Teen Yoga Resources

July 3, 2017 in Recommended Books 0

Over the years, some of you have asked for resources for teen yoga. My experience and training is with early childhood and primary-aged children, so Amy offered to share her experiences as a mom to teens and as a former yoga instructor. If you also teach yoga to teens, feel free to add your recommended resources in the comments below.

There are countless reasons why you should encourage your teens to hit the mat and start practicing yoga. Teens will learn valuable breathing techniques in yoga that they can use to calm themselves down in stressful situations. Teens who can control their stress and anxiety will be in better moods, so parents won’t have to deal with as many mood swings. Yoga also helps teens build confidence and self-esteem as they realize how strong and powerful their bodies are.

If you want your teen to reap the rewards of a regular yoga practice, introduce them to these resources that will help them get started:

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Resources for Trauma-Informed Yoga

Trauma-informed yoga is a specific type of practice that is designed to help trauma survivors heal their emotional wounds. If your teen has suffered trauma, look into books about trauma-informed yoga that will teach them how to get started with this type of practice. In my experience, I’ve seen mental health counselors and therapists advise their teen patients to try this type of yoga to help them overcome addiction, body image issues, abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body by David Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper is a great resource for this topic. The authors clearly explain why trauma-informed yoga is needed, the effects it can have on survivors, and how anyone can begin this type of practice.

Overcoming Trauma through Yoga

Yoga Club

Yoga Club is a monthly subscription box filled with yoga gear such as tank tops, yoga pants, and sports bras. But the website offers much more. Yoga Club’s blog is a great resource for teens who are just starting to practice yoga. Teens can learn the basics of yoga, including which poses they should start with, so they can start off slowly. As a former yoga instructor, I’ve found that teens are often scared to try new things that they think they are not capable of doing. By starting off with these basic poses, teens will learn that they are completely capable of practicing yoga.

The blog also has informative articles on how to fight depression, boost energy, and improve your mood with yoga. Teens may not be aware of the power of yoga–in fact, many teens I’ve come across think of yoga as just a physical exercise. But these informative articles can show them that yoga is much more than that.

Yoga Club Box

Yoga Exercises for Teens

Yoga Exercises For Teens: Developing A Calmer Mind and a Stronger Body by Helen Purperhart is a great resource for teens who want to learn more yoga poses. This is a very straightforward book that focuses mainly on teaching teens various poses. Most of the poses are accompanied by illustrations so teens know exactly how to position their bodies.

In addition to poses, the book also touches on meditation and visualization exercises that will help teens find inner peace. Teens may be skeptical about meditating or doing visualization exercises, but this book presents the topics in a way that appeals to teens. These exercises can help teens deal with anxiety, stress, depression, and conflict.

Yoga Exercises for Teens

Yoga By Teens

Does your teen have a smartphone or tablet? If so, allow her to download the Yoga By Teens app. Yoga By Teens is an app designed for teens and built by teens, too. The app introduces teens to a variety of challenging poses and offers helpful tips every step of the way. The best part is that the instructors who will be teaching your teens yoga on this app are teens, as well, so it will be much easier for your kids to relate to them.

I’ve found that having teen instructors allows teen students to feel more comfortable. Some teens–especially those that are body-conscious–may be hesitant to try yoga because they don’t want to go to a yoga class full of adult women who are thin and toned. If this is the case with your teen, using this app is a great way to ease her into the practice.

Yoga by Teens App

Teens may be reluctant to try yoga at first, but it’s important to help them understand how yoga can improve their lives and strengthen their minds and bodies. Use these resources to help teens get started, and then watch as they become yogis right in front of your eyes!

PIN IT FOR LATER

Yoga Resources for Teens

About the Author

Amy is a loving mother of two beautiful children, Christopher (age 12) and Logan (age 15). She and her husband, Bryan, live in sunny Southern California, where she is a stay-at-home mom. Before that, she was an associate in an independent brokerage firm in her native South Boston.

Other Teen Yoga Resources

Tips for Teaching Yoga to Teenagers, Yoga Journal

Tweens and Teens Yoga Teacher Training, ChildLight Yoga

The Secret to Teaching Yoga to Teens (and Preteens), Yoga International

7 Insights to Making Yoga Cool for Pre-Teens, DoYouYoga

Teen Yoga Online Teacher Training, Yoga In My School

Teaching Mindfulness to Teens, Left Brain Buddha

Partner Yoga for Teens DVD, Shanti Generation

The Mindful Teen, book by Dzung X. Vo

Breathe: Yoga for Teens, book by Mary Kaye Chryssicas (check your local library)

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