My 10-year-old son, Elias, learned some yoga basics recently when he and his fourth-grade classmates prepared a circus program about the 50 states. Through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the teachers brought in a performance artist who taught yoga poses and acrobatic moves. They also scheduled family circus yoga nights where the kids could teach their parents the skills they’d learned.
Although I’ve taken yoga classes for years, I’ve never taken a class with Elias. His enthusiasm for the experience made me think I should seek out more opportunities for him, and for his older siblings, to experience the benefits of yoga.
People have practiced yoga in this country for decades, but the interest in adapting it for kids and teens has grown over the last several years. Some yoga studios and fitness centers now offer specific classes for babies, elementary-aged students, or teens, and more school sports teams are incorporating aspects of yoga into their practices.
Not many scientific studies have been done on the benefits of yoga for teens and tweens. According to the Mayo Clinic, anecdotal evidence suggests that practicing yoga helps young people relax, reduce stress, and enhance their concentration. It may also help teens with eating disorders and depression.
“At the least, yoga can be a gentle method for your child to get more physical activity and enhance his or her well-being,” the Mayo Clinic website states on its “Yoga for Kids” page.
A positive effect
Jessie Forston can attest to yoga’s positive effect on children’s physical and emotional health. She began incorporating yoga into her classroom when she was an elementary school teacher; using breathing techniques to calm her students and showing them poses that helped them focus.
Forston saw such a great need for helping students reduce stress; she quit her job in 2008 and opened a yoga studio specifically for kids. Located in northeast Minneapolis, Learning Tree Yoga offers classes for toddlers up to teens, and for families. It also offers training to teachers interested in learning how to incorporate yoga into their classrooms.
Forston says the physical benefits of yoga for young people include greater strength and flexibility and the release of “feel-good” hormones.
“They feel better after doing a yoga class, and they get a chance to participate in something that’s a noncompetitive physical activity,” she says.
When Forston started teaching yoga in her first-grade classroom, most students had never heard of it. Now, when she gives presentations to groups like the Girl Scouts, most kids know something about it, and some have even practiced yoga in conjunction with the Wii.
Although some parents still have misconceptions about yoga, Forston says she’s seen less of this as the benefits of yoga become better known.
Classes for older kids at her studio are limited to about 10, so the teens can develop a strong relationship with the teacher. Although classes are structured like a traditional adult yoga class, the teacher devotes part of class time to explaining how different aspects of yoga can help teens cope with life situations.
“In an adult class, it’s quiet — you do your stuff and it’s done. With teens and tweens, you see a lot more discussion happening in class,” she says.
Students learn skills such as breathing techniques to help them relax and reduce stress. Forston says using breathing to calm down is the most common skill teens are able to take off the yoga mat and use in their daily lives, whether it’s before a test in school, or while driving in heavy traffic.
Every class ends with a relaxation pose, called savasana, where students lie on their backs, close their eyes, and remain still for about 10 minutes. When Forston started teaching yoga, she questioned whether teens would be able to truly relax; she’s discovered that it’s usually their favorite part of class.
“They come in and say, ‘Oh, we need a long relaxation today.’ They really appreciate that down time.”
Forston says helping teens find balance in their lives is especially important because they are growing up in a society where they’re constantly connected to electronic devices — except in the yoga studio, where cell phones are not allowed.
“They are so plugged in right now, it’s almost hard for them to let go of that. It’s almost like an addiction,” she says. “It’s nice to have that quiet calm and be able to come into themselves and truly be present.”
– Northfield writer Joy Riggs is a yoga enthusiast, but she has no plans to join the circus.
RESOURCES
Learning Tree Yoga Studio
learningtreeyoga.com
Mayo Clinic
mayoclinic.com/health/yoga-for-kids/MY01401
YogaMinded
yogaminded.com
Yoga in My School
yogainmyschool.com
