COMBATING stress is something most of us are concerned about. But parents are often unaware that their children also suffer from today's pressurised lifestyle.

Alwynne Cartmell recognises this. She is a highly experienced yoga teacher living in Little Lever who not only conducts teaching sessions around the country, but is now increasingly being asked to go into schools to help stressed out youngsters learn how to relax.

The latest place to benefit from her calming sessions is St Stephen & All Martyrs Primary School at Lever Bridge in Bolton.

Primary schoolchildren? Pressure? "Oh yes, because of all this testing and examinations, children are under increasing stress these days and may even suffer from anxiety and depression.

"And it's not just dealing with stress, of course. My sessions are really about wellbeing - about self-esteem and confidence so that children can be more relaxed about themselves as well," she said.

On just one day, Alwynne ran these wellbeing sessions for each class in the school, from four-year-olds to 12-year-olds, and teachers admit that she left much more relaxed pupils in her wake.

Miss Emma Bowker, in charge of Year 5, said: "It had been quite a hectic week. They'd had sports and were on quite a high so I was a bit worried about how they would react to calming down. But they loved it."

The exercises and the soothing sound of Alwynne's voice not only relaxed the children and improved their posture and breathing, but also gave them some ideas to try out at home.

"And some of them have come back to school after the weekend and told me they've continued the exercises at home, and told their parents about them," added Miss Bowker.

But Alwynne's concern is not just about relaxed shoulders or sitting correctly; it goes much deeper.

She said: "Some children do have very low self-esteem and no confidence. I asked them to identify something about themselves they don't like - like I've got ungainly feet, which I told them.

"Several of them identified things they were unhappy about. But one little lad just said I've got an attitude.' That's what he'd been told. It was so negative and quite sad, really."

Alwynne's ethos is about focusing on the positive and not the negative. A vegetarian herself, she also - unpopularly - suggests to the pupils to give vegetables a chance. "I even got them chanting I love sprouts'," she says.

She passes on tips to keep mind and body healthy, like asking them to chew their food properly before they swallow it, to breathe outside near trees or the seaside, to look at how much sugar is in a canned drink and to drink more water.

Other lifestyle advice includes "turn the volume down on the TV and close doors quietly", "Lift your sternum up and tongue down - often" and "Walk up Rivington Pike, around the Jumbles or local park and breathe".

She also asks them to celebrate being alive, and to identify the negative thoughts from a checklist which includes things like "Nobody likes me", "School is always boring or hard work" and "I hate Mondays".

She advises: "Be ready to let these thoughts go. That's the first step. Just be ready. Small changes can make big results."

And the children respond to Alwynne's sessions. Ten-year-old St Stephens' pupil Amelia Patel said she felt stressful "when I argue with my friends", but learning to relax during the school session had made her feel more "chilled out" about this.

And classmate Conor Entwistle, also 10, said he enjoyed the stretching exercises, because "they made me feel more relaxed about things".

Alwynne says: "Children generally don't do as much sport or activities these days, and they spend too much time in front of computers. They need to learn about movement and posture and about relaxing. We can all learn more - I'm still learning.

"But our children are under so much stress these days, I would just love to be teaching them about wellbeing full-time. It's so rewarding."

  • For more information on wellbeing classes, ring 01204-704600.