Yoga for young adults: Strength and balanced body development

Traditionally, yoga practices for young adults were vinyasa-based and centered around a Sun Salutation. Sun Salutation sequence works particularly well for young adults because it warms up the body quickly, keeps a fast pace, and makes you feel strong and capable. The Sun Salutation was also meant to teach kids discipline; it has an element of boot camp training similar to those that young recruits go through. This is also a reason why, in some traditions, they teach you to keep your feet together in Tadasana (Mountain pose) and Utkatasana (Chair pose) to accommodate more narrow hips of young males and teach them discipline. 

Other elements that are important to include in a yoga practice for young adults are

• Promoting balanced body development 
• Building a connection between breath and movement
• Developing self-awareness
• Encouraging experimentation
• Facilitating internal self-observation
• Celebrating accomplishment
• Discovering their strength(s). 

In general, a balanced yoga practice needs to help young adults discover what they are capable of physically, energetically, and mentally and encourage them to build habits of self-care. It can also center around any themes listed in the previous article that are particularly important for young adults.

We also have to consider the physical and emotional needs of contemporary young adults and emphasize things like back strengthening from the head to the tailbone (which weakens because of prolonged sitting and excessive device usage) and stress management, as life becomes more and more complicated while the opportunities narrow.

In this full yoga practice, we facilitate balanced body development by working with all five directions of spinal movement. We strengthen and stretch the upper and lower body with particular emphasis on the posterior (back) surfaces. We use some elements of Sun Salutation, faster and more flowing movement pace, and longer holds in more challenging poses. We use leg balance poses to promote structural integration and pay special attention to the proper form of poses. We use abdominal support in each pose and avoid “hanging” on the joints to promote overall strength and stability. We use a steady breathing pace to regulate the nervous system and work on developing inner awareness by continuously paying attention to the body’s feedback throughout the practice. 

Not all young adults are the same. Some are more sedentary and less aware of their bodies, while others are into sports and have good body awareness but use some body parts more than others. Some have tight muscles, while others have very loose joints. Some have very short attention spans, while others can stay focused longer. All this needs to be considered during the practice.

You don’t need to be a young adult to do this practice, but you have to be ready for a challenge. This is a strong practice; as you move through it, please be mindful of how your body responds and adjust as necessary. 

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