Yoga, as any adult who has tried it knows, has benefits that reach far beyond the physical. Now a growing number of yoga professionals are finding that this ancient body-mind-spirit practice is especially valuable for teenage girls.

“Adolescence is about evolving through a multitude of transitions at an accelerated pace,” says Christy Brock, a California yoga instructor who produced the DVD Yoga 4 Teens and founded YogaMinded, a web-based network for yoga teachers working with teens. “Yoga teaches us to stay centered in the midst of change, to stay calm and focused in the midst of distraction, and to relax into the circumstances around us. It offers the gift of knowing who we are in relation to ourselves, rather than defining ourselves solely in the context of others.”

In addition to the increased strength and flexibility that are yoga’s hallmarks, practicing yoga provides other physical benefits helpful to teenage girls. For one, yoga models a positive attitude toward menstruation. “Yoga honors menstruation as a time to relax,” says Brock, who notes that special postures such as Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose) can soothe cramps. The inverted postures also provide hormonal and glandular stimulation to help even out other hormone-related issues.

Yoga also promotes a non-judgmental body awareness. “Every girl in America has an inner critic and it’s usually focused on her body,” says Mary Lynn Fitton, an Ashland, Oregon-based nurse practitioner and certified yoga instructor. “Yoga helps you become aware of that voice. When someone falls out of a pose, I ask her, ‘What did you say to yourself when that happened?’ Once you’ve identified that critical voice, yoga helps you find a place inside that is your center, your sanctuary. From there, I’ve found that the girls I’ve worked with begin to make better choices.”

Back to Article Listings

Page 1 out of  3