Babies left screaming in terror as they are swung round head of ’baby yoga’ guru

By
David Baker

Last updated at 1:40 PM on 27th February 2012

Frightening images of babies as young as two weeks old being flung around a therapist’s head have shocked millions around the world.

And now the Russian woman filmed spinning the babies by their wrists and ankles has confirmed she hopes to bring the practice to the UK. 

Lena Fokina can be seen flipping a baby over her head in her bizarre ‘baby yoga’ routine which has been banned from a number of websites for fear that it glorifies child abuse.

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Lena Fokina slings a baby around as part of her 'yoga' class

Baby yoga treatment on the beach

Terrifying: Despite often leaving babies in tears and in some cases
throwing up Lena Fokina hopes to bring her worrying ‘baby yoga’
techniques to the UK

Many viewers believed the moves must have been performed on dolls but the 51-year-old says they are definitely real babies and she has been practising the techniques for the past 30 years.

Lena was tracked down at 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 months old.

And while most of the babies were left screaming in tears
or vomited during or after their session of ‘baby dynamics’, Lena insists it is
for their benefit.

The qualified PE teacher, said: ‘It’s very good
for babies and not dangerous at all. Some babies cry at first, but they begin
to enjoy it.

‘Most people think young babies can only lie on a bed,
eat, and cry. But babies are born with natural reflexes, which we can use to
help them develop physically and intellectually.

‘I work with parents from across Europe. I hope soon
I will be working with a family in England. I think there are a number of
open-minded parents there whose babies could benefit from my work.’ 

Lena Fokina with a baby
Lena Fokina swinging the child
Up goes the baby

Bizarre: Even though the babies are clearly
uncomfortable as they are swung and flipped by therapist Lena Fokina,
she is adamant they enjoy the exercise

Dizzying exercise
Over it goes
Twisted around

Look like dolls: But the 51-year-old says insists they are real babies and says she has been practising the unconventional techniques for the past 30 years

According to Lena, baby yoga was first practiced by
ancient African tribes – but the modern incarnation was developed by fellow
Russian Dr Igor Charkovsky, who was also present at the seminar.

Lena, a mother-of-five and grandmother, does sessions
that can last up to five minutes, during which babies are spun, swung and
flipped, often by a single limb.

The actions are performed on babies from a few weeks old
up to around age two.

Lena added: ‘The method was originally developed to
cure and correct the health of children having muscular or skeletal problems
but it is also suitable for healthy children.

‘The movements are designed to
improve their muscular abilities and development.

‘And the children often turn out to be early
readers, singers, talkers, swimmers. It also makes their hands stronger. We are
humanists and we don’t do anything wrong.’

At the camp the parents, hailing mainly from Russia and
the Ukraine, also seemed entirely satisfied as they stood by and watched Lena
treat their babies, usually above a gravel floor.

Unusual techniques
Balancing act
Unimpressed

Shocking: There are concerns that the techniques produce ‘dramatic and unnatural movements’ which have been linked to Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)

Each day at 8am, parents would bring their tots to the
Mirage Village Hotel in Dahab. Around twenty parents had signed up for Lena’s latest
12-day seminar, which costs £255 per family.

Parents smiled and chatted as the infants were left dangling
for long periods by their arms or legs. But in almost every case the
babies began crying just seconds into the bizarre routine.

And another vomited mid-air after undergoing several
minutes of swinging. Yet Lena refused to acknowledge any dangers.

She said: ‘From the moment of its birth a child can
grasp, step, support itself and swim.

‘The Charkovsky method uses these natural reflexes for
child training. The amount of time it takes to train an adult to do it on a
child depends on the sensibility of the child’s parent. Sometimes it only takes
one training session.’

Therapist: Russian born Lena Franklin said she first started performing 'baby yoga' on her children more than 30 years ago

Therapist: Russian born Lena Franklin said she first started performing ‘baby yoga’ on her children more than 30 years ago

For years, doctors around the world have warned that
‘dramatic and unnatural movements’ inflicted on a young baby can lead to brain
bleeding, retinal hemorrhaging and brain swelling  – commonly known as Shaken Baby Syndrome
(SBS).

And some researchers have suggested that SBS can occur at
much lower levels of head movement than had been previously thought.

But Lena, who has been practicing baby yoga for more than
30 years, tells clients it is harmless even for newborn babies, as long as a
child is eased into the movements gradually.

She is also not worried about any strain on the babies’
joints and limbs.

She said: ‘Even a tiny baby’s body can adapt to the
process easily if you take it gradually.

‘As long as the parent or instructor has practiced and
studied the teachings of Dr Charkovsky the child will be fine.

‘People tend to get upset when they see it because they
are not aware of children’s real abilities – but these abilities are much wider
than it is traditionally thought.’

The Dahab
seminar offered participants the opportunity to ‘learn the method of
Igor Charkovsky and techniques for working with pregnant
women, newborns and children’.

As well as morning seminars in ‘baby dynamics’ parents
were also instructed in ‘water rebirthing’, which involves repeatedly dunking
children’s heads underwater.

The practice is designed to address ‘repressed
trauma from birth.’

According to literature about the practice on Lena’s
website, rebirthing ‘allows the mind and body to gently restructure itself so
as to increase the feeling of happiness, efficiency, be healthy and to feel the
inner harmony of the individual.’

However, there
seemed to be little of this on display in the children being forced under the
water by Dr Charkovsky, a Russian midwife whose research includes the effect
dolphins can have on a mother’s calm during childbirth.

Again, many ended up in tears.

Also on offer at the seminar were more traditional
pursuits such as baby massage, swimming lessons and gymnastics.

Lena has also conducted workshops in Thailand and India
where she has worked on children from all over the world.

She said: ‘Baby dynamics is quite well known in Russia but
up to now all the literature about it has only been in Russian.

‘However, it is becoming increasingly popular throughout
the world and we want to teach parents by bringing our methods to where they
live.

‘Although I don’t know anybody practicing in the UK yet I
will be very proud when I see my methods applied there.’

Lena studied physical education at the University of
Physcial Culture in Moscow, achieving a Master’s degree.

She later went on to study under Dr Charkovsky.

Now divorced Lena has five children, Alexandra, 30,
Tatyana, 27, Timur, 23, Maria, 16 and 13-year-old Pavel.

She is also grandmother to Christian, three, and Petrik,
four and it was on her own children that she started refining the worrying methods.

Lena Fokina

Lena Fokina

Lena studied physical education at the University of Physical Culture in Moscow, achieving a Master’s degree before taking up her unusual techniques

She said: ‘I first tried baby dynamics 30 years ago after
my oldest daughter Alexandra was born. At first I was worried, but then I realised how my
children enjoyed it and it inspired me.

‘People criticise our methods out of ignorance – if
only they tried to understand what we were doing, they would change their
attitudes. If by doing it I give children an advantage, why
wouldn’t I?

‘I was aware of the practices but it was only later when
I was introduced to Dr Charkovsky that I became a teacher in it. It’s something I am very proud of and have believed
in for a very long time.’

Lena lives in Russia but frequently visits Dahab where
her two eldest daughters live. She works full-time giving seminars all over the world,
but insists her work is not done for profit.

She said: ‘What I do is not a commercial project. I earn
enough money just to live here and work with children. What I do is not part of my life, it is my life.’

Despite being relatively common in Russia, Lena says she
prefers to hold her seminars in Egypt.

She said: ‘I love Egypt for many reasons. The climate is favourable with lots of sun and warm sea.

‘There’s also good conditions for freediving, yoga and
sports and the people here have a good attitude to what I am doing.

‘All my children have grown up according to the
Charkovsky method and they have all gone on to achieve outstanding results in
life – they are Russian champions in parachuting, freediving and horse riding. 

‘Now my children are practicing those same methods on
their own children. It’s the best proof.’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not
debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

OMG that is terrible how can ppl do the to their children, If I did that to my own child I would have social services at my door, But it okay for her she a yoga teacher she knows whats she doin it wont hurt them. Yeah rite!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor the baby.

This is not a real baby – well not in the video anyway . It looks CGI to me..
I dont care what country you are from that (if it were real) would be banned and highly illegal

If I saw her doing this on the beach to someone, anyone, let alone an infant…. I’d be interfering. People so totally lack common sense… especially the parents who hand their babies over to nitwits like this. PS, she loves Egypt because they won’t sue her there. Let’s see about the UK and certainly the USA.

I reckon that is child abuse. It is inflicting your dumb ideas on a baby. I would just take them swimming, much kinder.

These pictures, seriously, made me cringe.

What sort of parents would allow this to be done to their kids. Please don’t let her come here.

SHAME on the parents who allow this to continue ! They are just as guilty as she is.

It’s a known fact that if you shake a baby, their brain knocks against the skull and causes burst blood vessels, which can lead to brain damage- god knows what would happen to a tiny newborns brain if it is swung around like a rag doll. This is truly disgusting, not even an animal would do that to its young.
God help the human species.

shocking!! I can’t believe there are actually parents out there that are PAYING this women to do this to their precious babies.

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