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Yoga for Youth
This class style is near and dear to my heart because I believe in the power of yoga and how it can literally change the world and the experience of our youth.
At first I was surprised to see all the hands go up when I asked about anxiety or sleeping problems but now its just something I expect. Kids these days struggle with mental health and high stress environments.
They also have very tight bodies!! With social media, video games, couches, desks etc. Lots of our youth have hips and hamstrings so tight they struggle to sit cross legged on the floor. I can honestly compare 13 year old hip mobility to my 60 and 70 year old beginner students!
The beautiful thing is, they are young and their habits are still developing. Bodies and minds are capable of change at any age, but it’s a little easier with less years of thoughts and behaviour backing up those habits.
I sure wish that I had learned the resource of yoga when I was younger (don’t we all?) Imagine, if instead of reaching for a drink, or getting in a fight, or going on a shopping spree, you got down on your yoga mat and took a Childs pose to regulate your nervous system and check in with yourself. Imagine if instead of popping that sleeping pill you popped on that Yoga Nidra recording. Imagine if instead of stressing over that meeting or public speaking you meditated daily envisioning the success of your performance and feeling like you’ve got this!! Imagine you learned these tools at school age and you’ve been using them since, when you needed them the most.
This is my vision for yoga for youth, and they love it!! We learn about self reflection, gratitude, self talk, listening to your body, taking a break, stepping up and challenging yourself. We learn that it is all ok and there is nothing to change or fix. We learn to play and have fun in our bodies and we learn how to nurture areas that need a little tlc.
We learn the function of posture and the important role posture plays in confidence, mental health, core strength, injury prevention, and in functional mobility. We practice restorative stretching to manage stress and discomfort. There is often playful flow to get anxious energy moving and to build heat to increase mobility. We learn how to safely sequence strength and mobility to get to that handstand goal!! We still the mind, practice gratitude, and self regulate with guided mediations and yoga mudras. There are lessons about the power of thoughts, how to observe your thoughts and the impact they have on experiences.
This class fills me and my students with joy and acceptance. It is a safe place for kids to just be however they are that day. If they need to release the stress of the day, process sadness, move through some negative thinking, be playful, or be challenged, its all available here.
I would love to invite you to join the family and TRY yoga with me.
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