I just received an email this morning of a You Tube video called “Baby Yoga,” where a baby is swung all around a woman’s body by its arms. Considering the “death threats” I received yesterday for questioning citizens of large cities about the lack of yoga studios in black neighborhoods, I’m curious to see what kind of reaction I’ll get from posting this shocking video, which looks like a woman swinging a doll and not a real baby. I can’t imagine doing this to a real baby.

You MUST watch the video to discuss.

The caption with the video describes “baby yoga” as:

“DAHAB, EGYPT – UNDATED: MILLIONS of people around the world were left stunned when a video of Lena Fokina doing ‘baby yoga’ broke on the internet. The 51-year-old Russian was filmed spinning and flipping babies above her head and behind her back in such an outlandish fashion that several websites banned the footage for glorifying what to many would be considered child abuse. In fact, the moves were so shocking that most conceded they were being performed on a doll as no sane person would consider them acceptable. However, we tracked Lena down to a seminar called “Parenting the Deliberate Way” in Dahab, Egypt, where parents from across Europe were paying her to perform the same moves on their infants, some just a few months old. But Lena, who is a qualified PE teacher in her native Russia, insists the practice is totally safe and actually beneficial to children.”

I have a hard time believing it is safe, much less beneficial. First off it looks like the poor baby’s arms would be pulled out of their sockets and second off I would be worried about the baby’s brain getting swung around so much. Holy cow.

What do you think of the baby yoga? Is there a cultural divide on this — why the Europeans may get it and we don’t (or at least I don’t)?

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24 Comments

  1. OMG! I wish a bitch would take my child and throw him around like a rag doll. Where they do this at? Russia I guess. This is disturbing. I couldn’t even finish the video and I’m shaking a little while I’m tying because I wanted to jump through the screen and slap her.

  2. You see this lady doesn’t have any black children. I’m just saying. Child Abuse all day. look at the children’s faces.

  3. The baby was obviously not enjoying being thrown all around and in the air. It was crying the entire time. I do not understand this! Why are some people so wicked?

  4. I don’t see anything wrong with it. My family is West Indian and my grandmother has hung all of us by our ankles to “make us tall” and stretch out our limbs, etc and we’re all just fine. I don’t think the woman is abusing the kids at all

    • @Mia: Per normal, a West Indian or Caribbean person chimes and says crazy s**t is normal. It’s not child abuse but I hold judgement until the children are old enough to talk about this experience. This a long term study

      • @Roberta: Just because you wouldn’t do it or don’t understand it doesn’t make it crazy. Like I said, it was done to me and my two sisters, my mother, aunt and uncle and to my grandmother and we are all fine, healthy and normal. It may not be the norm, but that doesn’t mean it’s harmful to the child.

        • I’m West Indian and THIS IS CRAZY!!!

        • I’m West Indian and I think this is CRAZY! Just because it was done to you doesn’t make it ethical nor does it negate the fact that its child abuse! Listen to the poor baby crying in the video, he/she is probably terrified. Tolerance is one thing, in terms of accepting other cultural norms, however rationalizing the abuse of an innocent newborn and obvious crazy behavior is another. It’s common sense, if the baby’s crying, then something is WRONG!!

      • residentCritic

        @Roberta: Many more times you Americans come up with the dumb ass logic.

    • This is far better than in America they do chiropractic work on infants-it is much better to let them hang upside down. Their limber, loose bodies correct themselves. People think of babies as having the hardened adult bodies they have. Not true! Babies bones and connective tissues could, and do, handle this just fine.

  5. Th second baby (around :31) sounded like he (or she) was really panicking, and I didn’t watch the rest. I would never allow somebody to do that to my baby. Isn’t that dangerous? I mean, doctors tell parents not to throw their infants in the air while playing with them because of shaken baby syndrome, so how is this safe?

  6. I couldn’t even finish watching the video. I heard the baby crying and had to stop. I don’t know if this is child abuse per se, but if it were my child that lady would be catching a serious @ss-whopping.

  7. Considering at one point the top two major causes of death in Russia were alcohol related deaths and suicide…the last thing I would ever do is take a Russian’s advice for what is good for my kids. Heck they pump out kids with fetal alcohol syndrome like they are hotcakes. Clearly this lady is suffering from something if she thinks this is a good idea.

  8. Love how this woman is suddenly representative of all of Russia with their alcohol related deaths and suicides…I agree this video is disturbing but your comments are racist. Make an educated criticism, don’t use this as a place to vent your racist thoughts.

  9. I would hold all North American biases before concluding whether or not this is good or bad for the child. There are countless numbers of medicines, methods and traditions in eastern culture and other parts of the world that don’t subscribe to the knee shaking christian conservative mindset spread across western society. Which are well known and documented but simply not in the spotlight.

    For a site that focuses on the exploration of physiology and natural living there sure are a lot of idiotic, racist people commenting on this…

  10. I laughed.

  11. You let this had been a black woman from Phily doing this madness. The CIA,FBI, State and local officials would have intervened and threw her under the jail. Only white people can do this type of madness and get away with it

  12. I’m am not gonna comment on whether this is child abuse or not. But do I like it? No. Would I let this be done to my child? No. What I don’t get is why? How is this helping the child? Those are infants and it looks very dangerous. I just don’t get the point of “baby yoga.” Save the yoga and baby “exercises” for when their old enough to comprehend what’s going on and enjoy it.

  13. spiritjournee

    To use wrongly or improperly; misuse: to abuse one’s authority. This is the definition of abuse, and I would say this woman fits this category. Who is this woman, and why would anybody take her testimony that this is healthy treatment for a baby? Their are other ways that you can promote health to a child, and in my opinion this is way over the top! Our job is to protect children, and keep them out of harms way, but all I heard was the child crying for help, and no one came to the rescue! The mere fact that we have to ask is this abuse concerns me…in my opinion it most definitely is.

  14. I saw a clip on a commercial for a talk show so I didn’t watch the vid. The bit I saw was disturbing. Doing something to an infant that induces crying and panic is wrong when its not necessary. We’re not talking about giving the child a medical treatment or life saving procedure. Baby yoga is not necfcessary and its down right crul

  15. J. Morton I, M.D.

    This Yoga can definitely cause Autism or Death from a contrecoup brain injury!!!! These are shaken babies, which is abusive and the act is punishable by law!!!!

  16. Wtf that is serious abuse we should try it with them

  17. i think this women has lost her mind. if the baby is being shook. the infant can get sydrome and most of all. sick and broken limbs and arms. i think all her videos need to be banned. you will be surprise with some of her crazy ass fans on you tube. please if you think this is cool. please please don’t have any children. they will be dead . or serious problems to there brains. poor babies
    and the parents are worse from letting her do it.

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