This informal CPD article ‘Yoga for Young People: Considerations for Practice Across Different Settings’ was provided by Teen Yoga Foundation, a charity promoting the well-being of young people through the practice of yoga in schools & beyond through trainings, events & classes. Interest in yoga as a support for children and young people’s wellbeing has grown
In 2005, Japanese mathematician and essayist Masahiko Fujiwara published a provocative book, The Dignity of the Nation. His central argument was simple but profound: a nation does not flourish because of wealth, technology, logic or even democracy alone. It flourishes because of the character of its people. A nation possesses dignity when its citizens are
The Dignity We Cannot Measure: Why Young People Need More Than Mental Health Support Continue »
There is a strange contradiction at the heart of modern life. We are more connected than ever, more visible than ever, more able to perform ourselves to the world than any generation in history, and yet so many young people feel unseen in the ways that matter most. Beneath the endless stream of content, branding,
The Quiet Measure of a Life: Dignity, Grace and the Return to Real Connection Continue »
There is a moment in almost every session when something subtle yet decisive shifts, and it rarely corresponds to the introduction of a new technique or the refinement of a sequence. It happens instead when the young person recognises, often without naming it, that they are in the presence of someone whose attention is not
Attention Is the Medicine: Why Presence, Not Technique, Heals. Continue »
A generous donor has made something genuinely radical possible — five fully funded places on our 60-hour live London course, offered to individuals with the capacity to reach over a hundred young people each. Three of them are already working in therapeutic settings. Crucially, this course brings together leading practitioners, including a specialist paediatric physiotherapist from
This is what impact looks like. Continue »
There is something I have come to understand very clearly over the years: real change does not begin with systems, it begins with people. It begins in the body, in the nervous system, in those small, often invisible moments where a young person either feels overwhelmed by life or finds just enough steadiness to stay
There is something slightly uneasy about the word therapy. Not because it is wrong, nor because it has not brought relief and understanding to many, but because it carries with it a particular orientation: one that can, at times, locate the problem within the individual and the solution in an intervention. When we bring this word into the
Cikitsā: a different language for healing Continue »
There is a growing silence among our young people. It is not loud, not rebellious in the ways we have learned to recognise rebellion. It does not march or shout. It withdraws, it pauses, it lingers in the in-between. And we have named it NEET — Not in Education, Employment or Training — a label
The Silent Refusal: Young People, NEET, and the Return to Being Continue »
There are times when the atmosphere of the world changes energetically—something tightens, something hardens, becomes more fragile. War ripples far beyond the places where bombs fall. It enters conversations, homes, classrooms, it enters the inner world of a young person. They feel it in the tone of adults, in the urgency of the news, in
When the World Feels Unsteady: War, Fear and the Shadow in Young People Continue »
By Charlotta Martinus In the face of rising violence, fractured communities, and the deep loneliness that haunts so many—especially our young people—what if the real revolution begins not with resistance, but with tenderness? We are living through extraordinary times. The headlines—whether about war, climate breakdown, political unrest, or mental health crises—paint a picture of a
Tenderness as a Revolutionary Act: A Hopeful Vision for the Future Continue »
As a yoga therapist dedicated to promoting health and wellness through the practice of yoga, it has come to my attention that there exists a damaging misconception associating yoga with pornography. This unfortunate connection surfaced when examining Google Analytics and noticing a concerning trend: a high proportion of older men accessing our site from Poland,
Dispelling the Misconception: Yoga is Not Porn Continue »
Last week, I asked Jim (17) what the bravest thing he’d ever done was and he said, “tell someone I was sad”. Nick (19) said something very similar, “to let someone know I wasn’t coping”.
Yoga, Teens & Bravery Continue »
As climate strikes pepper the land, it strikes me how one little person from Sweden has inspired millions to speak up about what they are passionate about – Mother Earth.
I had the privilege of spending Monday evening with 8 hand-picked young yogis in London.
Teen Yoga Ambassadors Continue »
Support the work of the Teen Yoga Foundation on World Peace Day, 21st September 2019. Here’s how:
Talk to a school about a taster day for World Peace day
Mention the evidence that yoga increases social cohesion within a school and in a community.
Send out a press release to your local press and let your local MP know.
World Peace Day 21st September 2019 Continue »
On my way to the second day of the Yoga for Teens training course, I reflect over the common themes that always come up on these days, 28 people from all over Europe, united in one vision to support young people with yoga, have all noticed the same thing – young people are increasingly anxious,
Why Teens Need Yoga More Than Ever Continue »
Teenagers are rowdy, vital, mischievous and give us a run for our money. Their task is to differentiate themselves from adults in order to belong to a group that defines them. This task needs to be met with respect and support, so that they can learn to become responsible adults. When young people misbehave, we
BBC Thought for the Day Continue »
It has struck me several times that we are holding the Instill conference this year on Remembrance Day (11th November), in remembrance of those who gave their lives in war. The link to me is obvious as it was to the young men in Sierra Leone, where I have been teaching. How does a yogi
Yoga on Remembrance Day – A powerful reminder of the importance of peace Continue »
Teaching young people yoga, sometimes I am aware of a clash between my values and the values of the school or the establishment I am teaching in. I suggest to my students the ideas of collaboration vs competition, love vs fear, self care vs pushing the boundaries. Sometimes I have to be careful how I
The Revolution is here! Continue »
“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
