Gecko Yoga’s Jenny Smith shares the benefits of yoga for teens

If anyone needs yoga, it’s the teenage population, as teenagers today are more stressed than ever. Their world is increasingly more complex and with that comes more stress, increased distractions and less connection. The time of transition from childhood into adulthood is the time when teens look within and begin to explore new emotions to discern who they really are and this can lead to decreased self-confidence and increased self-criticism.

Yoga is great for this age group as its philosophy and physical practice help teach us all greater awareness for accepting the unique qualities we each have to offer, and how that can change on a daily basis. Change in yoga is greeted with compassion, understanding, curiosity and above all self-acceptance. The practice of yoga can help teenagers build better relationships with others as well as stronger communities, as yoga fosters respect and compassion for oneself and others and encourages teamwork.

Yoga for teens can help them make healthy decisions concerning their lifestyle choices too. Teens can often feel overwhelmed and don’t necessarily have the tools to deal with the stress they face – and one of the major benefits of a regular yoga practice is stress reduction. Yoga helps teens focus on their body in a healthy and healing way, by learning to love and accept their bodies as they are, but also building up courage and curiosity to see and explore its full capacity by practicing some of yoga’s more challenging poses. Even the relaxation pose (savasana) can be one of the hardest poses in the yoga class, as it builds up a courage to stay still and focus within, connect to breath and simply allow the body to heal in rest. This can be very hard in a society that is always on the go and required to stay continually connected to outside demands and “online.”

Yoga can also help students find their centre and stay calm in the present moment in the midst of a frightening and changing world. Yoga shifts their reference point to one that starts within themselves, so no matter what happens in their lives they always have a calm centre from which to deal with any situation. A regular yoga practice can help teens cultivate self-discipline, healthy eating habits, and self-care habits that can benefit them for the rest of their lives. Yoga for teens has the potential for creating a permanent positive lifestyle change and is one of the greatest gifts you can share with your future generation

For more information on Gecko’s weekly Teen Yoga classes, please visit their website.