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Why should teenagers be taught yoga?

Yoga classes for teenagers affect their physical, cognitive, emotional and social development in a holistic way.

First a short, bullet point version, in case you don’t have time to read everything below:

Physical development

• improving coordination, balance and correct body posture

• gaining strength and flexibility

• learning breathing techniques and the ability to calm down the heart rate

• development of relaxation skills

Cognitive development

• increased mindfulness, focus and concentration

• development of imagination and creative thinking as well as improving memory

• understanding that rest is a necessary part of the learning process

Emotional development

• ability to identify one's own needs, emotions and states thanks to conscious contact with the body

• improved ability to cope with stress

• increase in self-confidence and self-esteem

• development of self-control, discipline and patience

Social development

• development of cooperation and teamwork skills

• increased respect, empathy and openness towards others

• establishing kind relationships with others

Now, a slightly longer version and if you don’t have time to read it, all the more I invite to you to my “yoga for all” classes:

Yoga for teens helps them develop a better awareness of their own body, as well as their overall coordination and cognitive abilities. Practicing yoga supports their attention span and emotional intelligence. Yoga also helps to reduce stress and anxiety in young adults. It helps them experience greater well-being, peace, harmony, and joy.

Children learn through interactive experiences. Yoga enables a child’s body and mind to grow in a wholesome and balanced way from an early age. Simple breathing and meditation exercises can promote their emotional well-being. It also instils kindness, patience and gratitude in them. Further, it enables them to value hard work and team effort. Yoga helps a growing child become better acquainted with his or her own emotions, and learn to accept it. 

Bringing yoga to teenagers can be a great support for their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. By learning postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, children learn to re-align their energy. They become more focused, calm, and responsive. Their bodies become healthy, and their minds become clear. 

The adolescent years are delicate and very important. It is in this period that teenagers develop behavioral patterns that will influence their future life. Yoga can play a vital role in developing healthy patterns in young people, both in posture and attitude.

Teenagers and their relationship with their bodies

Yoga allows adolescents to develop self-knowledge through awareness of the body and mind connection. Teenagers are often worried about what their bodies look like and how they function. It is the time when their body changes and hormones make them feel overwhelmed. Practicing yoga allows them to bring attention to their body in a conscious and non-judgmental way. It shows them how to appreciate their body for what it can do, and at the same time to accept its limits.

Listening and becoming aware of one’s limits in an asana, the ability to stop when necessary, teaches teenagers to say no. This will support them both in situations concerning their own body and in relationships with the outside world.

Yoga provides teens with the tools to learn how to stay focused and calm even in the midst of external disturbances. Deep breathing and relaxation techniques promote concentration during the preparation for an exam and help manage states of anxiety and tension.

Adolescents look for their place in society and try to express themselves, they are building their individualism and ability to decide independently about their own life. Practicing yoga helps teenagers achieve all these goals while respecting themselves and others. Yoga becomes a precious help even at school as it encourages students to look internally to make decisions based on self-respect and consideration for others.

Teen Yoga encourages teenagers to make decisions in a variety of situations. During a yoga class, the teen decides whether to proceed to a more advanced pose or how to support their body in the best way.

For example, a teenager with tighter hamstrings is encouraged to use a block instead of trying to reach the floor in a standing forward bend. The decision to use support in an asana stimulates the adolescent to seek solutions and answers. It encourages them to observe themselves without comparing to those around them or to what others do. This attitude becomes fundamental when the adolescent copes with real life situations and teen pressure.

The overcharged teenagers of modern times

A Teen Yoga class is a place where they can learn to put worries aside and experience relief from stress. This relief, even when temporary, can give them a refreshed perspective and train the mind to focus on one challenge at a time. A very important topic when we talk about teenagers is stress management. If you work with teens as a teacher, or as a therapist, you can observe how overloaded their life is, and how overcharged their emotions are. Yoga can be very helpful in giving teens the right tools to manage their inner responses to what’s going on in their life.  

Academic accomplishment is vital, but it should not become a child’s only purpose. When working with children and teenagers, our job is to help them express their talents and the innate values that they carry within. It also means to help them improve their abilities to overcome frustrations and difficulties, develop resilience, and stronger self-confidence and self-esteem.

Traditional schooling mostly focuses on intellectual development. Yoga for kids and teenagers can become a complementary educational program so as to help young children and teens cope with the pressures of school life. When we give our children the right teaching, it enables them to live better and perform better in their tasks and roles.