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Act 7: Bringing Yoga to Teens


I have been doing yoga on-and-off for the past five years or so. For most of my life, I wasn't that confident about my body or my physical strength, but over the years yoga has helped me tap into inner and outer strength that I never knew I had. I have seen my mentee G struggle with finding her strength too, which I think is especially difficult for growing girls. I see how hard it is for her to be able to stay positive and maintain a healthy self-esteem in the face of so much pressure to be thin, sexy, and popular. On the few occasions when I taken her to yoga classes with me, she always leaves feeling extremely relaxed, with a better outlook on life. It is truly remarkable. Despite her positive reviews of these classes, my experience in class with her left me noticing a lot of ways in which an adult class was not a good fit for someone her age. For one, they are not tailored for growing, changing bodies. The tone is more serious, and talking is generally frowned upon. Instructors tend to do minimal explanation, and everyone is in their own "zone".

I didn't think much more about this until I saw that my friend Sari was involved with an organization called RISE Yoga for Youth. This organization brings yoga into Bay Area high schools, specifically in underserved areas, meaning that kids can have access to yoga without having to pay, without needing a ride, and without their parents having to sign them up. Immediately, this resonated with me as a wonderful, and much needed, program. As I've talked about before, I am certain that if we gave youth more tools to manage their stress and express their emotions in healthy ways, the world would be a much more peaceful place. And I know that for me at least, it would have been nice to have had more options in PE class that built body confidence, rather than tore it down. (Poor, scrawny, 12 year old me: "umm, can I just sit out of this kickball game pleassseeee?")

Because of my wonderemployment state of mind (and new-found spare time), I decided to take a 3-day teen yoga teacher training. This training was led by Erin Lila Wilson, the founder and executive director of RISE. Lila is a person that radiates patience, compassion, and positivity. I knew when I met her for the first time that she would be a great teacher. Deciding to do the training was a somewhat difficult decision since I am but a novice yoga hobbyist, and certainly not a certified yoga instructor, and I wasn't sure how and when I could put the skills to use. But I decided to do it anyways because I was so interested to learn more about how yoga could be effectively taught to teens, and utilized as a physical health and mental health prevention strategy. The training was so fun and engaging. There were games, partner poses, relaxation exercises, times for private reflection, and times for group discussion. We learned how to incorporate other topics like anger management, community-building, non-violence, and healthy eating into a teen yoga class so that the lessons are very tangible and applicable to everyday life. I would have loved to have access to this as a young person, and through it I also found a teen yoga class for G to take part in (which she can't get enough of!). It was a completely worthwhile experience, and it got me excited about getting more involved with RISE.

On May 3rd, RISE is hosting a yogathon at Mission High School in San Francisco. This event will include local teachers leading us through 108 sun salutations, live music by Amber Field, chai, snacks, as well as opportunities for prizes. It's going to be a lot of fun! I would love for you to join me at this special event. Please let me know if you are interested!


If yoga has ever made a difference in your life, or if you wish that you had been introduced to it at a younger age, or if you believe in bringing more healthy and peaceful living to our community, please consider sponsoring my participation in this yogathon. A small donation of $1, $5, or $10 can make a big impact in bringing yoga to schools. To make a donation, go to RISE's donation page. Please be sure to enter my name in the comments. 

Thank you for your support of my passion and the well-being of our youth!
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