Center of It All: Yoga for teens gives them tools for life

Brent Williams instructs his young yoga students in a pose called the tree.

"Feel where your center of gravity is with your feet," he tells them. "Pull your weight into your left foot." He then tells them to press their right foot into the inside of their left leg, "anywhere but the kneecap."

The pose is hard to hold; it requires balance and focus.

"Don't look at your friends," he says, "because you'll fall." But, he tells them, "It's great for the bones and great for the mind."

The teens and almost-teens who take part in the DreamTeen yoga class at New Planet Yoga find that shoulder stands and sun salutations help them deal with the tensions that come from being teenagers.

"It's really calming," said Caroline Bluhm, 12. "When it's over, with school and everything, it kind of helps you focus."

"It relieves a lot of stress from the school day," said Will Huesman, 15. "It helps you focus and get in touch with your inner self."

"It strengthens you, but not in a hard way," said Sarah Huesman, 13, Will's sister.

Meghan Prior, the studio's owner, and yoga teacher Cara Hagan designed the class to deal with issues that teenagers face, such as sedentary lifestyles, poor self image and the stress of school; and to help them focus on goals. Their class is one of many yoga classes for teens that have been started around the country in recent years.

According to www.yogachicago.com, the demand for teen yoga classes has accelerated as teenagers look for ways to develop healthier lifestyles. Yoga is the fastest growing fitness activity, says IDEA, a national trade association for fitness professionals. An article on http://kidshealth.org, published last August, touts the benefits of yoga for teens, which include improvements in flexibility, strength, balance, stamina, mental clarity and stress reduction.

Ten students, including three sets of siblings, took the local class, which ended last week. Prior has scheduled a four-week summer session for July and will offer at least two classes -- one for newcomers and one for more experienced yoga practitioners -- in the fall. Classes cost $16 a class for walk-ins and $12 a class for a prepaid group of sessions.

The first three students came courtesy of their mother, Janice Huesman, who also takes classes with Prior.

"She had been saying for a long time that she wished her kids and husband could experience the therapeutic effects of yoga," Prior said. At first, the siblings --Sarah, Will and Hannah, 17 -- resisted.

"I had been doing it for quite a few years, and I kept coming home talking about it," Huesman said. "I convinced them to go and try it." To their surprise, the children enjoyed it.

"It brings an awareness to themselves," Huesman said. "Between e-mails and cell phones and TV and school -- all the outside forces -- this is just a time when they can go and be quiet and be still and centered."

She has watched her children enter the yoga studio grumpy and fractious, then emerge little more than an hour later cheerful and relaxed.

Once the Huesmans started taking yoga, a friend of theirs joined, and teens slowly started trickling in, Prior said.

"Parents don't have to coerce or unduly pressure them to come," Prior said. "I think they like the fact that it's noncompetitive. They come as they are. They feel accepted; they don't feel judged."

During a recent class, accompanied by the sound of rushing water from a fountain in the lobby and soft music, the students lined up their yoga mats and sat, cross-legged and barefoot. Some closed their eyes.

"Kind of let the day go," Williams told them. "Cleanse away all thoughts of today." He led them in a chant.

"Ommmmm."

As Williams led them through various postures and positions, he kept up a running commentary about the benefits. As he instructed them to do "reverse corpse," a posture that they began on their stomachs with feet together, he said, "It's really about strengthening the back." He told the students to raise their heads, necks and chests off the floor.

As the session neared its end, Williams took the students into relaxation mode.

"Close your eyes," he said. "Take a couple of deep, deep breaths. Inhale and sigh -- ah. Do that a couple of times." The students followed his instructions and allowed tension to drain from their bodies. One boy fell asleep.

Then Williams brought them back up slowly, step by step.

"May the entire universe be filled with peace and joy," he said. "Cool. Thanks for class today."

■ Janice Gaston can be reached at 727-7364 or at jgaston@wsjournal.com.