Children's Health Children's Nutrition and Fitness

Yoga - Offering Strength and Balance in the Preteen Years

Summary & Participants

Yoga can give kids a sense of confidence during those awkward preteen years.

Medically Reviewed On: August 12, 2008

Webcast Transcript

RAYE, YOGA STUDENT: When other kids think of yoga they think of, you know, ohm and that's just the whole thing, and you just have to sit quietly the whole time. But it's really not like that.

ANNOUNCER: For these kids, yoga’s on the move!

RAYE, YOGA STUDENT: Here we go outside. We do obstacle courses, like you just saw. We do stuff with lots of different things, and it's really fun.

JENNIFER BRILLIANT, YOGA TEACHER: The kids have a lot of energy so there is a combination of trying to let them expend that energy in a way where they'll learn something and also to harness that energy in a good way.

TESSA, YOGA STUDENT: Today we did some partner things and it just -- it strengthens you and it helps you communicate with other people when you're doing the same thing as them. You know, feeling their body and they're connecting with you.

ANNOUNCER: A preteen yoga class will also teach students the benefits of meditation – and what they learn helps them outside of class, too.

TESSA, YOGA STUDENT: When I have a test I usually like to meditate for a few minutes beforehand because it helps me clear my mind and focus on answering the questions.

RAYE, YOGA STUDENT: I just had a dance performance and me and my friends we were backstage and we were really, really nervous and so we started kind of meditating and just going ohm, and it actually really helped.

ANNOUNCER: And yoga teacher Jennifer Brilliant has seen first-hand the kind of difference her class can make in students

JENNIFER BRILLIANT, YOGA TEACHER: If you're an awkward pre-teen who feels uncomfortable in certain ways it's incredibly refreshing and boosts your self-esteem to be able to do things that you hadn't thought that you could do, that you actually gain strength. You gain flexibility. You have balance now. You can focus your mind. It really gives a lot of sense of self-empowerment.

RAYE, YOGA STUDENT: It rocks! It's really fun.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily!