I prefer to create a circle whenever possible (though with everyone moving to the perimeter of the room, it sometimes looks more like a rectangle). If possible, I like to dim the lights to create a more tranquil environment.Ĭonsider also how you want to set up yoga mats. Are there lunchroom smells wafting in? You could douse a few cotton balls with essential oils and leave them around the edges of your space. Check out the floor-could it use an extra sweep? Ask a custodian to borrow the broom briefly. If the walls are covered with distractions, hang a white sheet over them before each class. Whether that means toning down auditory stimuli from the school hallway or visual stimuli on the walls, find ways to create more blank space. A classroom that is neutral to the senses will help soothe your students’ nervous systems and help them to see yoga as a tool for self-care. Take a few minutes to create a space that feels as neutral as possible. Many students struggle to sustain attention in learning environments that are overloaded with stimuli. To begin, check out what’s noisy in the room. But there are many simple tricks you can use to quickly transform any space into a yoga space. If you find yourself teaching anywhere that is not a yoga studio, creating the right environment may take some creativity. With structured consistency, they are able to measure their own successes (however they define that for themselves) and feel proud of their practice. Many teachers feel an internal pressure to constantly generate something new and different, but students often don’t care about that. Or maybe you love sun salutations (like me!), and that becomes a ritual your students can look forward to. Perhaps you include the same breathwork as a lead-in for savasana each class. For instance, the same beginning and ending can bookend your students’ experiences, providing a familiar structure that facilitates consistent expectations. Once you have assessed your students’ needs and adjusted your class plan into a framework that speaks to them, design each class with regular touchstones your students can count on. Make every effort to meet students where they are.
Where do they feel most capable? What is most challenging for them right now? What does success look like to them? From there, you can structure the yoga practice in a way that’s relevant and relatable, so that students cultivate tools they can use in their daily lives. Get to know where they could use extra support in their lives. When you begin, ask your students why they came to your yoga class in the first place. They do best when they have a structured understanding of what a yoga class will contain, and when they feel they have a say in creating and defining that structure.
Young people-as with all people, really-thrive when they know where the edges are.
#Yoga sequence for teenagers full
And it will be most rewarding, for both students and teacher, if you come with an open mind and a full heart, and practice being wildly transparent in your words and actions.īelow are a handful of tips from my own teaching in schools all over New York City. Yoga for teens is quite a different experience.
#Yoga sequence for teenagers how to
If you have experience teaching yoga to adults and are interested in learning how to teach teens, I would encourage you to let go of what you think you know.
Beginning that process at a young age can shape who a teen becomes. The practice of yoga offers adolescents a discipline for discovering who they truly are. Sharing yoga with young people is a consistent reminder that we get to practice who we want to be in the world each day. In particular, taking the opportunity to connect with myself before I teach teenagers ensures that my classes remain focused on my students’ needs. This has been a guiding principle of my own yoga practice ever since, reminding me to cultivate equanimity, both on and off my mat. A quiet, shy student who spoke little English at the start of the year, said: “I learned I have to practice to stay neutral.” At the end of the school year, I asked students to share what they felt had been the most valuable lesson they’d learned. Years ago, I taught yoga at a high school in Brooklyn, New York.
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