(KUTV) Young victims of yoga may not know how to handle their emotions. You can tell a child to simply "breath" but what does that mean?

Green Tree Yoga teaches children to cope with traumatic situations through yoga. For a few hours every week, a classroom at the Y.W.C.A. in Salt Lake City is transformed into a yoga studio. The program teaches kids how to deal with their emotions if they have ever experienced trauma, or how to cope if they have a traumatic experience later in life. "A lot times, what happens is folks who have been traumatized become detached from their bodies," said Yael Calhoun, the Executive Director of Green Tree Yoga.

Calhoun says it is important to teach children how to "feel" their bodies. " Talking is wonderful but for people who have been traumatized, it can't be the first step if they don't feel their bodies first in order to start the healing."

The yoga moves are easy for kids and it is a lot of fun. During a recent trip to the Y.W.C.A., we watched as the kids as they pretended they were jumping on a chairlift at their favorite resort. They also imitated the positions of their favorite animals, such as a dog and even a cow. Calhoun says the moves help the kids to learn how to relax. "You have to get into their world and from that come the emotional healing and it is just an incredible gift to be able to share that."

Green Tree Yoga also works with veterans coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The organization also offers classes to families with autistic children. For more information, visit: http://greentreeyoga.org

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group.)