BENEFITS OF GIRLVANA YOGA

PHYSicAL

Asana builds strength and increases flexibility, coordination and balance. It builds core stability, and can help students with their posture from wearing backpacks, sitting at a desk all day, and using their phones.

For teens interested in sports, yoga (asana practice) helps to build strength in several muscle groups that can sometimes be left underutilized. These gains improve core stability, and decrease the likelihood of an over use injury by strengthening the other supporting muscles. They create a more balanced and fuctional strength. The flexibility, coordination and balanace that yoga builds increases mobility and can better their technique and form for their sport.

MENTAL

Yoga helps increase focus. As a teenager there are so many distractions, but yoga teaches how to increase mental focus and to be able to fully concentrate on the present moment. This helps students focus on their work in class and at home.

It has been shown that teens who practice yoga show more positive moods, and less anxiety and depression. Not only are there social stresses, but the stress and anxiety of exams, public speaking, projects, and many other pressures can be a lot for a teen to handle. Yoga offers a place to release that stress and anxiety and learn ways to cope off the mat.

Yoga was designed as a way to prepare the body and mind to find the maximum benefit for the self. The meditative portion of the practice helps to quiet and control the mind. Sometimes the mind is our biggest enemy and fear can keep us from our potential. Not only does this help any teen, but from an athletic perspective it can be the difference to athletic performance.

EMOTional

Yoga helps teens to develop a better understanding of their emotions and how to process them. Yoga also encourages self love and self-acceptance. It's a way to learn to love yourself and appreciate the body for what it is and what it can do, rather that what it looks like. It builds compassion for the self and for others.

Girlvana Yoga is about creating a space of non-judgement and connection, a safe space for teens to share. Girlvana believes that through sharing we can all see that we are not alone and that we can relate and identify to the other girls in our lives which can be empowering for the girls to experience. Its about learning to accept one another more fully, no matter their clique, social interests or popularity, no matter where someone came from, what they look like, or their belief system.

Beyond the benefits of the physical asana practice, Girlvana offers interactive games, journalling, check-in questions, and guided meditation at the beginning and at the end of class as a way to facilitate open, honest, real dialoque centered around issues many teen girls face today. Body image, confidence, self-care, inner dialogue, and healthy relationships are just a few of the conversations that can be sparked by a Girlvana lead class.