Health Benefits of Yoga for Teenagers

Teenager-hood is an age where your kid starts to become more grown up and adult-like, but they also tend to make a lot of physical, emotional, and psychological changes as well.  That's probably why being an adult is so darn hard to be honest, you have all these changes happening and they happen quite quickly.  The body, for instance, goes under chemical changes, which makes a joyful childhood into one that is a little confusing, troublesome and at times, annoying.  It’s really important that your teenager can learn to relax, be as stress-free as possible and that they be aware of all of these changes happening to them.  If you have a teenager and they are battling some issues with things like confusion, depression or even stress over the changes and you want a way for them to deal with those issues now, as well as a way to handle them better when they get older,

yoga is a great place to start.  Here are just a few of the benefits of teens using yoga.

A Way to Build Confidence

Oftentimes, teenagers have a sense of fear when they reach those teenage years.  Fears that people won't like them, fears that they won't fit in, fears that they will fail or not be good

enough, etc.  But, Yoga gives them a chance to improve themselves so that they can reach their goals and achieve things that once seemed out of reach.  Sometimes if you suggest Yoga to a teen they will feel like they would like silly doing a pose or that they wouldn't be able to do any of the poses at all.  But, once they get into it, they will realize that the fear can be liberated and they don't look silly doing asana (poses) and that they can overcome things like lack of confidence mentally and physically, as well as achieve their goals.  Teens that do yoga have a newfound respect for themselves and their bodies and they carry that respect around as confidence which will spill into other parts of their lives.

Changes In Development

Adults who practice yoga know about all the amazing benefits of yoga, including using yoga as a way to ease pain, ailments, and aches.  But, for teens it can benefit them in a whole other light.  For example, one pose called Tadasana or the Mountain Pose can actually alleviate things like the nervous system which will aid in things like digestion and circulation.  On the other hand, another pose called the Sirasana or the Headstand

Pose helps to revitalize things like the hormonal system which can help with all sorts of teenage issues.  Obviously yoga has a lot of physical benefits, but yoga can also help with stress, relaxation and a way to deal with anxiety and depression as well.

Stress Relievers For Yoga

When it comes to your body, not only is physical health important but also mental and emotional health as well.  Teenagers tend to be under a lot of stress, especially when it comes to things like balancing schoolwork and having fun time, finals, tests, and quizzes, dealing with college and getting into the right way, even dealing with other issues that their friends might have going on right now.  So yoga is a key ingredient to dealing with those things that include stress, anxiety, depression and more.  Plus, yoga is a great way to create mindfulness in that they will find and figure out ways to create balance in their life instead of doing the negative thing i.e.; being stressed, being depressed, being sad, etc.  

Teenagers that do yoga become in tune with their bodies and what they need at that specific time - a note in which they might otherwise ignore without the help of yoga.  Teenagers will also find ways to use yoga during those stressful situations.  One pose called a Savasana pose - The Corpse Pose allows your teen to leave behind the hustle and bustle if only for a few minutes, to enter into a peaceful oasis.  Even if it’s only for a little bit of time, say a few minutes, this can renew their sense of calm and let the stress melt away.

Tuning Into Daily Activities

In this day and age, everyone has a cell phone, an iPod, or an MP3 player - some form of technology that they rely on for things like work or homework, keeping in touch with friends, reading articles and blogs, etc.  And while that's all good and well, it can suck up a lot of your time and you might not even be aware of how much time!  It sucks you into this black hole where it seems like only 10 minutes passed when really it’s been an hour.  Yoga is a great way to bring situational awareness to your teen.  They might not stop texting so much, but they will probably be more aware of how much time they are wasting on their phone or computer, when they could be doing something a little more productive.

One of the last benefits about yoga is the community built around it.  In a lot of senses, yoga is a solitary practice, but often when you go to a yoga class you will find like-minded people with the same interests, or the same age, or the same goals in life.  This is a great way for your teen to meet some new people - good people that have the same goals and life achievements that they do, but it also gives them a sense of community and support.