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There were yoga mats on the floor and a semicircle of participants in front of the instructor, but it wasn't your typical yoga class.

Half of the participants were under the age of 3, and promises of relaxation and muscle-building were interspersed with chants of "Ring Around the Yogi."

It was all part of an Itsy Bitsy Yoga class held at the town library last Wednesday.

The program was started in 1999 by Helen Garabedian, an infant developmental movement educator and registered yoga teacher from Massachusetts. According to the Itsy Bitsy Yoga Web site, the child-centered program includes more than 125 yoga poses and techniques for babies from birth to 4 years old.

"It's fun, it's so fun," said instructor Lisa Hanson of Bellingham, who has been teaching Itsy Bitsy Yoga for about a year, and practicing yoga for about 10. "It really is a class for the kids; we have a lot of things on our agenda." On Wednesday, that included some modified yoga moves like the Kicky Cobra and Down Dog as well as some sitting poses, "twisty moves" to "awaken" the sides of the body, and the Super Baby, which had mothers placing their toddlers on their feet and hoisting them in the air so they could "fly."

There was also singing, buzzing like bees, and "tummy time."

Itsy Bitsy Yoga has sparked interest from national media outlets like the CBS Evening News, People magazine and The Washington Post, and has spawned a best-selling book by Garabedian, "Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better and Grow Stronger" (Fireside/Simon & Schuster, 2004).

Hanson teaches Itsy Bitsy Yoga at Tranquility Yoga Studio in Franklin and Bellani Maternity in Warwick, R.I., but said she offers a free community class regularly to introduce parents to the concept.

"I think a lot of people can't imagine what yoga would be like with their child," she said.

'Little family' class

The program is offered to three age groups: babies from 3 weeks to pre-crawling age, toddlers from crawling age to 24 months, and tykes ages 2 to 4. There is also a "little family" class for more than one child. In all four programs, a parent or guardian is present to help guide their child through each move or activity.

Hanson, a former third-grade teacher with two toddlers of her own, said Itsy Bitsy Yoga promotes health, fitness, and bonding time between parents and children, as well as teaching parents how to calm and engage their children.

To become an instructor, Hanson attended a weekend of training from Garabedian and community classes and wrote essays.

Wednesday's class was the first Itsy Bitsy Yoga experience for Dana Laverty of Cumberland, R.I. and her 16-month-old daughter McKenna, but it probably won't be the last. Laverty, who has practiced yoga on and off for about eight years and praises its calming and challenging nature, said she plans to check out Hanson's program in Warwick.

"I've wanted to do it since (McKenna) was really little but I could never find a mommy-and-baby yoga class," she said. "She seemed to like it."

Laverty, a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer who contributes regularly to The Sun Chronicle, said having a reason to get out of the house is an added bonus.

"When you're at home, you're always looking for new things to do," Laverty said.

Christine Hughes of Plainville, there with her 14-month-old daughter Marisa, agreed. While Hughes doesn't know if she'll be signing up her daughter just yet (because classes might conflict with naptime) she did say it was good to emerge from "the cave."

"That is the nice thing," she said. "It's a little something for both of you."