Meet the world’s youngest yoga teacher six-year-old Phoenix
Guinness World Record-holder Phoenix became a qualified instructor at five and 337 days after doing yoga all her short life. Find out how she did it and discover some crazy new records
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Meet the world’s youngest yoga instructor.
Phoenix Giselle Hicks, set a new world record when she became the youngest yoga instructor (female) at just five years and 337 days old.
Now six, the young Texan has been inducted into Guinness World Records 2027 as a Young Achiever.
Phoenix told Kids News the honour made her feel “excited, proud and grateful.”
“One of my favourite parts is knowing that kids all around the world will be able to open the Guinness World Records 2027 book and see me,” Phoenix said. “I hope when they see someone their age doing something big, it inspires them to believe that they can follow their dreams too.
“You don’t have to wait until you’re a grown-up to do something amazing.”
It took a lot of yoga to get Phoenix to where she is today – however, she had something of a headstart.
“People might be surprised that I’ve been practising yoga almost my entire life. My mum practised prenatal* yoga when I was in her tummy, and I took my first yoga class when I was only three months old!” she said.
But it wasn’t just lots of yoga practice that was needed for Phoenix to become a teacher. The dedicated yoga enthusiast also had to complete a 200-hour yoga teacher training program.
“I was the only kid in a class with all grown-ups,” she said. “I had to read books, study anatomy* and different parts of yoga, take exams, and complete practice teaching hours.
“I also stayed on a college campus for a 10-day yoga teacher immersion* before graduating. It was a lot of work, but I had so much fun learning.”
After receiving her qualification, Phoenix had to send evidence of her teacher credentials to Guinness World Records, which then reviewed her submission. She said it was very exciting to find out her record had been approved.
YOGA AND BEYOND
Phoenix was inspired by her mum to teach yoga after practising with her from an early age.
“As I got older, I started practising with her more and wanted to learn how to teach and help other people feel calm and happy,” she said.
Now the young instructor teaches yoga to both kids and adults and even has her own company, Zen Kids Global, which “helps kids learn about yoga, mindfulness, breathing, and wellness.”
“Teaching kids is really fun because I can make yoga playful and help them learn ways to calm down and express their feelings,” she said. “But I also enjoy teaching adults and families. Sometimes I even get to teach alongside my mum, which is one of my favourite things to do.”
While yoga is a major passion, Phoenix has also proved herself talented in many other fields, having danced ballet since the age of two and played the piano since the age of three.
She said she even performed piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Already a world record holder at the age of five and 337 days, Phoenix is sure to reach for the stars when it comes to building a career. In fact, she might even make it to outer space.
“I want to be an astronaut,” she said, when asked what she wanted to be when she grows up. “I really love STEM, science, robotics, planets, and learning about outer space. Maybe one day I can become the first person to do yoga on the moon!”
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2027
Phoenix is just one of eight amazing kids to feature in the latest Guinness World Records. The 2027 edition features more than 3000 world-record achievements from across the globe, including the narrowest drivable car (just 50.20cm) and the largest hairdryer (1.7556m long x 1.6m tall).
Queenslander Alexa Szerstuk has officially taken the title of having the largest collection of Shopkins memorabilia (2656) in this year’s edition, while 43-year-old Miranda Worby from the UK has been named as having the largest collection of My Little Pony memorabilia (4550).
Ms Worby said her love of My Little Pony began at the age of three, after she asked for a real pony and was told “no” by her parents.
She fell in love with a My Little Pony figurine in a shop window and the rest was history.
Kyle Landi from Canada took out the Heaviest dead lift* (male) (II2) – 117.38kg (258.80lb) and the most weight deadlifted in one minute (male) (II2) – 2301.80kg (5074.60lb).
Landi, 26, was born with Down syndrome* and said he wanted people to know his journey was more than about record-breaking – it was also about inspiration.
He said the records represent “proving that having Down syndrome is not a barrier to achieving greatness” and that it gives him a “sense of pride, belonging, and recognition as someone who is inspiring others around the world.”
POLL
GLOSSARY
- prenatal: before giving birth, in other words, yoga classes taken while pregnant
- anatomy: the scientific study of the physical structure of the human body
- teacher immersion: an intensive, focused training course for teachers to help them improve existing skills even more
- dead lift: a weightlifting training exercise where you lift a heavy weight or bar with weights on both ends up from the floor to your hips then lower it back down
- Down syndrome: a genetic condition caused by having an extra copy of chromosome 21, which changes the way a baby’s body and brain develop
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QUICK QUIZ
1. What inspired Phoenix to start teaching yoga?
2. What did she have to do to gain her teacher qualifications?
3. What other achievements has she accomplished at her young age?
4. How wide is the world’s narrowest car?
5. What led to Miranda Worby collecting My Little Pony memorabilia?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Child yoga teacher
Imagine a six year old taking an adult yoga class!
What skills has Phoenix learnt and refined to become a qualified yoga instructor, apart from the actual yoga moves?
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What things might Phoenix find hard when teaching adults in a class? How might she overcome these?
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Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
“I hope when they see someone their age doing something big, it inspires them to believe that they can follow their dreams too.”
What has Phoenix and other Guinness World Record holders inspired you to do that you may not have thought possible?
What dream would you like to achieve soon or in the future?
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you could contact some of the record-holders mentioned in the article.
Create a conversation between two of them. Or, alternatively, create a conversation between yourself and one of the record-holders. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.