Yoga is an ancient practice from India, dating back more than 3,000 years. The word “yoga” literally means “to yoke” the mind, body and spirit. While there are many different types of yoga, practices typically focus on physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dyana).
Yoga provides the following benefits to people of all ages.
- Improves flexibility, strength and stamina
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Improves sleep and mental clarity
- Connects spirituality and self
For young people, yoga is more than just a physical activity. A regular yoga practice can help people develop skills that will help them through adolescence and later in life.
Stress management – Yoga can help you learn how to manage stress or anxiety, in addition to general emotional regulation. We often don’t think about stress management with young people, but developing this skill early can help children and adults as they experience stress at school, colleges, workplaces, in social settings or at home.
Self esteem and body image – Because yoga is a practice, there isn’t pressure to be perfect. This allows you to make mistakes and celebrate small improvements in regular practice. This regular practice and improvement can boost self esteem and build a positive body image in young people.
Enhances concentration and memory – With increased screen time in young, developing the ability to focus and memorize requires practice. Yoga works on memorization skills and focus which can translate into better concentration, memory and academic performance.
Holistic wellness – Anybody can be physically active in a variety of fun and engaging ways, either by free play, recreational sports or group classes. All of these activities are great for young. Yoga can be particularly beneficial because there is a holistic focus on balance, coordination, strength and flexibility.
Sri Dakshinamurthy Mahasamsthanam encouraging youths to engage in spiritual yoga activities that cultivate healthy, active lifestyles as they grow. It has planned Three programmes to promote spiritual yoga for youth:
- Yoga Courses: Comprehensive Yoga course is designed for those who are new to yoga or looking to renew their practice. It covers the basics of yoga, as well as how to deepen your practice and take it to the next level.In Beginners’ Yoga 1, you will learn the 12 basic yoga postures, sun salutation (surya namaskar), proper breathing and pranayama, relaxation techniques, introduction to a yogic diet, positive thinking and meditation and Swami Vishnudevananda’s Five Points of Yoga for health and inner peace.
In Beginners’ Yoga 2, you’ll build on the foundational knowledge from Yoga 1, working on holding postures longer, exploring new variations and becoming confident in all aspects of yoga. Our experienced instructors will provide tailored guidance to meet your individual needs and help you reach your next level of growth on your yoga journey.
The course meets 3 times per week for 6 weeks, covering both Yoga 1(Monday/Wednesday/Friday) and Yoga2 (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday) for a total of 18 sessions.
The 6 weeks duration allows you to gain more comfort and confidence with the practices before moving to attend Open Classes.
- Yoga Classes: Our numerous classes in classical hatha yoga include sessions adapted for intermediate and advanced students, pregnancy, kids and for those wishing a more gentle practice. Each class emphasises proper breathing, flexibility, strength and vitality in the body while calming the mind. Most classes follow a structure of: initial relaxation (Savasana), breathing exercises (Pranayama), sun salutation (Surya Namaskar), 12 basic postures (Asanas) and final guided relaxation.Our classes are based on the traditional teachings of Yoga and Vedanta which aims to naturally achieve the goal of self-realisation and peace through creating a healthy body and mind that leads to spiritual evolution.
- Yoga Programmes and Workshops: Expand your knowledge of the science of Yoga through workshops on many interesting and uplifting topics, from perfecting your headstand, to asana and pranayama, meditation, diet and vegetarian cooking, Ayurveda, philosophy and psychology and more. These workshops offer the chance to explore brand new topics or dive deeper into a special area of interest in a comfortable environment and with experienced teachers.
Do contact us if more information is required.