and your children!

Inspire & Be Inspired.

~Jennifer King