26/2/2018 5 Things to Remember When Teaching Yoga to Teens

YOGA | FOR TEACHERS

5 THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN TEACHING YOGA

TO TEENS
by Kate Reil

Years ago, I taught yoga at a high school in Brooklyn, New York. At the end of the school
year, I asked students to share what they felt had been the most valuable lesson they’d
learned. A quiet, shy student who spoke little English at the start of the year, said: “I
learned I have to practice to stay neutral.”

This has been a guiding principle of my own yoga practice ever since, reminding me to
cultivate equanimity, both on and off my mat. In particular, taking the opportunity to
connect with myself before I teach teenagers ensures that my classes remain focused on
my students’ needs.

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Sharing yoga with young people is a consistent reminder that we get to practice who we
want to be in the world each day. The practice of yoga offers adolescents a discipline for
discovering who they truly are. Beginning that process at a young age can shape who a
teen becomes.

If you have experience teaching yoga to adults and are interested in learning how to teach
teens, I would encourage you to let go of what you think you know. Yoga for teens is quite
a different experience. And it will be most rewarding, for both students and teacher, if you
come with an open mind and a full heart, and practice being wildly transparent in your
words and actions.

Below are a handful of tips from my own teaching in schools all over New York City.
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1. Define the Structure

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Young people—as with all people, really—thrive when they know where the edges are. They
do best when they have a structured understanding of what a yoga class will contain, and
when they feel they have a say in creating and defining that structure. When you begin, ask
your students why they came to your yoga class in the first place. Get to know where they
could use extra support in their lives. Where do they feel most capable? What is most
challenging for them right now? What does success look like to them? From there, you can
structure the yoga practice in a way that’s relevant and relatable, so that students cultivate
tools they can use in their daily lives.

With structured consistency, they are able to measure

their own successes (however they define that for
themselves) and feel proud of their practice.

Make every effort to meet students where they are. Once you have assessed your students’
needs and adjusted your class plan into a framework that speaks to them, design each
class with regular touchstones your students can count on. For instance, the same
beginning and ending can bookend your students’ experiences, providing a familiar
structure that facilitates consistent expectations. Perhaps you include the same breathwork
as a lead-in for savasana each class. Or maybe you love sun salutations (like me!), and that
becomes a ritual your students can look forward to. Many teachers feel an internal
pressure to constantly generate something new and different, but students often don’t
care about that. With structured consistency, they are able to measure their own successes
(however they define that for themselves) and feel proud of their practice.

2. Create a Soothing Environment

If you find yourself teaching anywhere that is not a yoga studio, creating the right
environment may take some creativity. But there are many simple tricks you can use to
quickly transform any space into a yoga space. To begin, check out what’s noisy in the
room. Many students struggle to sustain attention in learning environments that are
overloaded with stimuli. Take a few minutes to create a space that feels as neutral as
possible. A classroom that is neutral to the senses will help soothe your students’ nervous
systems and help them to see yoga as a tool for self-care. Whether that means toning
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down auditory stimuli from the school hallway or visual stimuli on the walls, find ways to
create more blank space. If the walls are covered with distractions, hang a white sheet over
them before each class. Check out the floor—could it use an extra sweep? Ask a custodian
to borrow the3 articles
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briefly. Are there lunchroom smells wafting in? YouNow
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few cotton balls with essential oils and leave them around the edges of your space. If
possible, I like to dim the lights to create a more tranquil environment.

Consider also how you want to set up yoga mats. I prefer to create a circle whenever
possible (though with everyone moving to the perimeter of the room, it sometimes looks
more like a rectangle). I position myself such that I can always see the door (and track
everything happening in our room), and I make sure anyone who wants to can see the
door as well. Students can see me watching who comes and goes, and this can also help
to put them at ease. One goal is to offer students safety. Many students will be
uncomfortable with the idea of having someone behind them, and some will not feel at
ease unless they can see the door at all times. You don’t often know your students’
histories. This is a small way of showing your concern for their comfort as well as your
commitment to making each student feel welcome and included. Once students feel safe,
you can then foster a feeling of community. A circle invites this by allowing everyone to see
each other’s faces during discussions.

3. Say Yes As Often As Possible

Saying yes is empowering—particularly as many young people are told no all day long. You
get to be a different kind of teacher in their lives. I spent years with Little Flower Yoga
leading national trainings on teaching yoga to young people, and I coached school-based
yoga teachers in their New York City classrooms. From my observation of dozens of
school-based yoga teachers, I’ve seen that many of them—particularly newer teachers not
yet comfortable in their role—tend to say no too swiftly. I know this too because that used
to be me.

Here’s a flashback to a typical scenario from my early years teaching yoga to young
people. I felt the class was getting too boisterous, so I told students to be quiet, to stop
talking, and to lower their voices. Worried we wouldn’t finish the day’s lesson plan, I
hurried them along and forced them through the movements, without opportunities for
slow inquiry. I didn’t think they were really paying attention, so I told them to pay attention
in a way that I recognized—one that demanded their silence, rapt attention, and complete
stillness—and likely stifled their best learning style. None of this felt very good, and I knew
even then that there must be a better way.

As I began to better understand how to manage the classroom with more ease, this is a
practice I turned to: When teaching young people, before I open my mouth to say
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anything, I ask myself: Is what I’m about to say for me, or is it for them? Are my words and
actions serving me, or are they serving my students? I quickly discovered that the
overwhelming majority of what I said was for me. So I began to practice silence during
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those moments. If I couldn’t say something to uplift my students, to provide information
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that would lead to their own positive decision-making and course correction, I simply
choose to stay quiet—for a beat, a breath, a moment.

Don’t be in the business of telling your students what not to do—instead, tell them what to
do. An unexpected plus to such a practice is that when I do have to say no (mostly out of a
safety concern), my words have weight. My students rarely hear me say no. So when I do,
they know something is really going on. Bottom line: When you pause to check in with
yourself before speaking or acting, you gift yourself with an opportunity to elevate your
students’ needs.

Take a moment to reconnect with your purpose for teaching. Oftentimes, you can create
more space by inviting more time for your own quiet presence. This will allow you to meet
students right where they are, to be awake to their needs, and to say yes—over and over
and over again.

4. Offer Choices
Yoga has the power to remind all of us that there are choices we get to make in everyday
situations, moment to moment. Many young people feel they don’t have a lot of choice in
their lives, which is why it’s so important to give them choices in your classroom. Giving
them tools to listen to their own bodies’ needs is a perfect way to do this, and everyone is
more inclined to participate when they feel they choose to opt in.

Teach them that a deep yoga practice is being able to

tune into the messages of their body and mind, and to act
in a way that honors the best version of who they are.

From the very first class, show your students poses they can rest in and practice until they
feel comfortable in their bodies. A few examples: lying down supine or prone, child’s
pose, legs up the wall, or a seated position. Remind your students that they can return to
these shapes at any point during class to just take a rest. Teach them that a deep yoga
practice is being able to tune into the messages of their body and mind, and to act in a
way that honors the best version of who they are.

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5. Roadmap to Rest: Savasana
When I walk into any class with young people, my first thought is: How are we going to get
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to savasana? I assess where my students are energetically, and I figure out how I can meet
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them there and deliver them to a place of rest. If they are revved up, I might begin high
intensity, and then slowly wind them down. If they seem really beat, I might begin gently
and end gently, with just a bit of higher energy in the middle.

Many students, particularly those who live in smaller homes and/or share a room (or a bed)
with someone else, don’t often associate sleeping at night as a time of rest. You may be
offering them a radical idea that rest is something they can create on their own, in the most
unlikely of places. Young people are exhausted, and with the right conditions, they’ll come
back to yoga wanting more and more time for savasana. I often offer a few different
postures for students’ resting pose at the end of class—for example, reclined on their back,
seated comfortably, or lying prone on their bellies. This way, I invite them to make a choice
about how rest will feel best for them in that moment.

Remember that young people are figuring out who they want to be. By being a steady,
reliable, confident presence in their lives, they get to see an example of someone (you!)
practicing being your best self.

And in the same way you bring gentleness and compassion to your students, make sure
you do the same for yourself. Self-care is crucial for the world we live in. Give to yourself
generously, and your teaching will thrive.

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Kate Reil

Kate Reil is a student, teacher, listener, and lover. She has been teaching yoga in NYC since 2006 and is pursuing a
Doctorate in Chinese Medicine. She draws inspiration from growing up with a flight... Read more>>  

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