Yoga for tweens

Written and published in HV Parent – October 2011

Most people who practice would agree that yoga offers countless physical and emotional health benefits including but not limited to improved flexibility, strength, postural alignment, and overall stress reduction.  For teens, the benefits are similar; but at an age where the body is a changing and the mind is all over the place, practicing yoga has a whole new meaning!   15 yr old Monica Pack of Elma, NY says,  “I think yoga is fun and really like the stretching.”   Many teens like Monica really enjoy yoga but the number of them who practice is still relatively low. In 2007, The National Health Statistics Report found that only 2.1% of youth under the age 18 were practicing yoga.  How can we spread the good word to other teens and woo them to try yoga?

Abby Heijnen, Certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor who offers teen yoga classes at Yoga Monkey in Woodstock says “the physical benefits are tremendous for teens. The guided breath work we do along with the postures gives the students valuable tools they can use on or off the mat!”.”  Many teens are involved in a variety of sports and physical activities and thus at risk for a variety of injuries.   If there’s proof that practicing yoga prevents sports injuries and keeps the teens on the field so to speak, would they be wooed?  According to Yoga for Teens by Thia Luby, during the teen years the body is still growing, and bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are changing; so stress injuries can be very common. Just one quick body movement can potentially cause a stress injury to any of these areas. Athletes who do not stretch enough are more prone to incur injuries that often could be avoided-such as pulled hamstrings, knee injuries, and shoulder, wrist, and ankle injuries from weakness in these areas. “By offering a complete body workout, yoga balances out the stresses of any sport and helps correct tightness or weakness.”

That said, it still may be a tall order to get the boys to line up outside the local yoga studio but perhaps after they understand the ways it can improve the overall effectiveness of strength training, we may see a few lining up after all.  According to Luby, “Boys and young men in their teens usually develop their legs and arms through sports or weight training. However, they often overlook flexibility of the spine, back, arms, and legs. Yoga stretching poses are highly beneficial in correcting this imbalance.”  This allows for better overall performance.

For the girls, it’s important to understand that as their bodies are developing and changing and with that their center of gravity often changes.  This can cause the muscles that hold the spine in place to become weakened or strained.  Doing chest opening, backward bending, forward bending, and upside-down yoga poses will strengthen arms, shoulders, and back, and ultimately help teach these parts of her body to balance out the weight in front. (Luby)  Aside from overall improved comfort, the posture also improves which looks great and sends a message of confidence.

Aside from the physical benefits, the psychological/emotional benefits are vast.  Yoga teaches teens techniques for coping with issues they’re faced with everyday.  “I also feel like yoga relaxes me,” Monica Pack further explains.  She’s right!  Studies have shown, teens that practice yoga will find that it not only helps them to relax but it also addresses issues like insecurity about their self-image, the enormous social pressures, and balancing the heavy workloads and schedules in and out of school.  (Noggle & Khalsa, Kripalu)

To respond to these great findings, many yoga studios in the Hudson Valley have been adding teen yoga classes to their schedules.  Many of these studios and forward thinking instructors are finding great success in developing a strong teen following because they are using techniques that teens find more enjoyable and they are creating a practice geared more toward their temperament.  Heijnen says, “each class may be a little different.  I try to gauge their emotional temperature in the beginning of class and then go from there.”

There are a variety of classes available and they can be very affordable at as low as $5 per class.  Some studios offer classes that are specifically designed for teens only; some are open to all ages including teens.  Doreen Fox, owner of The Children’s Yoga School in Monroe offers a variety of teen programs including classes for high risk teens and teens with special needs.  She says, “it’s so rewarding to work with the high risk groups.  They are so open to positive change and bettering themselves.”  She has found that students with ADD, ADHD and Autism often gain increased self-control and self-discipline through practicing yoga.  Her programs are available in studio both for groups and private sessions and also out in the community at schools, after school programs, boys & girls clubs etc.

There are also a variety of workshops available, including one at Sat Nam Yoga in Hurleyville.  This Youth Yoga Retreat program exposes students to basic Yoga, Breath, Relaxation techniques, Mind Controlling techniques and intro to Meditation.  So, the word is out…there is something for every teen; they just have to say OM!

 

Classes & workshops specifically designed for teens are available at the following studios: Everybody’s Yoga, LaGrangeville www.everybodysyoga.org 845-592-4110Sat Nam Yoga, Hurleyville NY www.satnamyogaspa.com 845-866-3063The Children’s Yoga School, several locations in 9 counties throughout the Hudson Valley http://www.thechildrensschoolofyoga.com 845-782-9642 Yoga Monkey, Woodstock - Kripalu for Teens. http://www.yogamonkeyyoga.com  845-332-7065

 

Resources:

Yoga for Teens, by Thia Luby (2000)

Jessica J. Noggle & Sat Bir S. Khalsa – Group randomized, controlled evaluation of yoga for adolescent mental health within a high school curriculum – The Institute for Extraordinary Living (I.E.L.) at Kripalu.com

Barnes et al., 2008 National Health Statistics Report

Doreen Foxwell, Certified Yoga Instructor & Owner of The Children’s Yoga School

Abby Heijnen, Certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor & Yoga Monkey, Woodstock