Ellen Schwartz - I Love Yoga. A Source Book for Teens

The author would like to thank the following people:

For reviewing portions of the manuscript and providing feedback: Elissa Greenfield, Hannah Milstein, Allison Rosenberg, Nina Rosenberg, Rachel Rosenberg, Bill Schwartz, and especially, for her perceptive and helpful critique, Merri Schwartz. For research assistance: Gillian Elliott, Marcia Ross, and especially Bill Schwartz.

For interviews and quotations: Alexandra Davis, Elissa Desa, Esta Desa, Jesse Desa, Marissa Desa, Amanda Erickson, Kimberley Green, Cathy Hayes, Justin Hayes, Holly Hynes, Beatrice Massara, Bernadette Rollin, and especially, for their invaluable help, Donna Alstad and Andrea Downie.

For permission to use quotations: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alex Bannister, Sheryl Crow, Eddie George, Geri Halliwell, Tobey Maguire, and Sting.

The author is indebted to the following sources of information:

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Yoga by Howard Kent

Yoga for Children: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Yoga by Swati Chanchani and Rajiv Chanchani

Yoga for Children by Stella Weller

Yoga Journals Yoga Basics by Mara Carrico and the Editors of Yoga Journal

www.nextgenerationyoga.com

www.yogajournal.com

For Maxine, Leon, and Sylvia,
and in memory of Ed.

E.S.

To May and Lady,
for their endless support and inspiration.

B.H.

What do you think of when you hear the word yoga? How much do you know about this ancient practice? Take this quick quiz:

In order to do yoga, you have to

• (a) twist your body into a pretzel

• (b) live in a cave, eat nothing but rice and water, and chant funny words

• (c) stand on your head for at least an hour a day

The correct answer:

• (d) none of the above

Hey, a trick question! Although some crazy ideas about yoga are out there, yoga really doesnt have anything to do with them.

So what is yoga? Its a system of breathing exercises, movements, and relaxation techniques that stretch and strengthen your body, and keep your body, mind, and spirit working together in harmony.

Theres an expression that says, Everything old is new again. Thats certainly true of yoga. Although it began more than 5,000 years ago in India, its a hot new trend right now, and its being picked up by kids and adults alike.

• An estimated 28 million people around the world practice yoga.

• Seven public schools in San Francisco have adopted a daily yoga break, and 15 Seattle public schools use yoga as a warm-up in gym class. Yoga is becoming part of physical education programs across North America.

• In 31 states in the U.S., yoga is being taught in prisons, juvenile detention centers, clinics for teen mothers, and schools serving underprivileged kids, to help young people cope, relax, and build self-esteem.

• More than 10,000 people in Mexico do yoga in over 100 yoga classes.

• More and more celebrities are doing yoga to stay strong and focused in their hectic high-pressure lives: musicians like Madonna and Sheryl Crow; actors like Tobey Maguire and Cameron Diaz. And hundreds of athletes, from hockey goalie Brian Boucher to the entire Los Angeles Lakers basketball team!

Why are all kinds of people flocking to yoga? Because yoga makes you feel great! It gives you a strong flexible body and a calm focused mind. It improves your health, stretches your muscles, sharpens your memory, and eases your tension. And it does all these things whether youre six or 60 years old, able-bodied or physically challenged, a jock or a klutz.

Yoga is especially good for pre-teens and teens. Its like first aid for the trouble spots of adolescent life. Yoga can help you control mood swings, help you do better in school, enhance your performance in sports, give you something cool and interesting to do instead of the same old boring stuff, and maybe most importantly help you stay calm when your parents are bugging you! And, unlike many other activities, yoga costs next to nothing.

The only equipment you need, in addition to a thin mat or blanket, is your body.

If youre interested in finding out more about yoga and making it part of your life, this book is for you. In these pages, youll hear from kids like you, telling you why they do yoga and what it does for them. Youll learn where yoga came from and what different types of yoga are practiced around the world. Youll get the scoop on celebrities who do yoga, from movie stars to sports stars. Youll find out how to prepare for your own yoga practice and what pitfalls to avoid. And, finally, youll get moving with some simple yoga postures.

So, lets go back to our quiz.

Kids like to do yoga because

• (a) its fun

• (b) its peaceful

• (c) its energizing

• (d) its healthy

You got it! The correct answer:

• (d) all of the above

So, take a deep breath. Get comfortable. Turn off the TV the real one and the one in your head, too. Get ready to stre-e-etch, rela-a-a-ax, and feel great!

Get ready for yoga.

Q: What is yoga?

A: Yoga is exercises. Yoga is breathing. Yoga is relaxation. Yoga is meditation.

How can yoga be all of those things? Imagine that youre making a cake. You mix together butter and sugar, beat in eggs, and then blend in flour and milk. Each ingredient is essential. If you leave out the flour, you wont have much of a cake.

The same is true of yoga. Although many people think that yoga is just a set of movements, it also includes breathing exercises and relaxation techniques. All three parts are equally important. Like the ingredients of a cake, they work together to produce the desired result in this case, health and calmness, rather than dessert!

The word yoga comes from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, and means yoke or union, like when a pair of work animals are yoked together. So, in yoga, whats being yoked? Everything, thats what! Yoga is designed to unite the body, mind, and spirit. When you do yoga, you hold your body in certain positions, you breathe slowly and deeply, and you stay present in the moment, paying attention to your body and your breath. When you do all of these things at once, you strengthen your body, focus your mind, and calm your spirit. Thats what yogas all about.

Legend says that the ancient sages, or wise people, of India developed yoga as a way to prepare themselves for meditation. You know how it is when you have to sit still for long periods, like when youre in a boring class or when youre sitting cross-legged. Your legs fall asleep, your mind wanders, and you start fidgeting and wiggling. The same thing happened to the sages, who found that it was hard to sit still while meditating. They reasoned that they needed to strengthen their bodies before they could let meditation work on their minds. So they looked around and observed how birds and animals moved, stretched, and rested. Copying the animals, they came up with a series of exercises to stretch and strengthen their bodies. When they combined these movements with breathing exercises, they found that they could sit longer and focus their minds more easily. Their techniques of body, breath, and mind, handed down through the ages, became the system of yoga that we know today.