| Teens today are under a lot of pressure. Pressure to | | | | Stress |
| excel at high school and college exams, pressure to fit | | | | 1. Yoga deep breathing exercises help to ease |
| in and be accepted by peers and pressure from their | | | | nervous tension and help to keep your brain and |
| parents to tow the line, to do the right thing, to do well | | | | nervous system functioning harmoniously. No matter |
| at school, to succeed in life, not to cause their parents | | | | how hard you try and protect your children, you have |
| worry, not to use drugs, or drink alcohol, to be kind and | | | | to accept that there will be times when they have to |
| polite to elders and remember traditional family | | | | deal with tense situations without your support. |
| customs as well as help their parents learn how to use | | | | Learning how to calm and control your emotions, |
| Facebook and master the Wii....the list goes on. | | | | through yogic breathing exercises is vital and in some |
| According to one of my daughters, "parents stress out | | | | cases, could even safe your child's life. |
| their children and the sad thing is they (parents) don't | | | | 2. Yoga exercises help to improve posture, increase |
| even realise what they are doing". | | | | joint flexibility and strengthen your spine. A strong |
| Added to this, society tends to view all teens as gang | | | | healthy body gives your teen a healthy approach to |
| members, looking for trouble or just wasting their time | | | | young adulthood. All too often, teens, especially girl's |
| and not making the most of opportunities coming their | | | | drop out of sports when puberty kicks in. Yoga, with its |
| way. | | | | approach on gentle exercise helps to maintain a |
| In the midst of all of this, your teen is under pressure | | | | healthy interest in exercise and healthy living. |
| from their teachers to do well at school - to fulfil their | | | | 3. As your child grows through their teens and into |
| academic, musical, sporting and creative potential and if | | | | young adulthood, their dietary habits change. Try as |
| that wasn't enough, teachers expect pupils to pass all | | | | you might it becomes more challenging to sit with your |
| exams with flying colours. | | | | teen at every meal and ensure they eat a balanced |
| With so much pressure coming from all directions, | | | | diet. Poor nutritional choices can have an adverse |
| what can you do to help your child cope with stress? | | | | effect on your son's/daughter's blood-sugar level and |
| How can you encourage them to find balance and | | | | other hormonal imbalances. Yoga poses, especially the |
| inner harmony in a world that seems bent on | | | | twisting poses massages the internal organs and helps |
| over-stimulating and crushing your child's spirit? | | | | to ease energy blockages which may cause |
| As a parent, you are well aware of the effects of | | | | headaches and digestive disorders. Certain poses may |
| stress. You may even be under stress yourself as | | | | also ease painful period cramps. |
| you try and juggle the demands of parenting, cope | | | | 4. Yoga poses and relaxation techniques encourage |
| with financial pressures and manage a never ending | | | | your teen to become more body aware and in tune |
| work load. As a parent you are probably tired and | | | | with their inner world. All too often your son/daughter is |
| much as you want to, just don't have the energy or | | | | bombarded with external stimulus designed to entice |
| time to constantly "Be There" for your teen and to | | | | and take them away from exploring their inner world. |
| give them support and counsel when needed. | | | | Yoga allows this exploration and enables your child to |
| As a yoga teacher, I firmly believe teens benefit from | | | | feel comfortable in their own skin. |
| yoga. My greatest lessons are teaching yoga to teens. | | | | During their teen years your child requires a health and |
| Some teens are apprehensive about doing yoga yet, | | | | wellbeing programme that can easily slip into their busy |
| from my experience once they engage with the yoga | | | | lives. Yoga offers your teen a simple, easy to do set |
| lesson they are addicted and yoga is firmly fixed in | | | | of healthy self help techniques that will last them a |
| their routine. Here, in no particular order are four | | | | lifetime. Give your child a head start in life and introduce |
| reasons why yoga helps teens deal with pressures of | | | | them to the joys of yoga and know you are also |
| life today. | | | | helping them to learn how to deal with stress and be |
| 4 Key Ways Yoga Helps Your Teen Cope with | | | | calm, clear and confident in all situations. |