We had a successful zoom call on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.  It was sweet to connect with other teen yoga teachers.  I presented a few points on how make a teen yoga class meaningful, how to make it fun and how to help teens make the practice their own.  We all agreed that we were uplifted by the connection.

We will be doing these virtual meetups again… I love learning who is out there and I am happy to offer up what I’m learning in my classroom.

Purpose of the call

• to empower you with knowledge in how to engage teens in the yoga experience
• to make your classes better
• to embolden the mission of yoga for teens

• to uplift teen classrooms so that it they are purposeful and effective

o  teachers stay focused and make their time with teens matter

o  employ teen students to engage with their body and mind

• To engage teens with yoga

o  Make class meaningful

o  Invite an element of fun

o  Help them make the practice their own

Make class meaningful

·     Continually invite students to participate.  It is common for middle school students to drop out and not participate for a few minutes. Call them by name to join back in.

·     What you teach- the poses themselves will teach students.  Get them doing poses; get them in their body.  Create an experience for them and encourage them in having that experience.  Can start with synchronize arm movements and breath.

·     Point out when they are doing yoga.  With middle schoolers, class may get somewhat rowdy at times.  Likewise, class will settle down to be very quiet and relaxing for all students too.  Our teaching should regularly acknowledge them when they are having a yoga experience, individually and as a whole class.

Invite element of fun

·     Use language that is uplifting

·     Give them things to do that are exploratory and repetitive.  Get them in the mode of sensing and feeling and out of the mode of thinking they are able or unable to do something.

·     Incorporate poses that are fun and sequences that create a light and joyful feeling.

·     Partner and group poses

Help teens make the practice their own

·     Invite individual students to lead the sun salute.

·     Reference in your teaching how this is their personal, their own individual experience- you are guiding them now, but they are taking over as the one who is aware, the practitioner who notices

You will want to be on our next call if:

• You feel connected to the purpose of teaching teens yoga
• You want to know what’s happening in a dynamic and successful teen yoga classroo
• You want ideas for your classroom
• You want to meet other teen yoga teachers

If you'd like to sign up for the next zoom meet up, you'll have to be on my newsletter subscription.  You do so by choosing connect from the YogaMinded.com home page and entering your email.