Yoga for Teenagers
Yoga for Teenagers
It’s not news that doing exercise regularly is crucial for a healthy body and a healthy mind. Doing exercise makes us stronger, feel better and has amazing benefits for our mental health. It can reduce stress and anxiety and if you are uncertain about something, exercising, such as yoga, will clear your head and help you make a decision.
Yoga is one of these super classy ways of exercising. It’s not unusual to see celebrities on social media posing for a photo while doing yoga, with a cute outfit, the yoga mattress and an amazing view. But aside from making you look great on camera; yoga has many benefits for our health.
YOGA FOR TEENAGERS BENEFITS
Yoga is perfect for all ages and it helps everyone cope with emotional, mental, and psychical conditions while improving behavioural health. Yoga was born thousands of years ago in India. The word “yoga” means “to yoke” or unite the mind, body, and spirit. Yoga typically focuses on three areas – physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana). There are many different types of yoga, among which Hatha yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Bikram Yoga, and Vinyasa yoga are more popular.
Practising yoga from a young age, such as while you’re a teenager is easy, fun, good for your health and in the long term, Yoga for Teenagers will help them become more attentive and focus easier.
If you are looking for some fun poses you and your whole family can do together, here’s a list to get inspired!
YOGA FOR TEENAGERS: PRECAUTIONS
But first, even yoga is one of the safest ways of exercising, is important to take some precautions. As with any exercise, you shouldn’t do it immediately after a meal, instead, wait about 2 to 3 hours, wear comfortable clothes that allow you to move your body, don’t push too hard for yourself. Yoga takes time to master but if you get injured from pushing too hard, it won’t be worth it in the end. So, take your time, focus on your breathing while doing the exercises and have fun! Also, if you had any previous injury, I advise you to first talk to your doctor for further indications of what is best for you.
Yoga for Teenagers: Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Benefits:
Tadasana is the foundation of all standing poses. It is a great starting pose, resting pose, or a tool to get a better posture.
Yoga for Teenagers: How to Do Mountain Pose
Stand with your toes touching the ground and heels slightly apart from each other on a yoga mat over a firm surface.
Lift and spread your toes and lay them softly down on the floor. Adjust your feet and body slowly so that the sole of the feet covers the maximum ground. Rock back and forth, and gradually come to a standstill in a balanced and good posture.
Inhale and lift your arms straight above the head. Press the shoulder blades into the back and then widen them before releasing them. Lift the top of your sternum upwards without pushing the ribs to the front.
Firm your thigh muscles and lift the kneecap, without putting pressure on the lower belly or hardening it. Lift your inner ankles to strengthen the inner arches and imagine a line of energy along the inner thighs, groin, upper torso, neck, head, and through the crown of the head.
Turn your thighs slightly inward, lengthen the tailbone downwards, and lift the pubic bone upwards.
Keep your under-chin parallel to the floor, throat soft, and tongue wide and flat on the floor of your mouth. Keep your eyes relaxed.
Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to one minute and practice inhalation and exhalation gently. If you experience distress or pain, come out of the posture.
Yoga for Teenagers: Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
Benefits:
Utkatasana helps the muscles of the arms, legs, and also heart and diaphragm.
Yoga for Teenagers: How to Do Chair Pose
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.
Yoga for Teenagers: Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
Benefits:
This yoga pose helps in stretching and strengthening the hamstring muscles.
Yoga for Teenagers: How to Do Standing Forward Fold
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.
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.
Yoga for Teenagers: Butterfly Pose (Badhakonasana)
Benefits:
Badhakonasana stretches inner thighs and knees while improving hip and groin flexibility. It helps in the intestine and bowel movement, and ease fatigue from long hours of walking or travelling. You can also get relief from menstrual cramps and discomfort.
Yoga for Teenagers: How To Do Butterly Pose
Sit on a yoga mat with your spine straight and legs spread straight out.
Bend your knees and bring your feet towards yourself in a way that the heels of both feet should touch each other.
Grab your feet tightly by putting your hands under your feet.
Try and keep the feet as close to the groin as possible.
Take a deep breath in and press your thighs and knees down to the floor while breathing out.
Slowly start flapping both your legs like the wings of a butterfly and increase the speed gradually.
Flap 15-20 times and then reduce the speed and gently stop. Take a deep breath in and while exhaling, gently bend down with the spine erect and chin up.
Try to press the knees and the thighs closer to the floor by pressing the elbows onto them. Take a deep breath and bring the torso up. Gently straighten the legs in front of you.
Yoga For Teenagers: Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Benefits:
Balasana relaxes the back muscles, relieves constipation, and calms the nervous system.
Yoga for Teenagers: How to Do Child’s Pose
Fold your legs and sit on your heels with your hips resting on the heels. Bend forward and lower your forehead to the floor.
Keep your arms alongside your body with your hands on the floor and palms facing up. If you do not feel comfortable, make fists with both your hands, place them on each other, and rest your head on the fist.
Gently press your chest on the thighs and hold. Stretch your upper torso.
Gently come up on your heels and relax.
If you experience distress or pain, come out of the posture.
