Yoga can help teens be more at peace with their bodies

Yoga for Health | Teenage Years

Yoga can help teenagers be more at peace with their bodies and hear the messages of their own heart more clearly.

The first stage of massive hormonal changes takes place during the turbulent years of adolescence, when the brain’s neurochemical circuitry is getting established and both brain and body go through the undulating levels of estrogen and progesterone that make adolescent girls fertile. The fluctuating hormones of puberty can result in impulsive behavior, as the amygdala, a part of the limbic system involved with emotions, is infused with hormonal fuel. And the general hormonal flux can bring on buzzing energy, mood swings, and troubled skin as well as a new focus on communication, social connections, and sexuality. Girls are increasingly sensitive during this time and often unsure of how to deal with sexual attention from others. Yoga can help teens be more at peace with their bodies, according to Carol Krucoff, a yoga therapist at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. “The practice of postures, breathing, and meditation helps achieve emotional equilibrium,” she says, “allowing teens to truly hear the messages of their own heart and make choices that resonate with their personal values.”



Image Courtesy: ChildLife