An old man with a short beard meditates in front of a tree. Middle-aged women in Lululemon track suits bend to the sound of rushing water. Newlyweds lie on the floor and try to contortion their bodies into odd poses.
These are the images that usually come to a teen’s mind when someone mentions the word “yoga.” But as a high school kid trying to balance a full resume and a healthy, happy life, I’ve found that yoga is much more than just a fluffy, grassroots activity.
I’ve dabbled quite a bit in yoga over the past few years, taking different classes both at local studios and in my senior gym class. Even though some of the names of poses make me giggle (shivasana? pranayama? really?) and I will never like doing downward facing dog pose, I really enjoy doing yoga and find it to be incredibly beneficial.
For one, yoga is incredibly relaxing. It’s so difficult to just unwind and de-stress during crazy busy school weeks, and yoga classes are an amazing way to relax. While helping to relieve stress, I’ve found that yoga makes me feel stronger and more healthy, engaging every part of my body and allowing me to stretch and exercise in ways I wouldn’t get to normally. It’s a win-win situation, and honestly, everyone can benefit from yoga.
Charlotte Burger, a sophomore at Tufts University majoring in Anthropology, has been doing Bikram Yoga 2-3 times a week. According to Burger, yoga is “healthy, relaxing, good cardio and strength workout,” and can “build muscle like a beast” while allowing her to feel “less stressed after.”
Hannah Orenstein, a Boston-area high school senior who does hot yoga once or twice a week, says that she loves yoga “because it’s ninety minutes where I can just focus on myself. I don’t have to worry about homework or my job or anything else that’s stressing me out – instead, I can just concentrate on what I’m doing in the moment.” Orenstein also adds that, since starting yoga, she’s “much more toned than I used to be. After class, I feel calm and relaxed. I also find that some of the principles yoga teaches (self-awareness, self-acceptance, a willingness to learn from others) help guide me outside the studio, too.”
Even hearing all this, it’s easy it get caught up in the misconceptions that come with yoga. For example, Burger says a lot of people think that “if the rooms are too hot I’m going to pass out; you need to be flexible; you need to have good balance,” but that’s not exactly the case! There are different styles of yoga out there for everyone (take it from me, an asthmatic who can’t do hot yoga) and, according to Orenstein, even though people think, “If you’re not crazy flexible or spiritual, it’s not for you – that’s not true at all!” Beyond being good exercise and stress relieving, yoga is whatever you make it to be, so don’t feel pressured to be some super-flexible, all-Zen yoga all-star.
So I recommend that all you fellow teens find the time to try something new and check out a local yoga studio and see what the practice can do for you! (You may even see me there- my aunt gave me a personalized yoga mat for my birthday that I’ve been itching to use.) I’m sure you’ll walk away feeling relaxed, healthier, and glad you gave yoga a chance.
This article was originally posted on the BodiMojo blog.
