All the gifts that yoga can give to adults are the same for children. Yoga for kids and teens can be a powerful method for conveying strength and flexibility in body, mind and spirit. The yogic focus on breath, mindfulness, and movement — taught in ways that are accessible and fun for young minds and bodies — gives kids the tools to feel centered, calm, self-confident and self-empowered in an increasingly competitive and frenetic world.

Young children naturally want to move their bodies into yogic shapes. And their innate curiosity allows them to be particularly open and receptive to learning techniques of breath work and mindfulness. It’s the perfect time to start teaching concepts of gratitude, compassion, and connection to self. Older kids and teens find it helpful in managing the often tumultuous changes that come about with puberty, and the practice can also compliment a sports schedule as a physical counterbalance to strenuous activity as well as a tool for mental focus and self-care. As with adults, learning yogic techniques can improve almost any aspect of a younger human’s interests and life.

Yoga is a gift that I wish I had been given at a much younger age. It is so gratifying to be told by one of my young students at the end of a yoga class how peaceful and calm they feel, and that they love that feeling so much that they can’t wait to practice again.