A recent article in The Oakland Tribune reports on the power of yoga to help relieve stress in schools in the South Bay area: a tough part of town known for gangs, drugs, violence and low socio-economic conditions. It started as a pilot project and how extends to a 6 weeks program for entire Freshman class. Administrators, parents and students who have participated have noticed a difference in how they manage stress. 14-year-old Gina de la Rosa recently stepped away from a classroom confrontation after remembering to breathe and realised, “I don’t have to scare teachers.”
At schools hard hit by neighborhood violence, gang pressure, parental job loss and homelessness, the centuries-old Indian discipline of yoga may turn out to be an effective tool in helping young people cope with both crises and day-to-day life.
This is great news for everyone. The more teens who can be exposed to yoga and access its benefits, the more can use the breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and asanas to cope with the stress of growing up in the modern age. The four years of high school are often considered the most stressful time of life. Providing youth with tools to stay calm, manage their anger, and combat the negative effects of stress is vital.
Yoga is well known for its stress busting qualities but many teens don’t have access to the practice. Yoga classes geared especially for teens needs and interests are often hard to come by so this program is great news. And taking it to kids in high risk neighbourhoods – FANTASTIC! Street Yogais another program doing similar work. If you are interested in helping de-stress teens, a great resource to help teens manage stress while building self-esteem is Indigo Teen Dreams by Stress Free Kids.
I think Alejandro Adame, 14, an Overfelt freshman, summed it up best when he said, “You just take a moment to not get angry.” Now if we all can simply follow his example.
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