This story I am sharing is “my way” to invite you into experiencing the yoga class I run at Kundalini House for your teenage son/daughter. In India where I come from, yoga is part of everyday life and being a yoga teacher, you carry responsibility to help every child/teen’s body and mind gain a language and internal map into tracking how their body responds to mind and environment around them. Consequently, they will end up using this knowledge into their daily activities.
A 11-year-old boy was encouraged by his support teacher to attend my Mind and Movement class that I run in a primary school in Northern Melbourne. What I saw standing in front of my office was a young boy, holding and twisting his fingers rapidly like he was kneading a dough, and he kept his eyes focused on his shoes waiting for me to talk first.
I invited him to do some sensory based movements and together we discovered that his eyes were the strongest sensory organ with his sight guiding every attention, movement, intention, and safety. And of course with his eyes working so hard all the time, he had difficulty focusing on tasks. He also had trouble closing his eyes and agreed that he struggled to get a good sleep most nights. Upon testing the power of his eyes to focus – his tired eyes could hold attention for no more than 15 seconds.
Using principles of traditional yoga therapy of integrating our senses and mind to a harmonious state, I tailored breath/movement asanas for this 11-year-old to calm the mind (thoughts) and gain language, skills to “look” inwards to track sensations in his body and brain.
For the next eight weeks, him and I spent 15 minutes on a weekly basis. Together we began to help his mind to “slow down” and help him engage his other unused four sensory organs – ears, nose, mouth and hands/feet. Towards the end of school term, we tested the power of his eyes to focus. His eyes were able to focus on object for 1 minute 19 seconds, something he proudly shared with all staff, with a relaxed eye contact, relaxed cheeks to give a smile and his two hands engaged in a relaxed hold.
This story I am sharing is “my way” to invite you into experiencing the yoga class I run at Kundalini House for your teenage son/daughter. In India where I come from, yoga is part of everyday life and being a yoga teacher, you carry responsibility to help every child/teen’s body and mind gain a language and internal map into tracking how their body responds to mind and environment around them. Consequently, they will end up using this knowledge into their daily activities.
A one to one consult will always be my preference to help determine with you and your teenager’s their unique strengths and challenges and help facilitate in their desire to see something different happen in their lives. In the absence of a consult, I will invite your teenage child to try the class as an adventure.
Prathiba teaches Teens Yoga at Kundalini House Mondays at 4pm
Prathiba S
Yoga Therapist for Child/Adult Mental Health
Email: Prathiba_therapist@yahoo.com
Mobile: 0409364838
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