Our teenagers find themselves in school taking a lot of tests. How you would you like to know how you can help them be able to be handed a test, remain focused and calm, answer the test with no anxiety and score well? Then let’s talk about how teaching our teenagers to practice yoga on a regular practice schedule can provide them with the tools that they will need to do exactly that during test time. Yoga teacher training is focuses on how the benefits of yoga can be manipulated to fit into a teenager’s life and make them a stronger student.
Our teenagers are competitive in school, sports and life. They need to be able to learn how in that busy lifestyle to stop and be able to have downtime and relax. Yoga can teach our kids new techniques for how to cope with the situations they face on a daily basis: insecurity of their bodies, peer pressure to fit in, stressful heavy schedules, and focus to figure out their own ideals and beliefs. Yoga teachers can help guide them into poses and relaxation techniques where they can block the stresses and remain focused.
A New Approach
Yoga teacher training is designing a structure for those interested in sharing yoga with teens. Teens are just starting to figure things out and be able to think for themselves. They come with fresh ideas and new perspectives which makes them exciting to teach. That new and fresh perspective also means that the relationship between a yoga teacher and a teenager has the potential to grow. Yoga teacher training explains that the relationship between teacher and teen can have a huge impact on the teen’s development and that they can potentially be viewed as a role model.
Yoga teacher training for teens is designed to prepare teachers to practice yoga in a school setting. They are developing curriculum designed for teacher who wishes to work with their high school students. Teens care about self-expression, causes and their freedom. As a teacher you can help connect them with their own inner awareness. Teens tend to thrive on a natural curiosity and expression. When getting yoga certification to work with this age group you have to be aware that the language needs to make sense to the students and be direct enough to fill their short attention spans. If something does not make sense to them there is a tendency that they will point it out and let you know.
Set It Up
How do you maintain control during a yoga class filled with teenage students full of creative expression? Make sure you know exactly what you need to do and be willing and flexible for change.
Teenagers like guidance and structure. If excessive talking begins during a class session remind students to be respectful of each other so that everyone gets the full benefit of the class. Be straight forward and make sure that your students know exactly what the class rules are from the beginning and then enforce those rules if needed. Make sure that your students wear appropriate clothing and include them in helping them achieve poses even if they do not think they can. Pushing teenagers to reach goals gives them energy and an ego boost.
Building Respect
Yoga teacher training will have you focus on the key pieces of building respect with your students. You need to show them that you care about who they are as an individual and then create a safe and comfortable place for them to practice yoga. It helps to make the student feel comfortable and know that yoga is not a competitive sport like they are used to. Everyone sets their own pace and can reach the pose in their own way. Make sure that everyone in the class is equal and they can all be each other’s friend. There is nothing worse than a teen worrying about how foolish they make look.
Building a sense of community and structure in each class will help each teen. You can then bring in partner poses to help encourage the teens to interact with each other. Everyone is on the same level and coming from the same place while building compassion and care for each other.
Success
Your students are set and ready to go. Yoga teacher training will tell you that once you have set the tone and can keep their attention the class will flow smoothly and will present poses in a fun and playful way. You can incorporate backbends into your class to reconnect the joy of childhood and bend their backs in a healthy way after they have been slouching over a desk and books. Introducing the Handstand pose (Adho Mukha Vrksasana) to the teens is also a way to facilitate a sense of accomplishment if they can master it. Remember to give a lot of reinforcement and encouragement throughout your class. Bringing your teens into challenging poses keeps them focused and helps avoid behavioral issues.
