How fortunate it would be if people could find yoga early in their teens! They would learn that yoga will help in school, help in studies and exams, help when problems arise, help when the body is tired of study, and, eventually, help in all kinds of situations. Imagine discovering in early teens an introduction to meditation which is interesting, motivating, and challenging. That’s yoga! Meditation doesn’t just belong to people who sit in lotus pose!

Teenagers have a unique set of challenges. It is a time of immense change – the body, relationships, fitting in or feeling left out, schedules and exams, shorter attention span, thoughts of success or failure in future careers, figuring out religion and politics… My adolescence was a whole bunch of hullabaloo with bunking school, fights with my dad and sexuality on the horizon and no idea how to handle anything.  

Oh, if only someone had told me that “it’s ok”, “you’ve got time”, “life is long”, “come and try this practice that gives you time out from everything”. “It’s your time”. “Yoga is time for you”. I could have done with hearing that! “Leave everything else at the door. Breathe, move, stretch, fold, bend, push, pull, and let the mind rest. Turn the engine off. Let it cool down” ... I think I might have left school with more than a woodwork O’ Level! My climb up to A’ Levels and a degree was hard!

A Yoga for Teens class – Ashtanga – is demanding but Teens can handle it! Ashtanga offers a structure. Within that structure is a learning process that can accompany them through their lives, their highs and lows, their health and ill health.  Their postures, breath control, strength and stamina, and meditation skills improve week by week and they will notice the difference. After class, they will feel great, they will have more energy, and they’ll feel calm and motivated. These are some of the nuggets of gold they can take into the rest of their day and perhaps even the rest of their lives.

Classes are £90 for a class of any size.