Who says childhood is a great time! The pressures and stress of being a child or a teenager is nothing short of being Hercules, no wonder the bards painted Hercules as a young man shouldering the world. It does feel so for the children. We as adults, mindful ones too must ensure that our children feel safe, comforted, and most importantly enabled to handle the stress. Through our personal experiences of bringing up children and dealing with many young adults, we have come to realize the potential Yoga and meditation have in achieving holistic and well-rounded growth for the younger generation.
Red Earth Gokarna with expert teachers who understand the psychology and thought process of young adults coupled with the adventure and beautiful setting of our Resort near Gokarna, with secluded beaches and mountains forms the perfect backdrop to introduce them to the benefits and joy of Yoga. So gift the young adults in your life a yoga retreat in Gokarna at the Red Earth Gokarna.
Does Yoga really help young adults?
The challenges and fast-paced life our youngsters live these days is a perfect recipe for stress. School, homework, extracurricular activities, sports, social life, family, and add to this mix the hormonal changes, makes life a veritable cliffhanger.
Young adults live an emotionally rich life while not necessarily having the life experience to handle the emotions. Unrest at home, disagreements with friends, dating life, important future decisions, failures of the past, brooding on possible future losses, the mind of a young adult is a rather disturbing place. Yoga can help bring a focus and calmness to this, helping them navigate the tumultuous waters into a bright and productive future.
Indeed, there are many ways to do this. Sharing with friends, family, and counselors; exercising too, getting involved in sports and arts helps reduce stress, even if temporarily. Yoga though, couple with its meditative practice could help gain long term benefits. Yoga, by definition, is the antithesis of stress. Unifying the mind, body, and breathe to help bring focus and peace is the signature of Yoga. The benefits of this are felt across every endeavor you undertake.
Even if you have everything going great for you and Yoga could benefit you too, propelling you further. Taking out a few minutes every day to practice Yoga methodically accrues benefits in physical and mental health, building for you a ready arsenal of calmness, focus, balance, and relaxation techniques to overcome anxiety and other negativities be it for exams, competition, or even a social occasion.
Yoga stretches your body, mind, and then some.
Yoga is about stretching indeed. Achieving the almost impossible-looking contortion might not be on your bucket-list though. Yet the mental and spiritual stretching Yoga provides is something that will benefit you all your life.
Now to explore some of the tangible benefits to your body. Yoga asanas are great as exercise and help relax the tense muscles in your body. The body parts that tend to be most stressed are the neck, shoulders, and back. That said, Yoga benefits the entire body. But always keep in mind, Yoga is so much more than just physical exercise. Focus on breath and mind is the key to getting the best out of each asana.
Getting the Most Out of Each Asana
As you ease into a Yoga asana, focus on the union of your body, mind, and breathing. Even a simple pose such as a seated pose or child pose is a stress reliever if you concentrate on your breathing, keeping it slow and rhythmic. Reflect on the motivation and genesis of each pose. Doing so is a beautiful exercise in empathy too.
Minds wander. That is what it does. It is the nature of mind, consciousness and thought itself. As you are in between an asana suddenly your mind presents the thought of a movie you were watching the night before or a conversation with a friend. Thoughts give rise to emotion too. Do not fight the thoughts that would be indulging them; just let it pass as you bring your focus back on the breath and body. Soon you will have mastered the stay or live in the moment technique!
We can’t stress enough the benefits of being in the moment. Your concentration and ability to focus impacts all aspects of life, study, and work. When the going gets tough, breathing is your friend. No matter what the situation, a tough question in an exam, a sticky situation with a friend, a crucial point in the game, use your breathing techniques learned in yoga to calm your mind and the way forward will present itself. Even when doing a challenging asana, just imagine that your breath is permeating the region where you are trying to bend or stretch, and you will notice it get more comfortable to do.
Sold on Yoga, now what?
Find a good Yoga teacher or Guru near you. Our Yoga retreat at Red Earth Gokarna set amidst natural beauty with secluded beaches is a great starting point. Once trained in the proper technique for a few days, you can go onto practice it through the day by yourself, inserting little sessions at any point, helping you successfully overcome stress and anxiety.
Some occasions we can think of where Yoga can be of great value to you and the way you can actually get on top of them are:
Right before an important exam or competition, do some simple neck and shoulder rolls as you sit, to relieve the tension in your neck, shoulders, and back. Squeeze and release your fingers and hands. Doing so for even as little as 30 seconds has great benefits. Of course, you can repeat it as many times as you need.
Let us next explore a more relaxed scenario where you are studying by yourself. Here your mind wanders making it difficult to focus. Concentrate on your breathing as you roll your shoulders and neck. Massage your face and jaws. Get out of your chair and do a simple tree pose. Any number of these simple asanas and techniques can help bring your focus back to the task at hand.
Now imagine you are about to go to bed. What could be more relaxing than that right? Wrong! As you lay in bed with thoughts flooding about all things from past and future, you realize you are unable to sleep. Get out of bed, do a few forward bends and forward folds, specially the child pose. The deep exhale these asanas create helps in relaxing your body and mind, calming those frayed nerves. You will tune out of the world and your mind, helping you sleep like a baby.
Yoga is you, through and through.
Ancient sages discovered and developed the techniques and structure of Yoga to create a harmony of body, mind and emotions, helping one achieve balance, calmness, focus as we go through the inescapable ebb and flow of life. Connecting the memory of Yoga to a beautiful place such as Red Earth Gokarna, a wellness resort in Gokarna helps you build a memory palace that will serve you well.
So all that you need is half-hour a day, a mat, and the willingness to indulge yourself the right way.
