Top 10 Teenagers tips
Improves focus and performance
Some research suggests that six to eight weekly sessions or approximately 20 hours of yoga class time may help school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) (6).
Keep it clean.
“Keep the room at least as tidy as you found it. Especially if you plan on going to that school regularly, you don’t want to be known as the messy sub!” —Megan F.
Chair pose (Utkatasana)
Benefits: Utkatasana helps the muscles of the arms, legs, and also the heart and the diaphragm. How to:
- Stand in tadasana. Take a deep breath in and extend your arms towards the ceiling while keeping them perpendicular to the floor.
- Keep your hands parallel to each other with palms facing inwards or join the palms.
- Breathe out and bend your knees so that the upper torso forms a right angle with the knees while the thighs should be parallel to the ground. Keep your arms extended.
- Keep your shoulders broad, and try to pull your tailbone towards the ground to achieve a good stretch of the lower back.
- You can be in this pose for 30 seconds to one minute before coming back to normal posture. If you experience distress or pain, come out of the posture.
- Take a deep breath again, straighten your knees, and exhale while bringing your arms back to their normal position.
Be strong early on.
“Don’t be a pushover. Assert your authority early. You can always become a little more lax later, but they need to know they are not going to get away with stuff while you are there.” —Jillian E.
Don’t be afraid to be picky.
“I have a list of teachers I won’t sub for because no matter what, they always seem to have ‘that’ class. In other words, not very good behavior management which means subbing for them is a nightmare.” —Eric D.
Have a snack with bananas.
The magnesium and potassium in bananas help regulate blood pressure and promote sleep. Therefore, if you find it difficult to fall asleep on the plane, you can eat a couple of bananas.
Standing forward fold (Uttanasana)
Benefits: This yoga pose helps in stretching and strengthening the hamstring muscles. How to:
- Stand in tadasana with the hands on the hips. Exhale and bend forward from the hips and not the waist. Lengthen the upper torso as much as you can while bending by drawing it out of the groin in a way that the space between the pubis and top sternum is opened up.
- Bring your palms or fingertips to the floor next to your feet or slightly in the front of the feet, if possible, while keeping your knees straight. If you can’t reach the floor, then cross the forearms and hold your elbows.
- Press the heels firmly into the floor, lift the hip bones upwards, and turn the upper thighs slightly inwards.
- Stretch and extend the torso with each inhalation. Release a little more fully into the forward bend with each exhalation.
- Let your head hang easily between the shoulder blades.
- Stay in the posture for 30 seconds to a minute.
- For coming out of the pose, put your arms back on your hips, and gently come up with an inhalation while keeping the torso straight.
Bring a game.
“Have a backup plan if possible. My plan was Boggle. It’s educational and quick to put on the board. It can be played as a whole class, teams, or small groups.” —Katie W. Check out our favorite educational games for the classroom!
Draw boundaries.
“NEVER let students take anything off the teacher’s desk unless you know from the teacher what he or she allows, and ALWAYS leave a note for the classroom teacher!” —Laura R.
Improves self-esteem and body image
Adolescence is a time when children might experience low self-confidence, body image issues, and low self-esteem. Yoga is rooted in the principle of non-judgment. Regular yoga practice may make a teen more self-accepting by letting them connect with their inner self.