Last year I had the opportunity to give private classes to a mother and her teenage son. It was an unusual request as I assumed (incorrectly) that the last thing most teenagers want was to be in a class with their parents! The mom, Samantha, wanted her 16-year old son, Cory, to start learning yoga as she was concerned about his posture from sitting for many hours for studying and playing video games. It was heartening to know that she understood the importance of good posture and would invest time and energy to help her son.
When we started the first class, I was focusing on Cory's rounded shoulders and closed chest. It was after the second class that I discovered the basis of his posture stemmed from a combination of being flat footed and having valgus knees, knees that cave inwards when bent. His toes were had also started to sway sideways and the big toe was almost going to overlap his second toe. All these affected the use of his legs, the distribution of his body weight and eventually the weakening of his core and shoulder muscles.
I immediately knew that Cory wouldn't be able to do most of the regular yoga postures if we did not work on the foundation of his feet. Yet I felt inadequate that I'm not a physiotherapist and my expertise is limited in the skeletal/muscular aspects. After discussing with Samantha, who wanted to start the yoga class first before approaching a physiotherapist, I decided to continue with the class. With a bit of tweaking to suit Cory's needs, I focused on correcting and strengthening his feet and ankles while introducing modified fundamental yoga postures, bringing attention to his breathing and having a good final relaxation at the end of the class.
Class plan:
- Starting the class with Corpse Pose (savasana) to calm the body
- 5 minutes of yogic breathing
- 15 minutes of working with the toes, feet and ankles
- 30 minutes of modified physical postures (asana)
- 10 minutes of guided final relaxation (savasana)
Initially it was difficult for Cory to get used to the adjustment of his feet. Due to his tendency to externally rotate his feet, he was losing the gripping ability of his toes. This was compounded by his flat feet that led to a weakening of his inner ankles. We started working on flexing of his toes, feet and strengthening his inner ankles and inner thigh muscles which have gotten weak over the years with the inward caving of the knees.
At the same time, I was introducing modified yoga poses which we repeated every week for consistency. Coincidentally it was also around the time of "O" levels exams for Cory. There were days where he did not get sufficient sleep or was more stressed because of an upcoming test and I chose to focus more on breathing and having a longer relaxation at the end, allowing his nervous system to reset.
The great thing about being a teenager which I had forgotten is that the body is still changing and had the potential to be malleable if one was consistent enough! By the third week, Cory's progress was visible and he was also more confident in attempting these postures. His chest had started to be more lifted and open, and his breathing was getting deeper and steadier. Even his face brightened somewhat, and I felt he was more open in body and spirit.
As for Samantha, she is fairly strong and flexible and took to the practice pretty well. She had bunion in both feet but they did not affect her posture as she was active in her pursuits in leisure dancing and yoga. Initially, Samantha eagerly provided advice and instructions to Cory ever so often during the class. After observing for a while, I suggested to her to hold her instincts to comment but to allow Cory to find his own way, to try and fail in his attempts . This would make him less awkward and allowed me to interact more directly with him.
To her credit, Samantha understood immediately - while she watched Cory attempt and struggle at the postures, she no longer advised nor commented, instead gave words of encouragement after Cory's every attempt. It was incredibly heartwarming to see how Samantha tried to restrain herself out of love, to do what was best in supporting her son. The shift in dynamics proved to be helpful and soon Cory was visibly less self-conscious and more comfortable in the class.
Though it was just over a few months, Cory has started becoming more aware of his body and habits. The journey of his awareness has just begun and I hope he continues to discover and evolve over the course of his teenage years, with the love and support of his loved ones. (Names are changed)
My 3 takeaways from this experience:
1. Introducing yoga during the teenage years can be incredibly empowering as the physical body can change and adapt at a fairly faster rate as compared to adults;
2. Shifting power dynamics between parent and child can be a powerful and beneficial equaliser for both parties;
3. Even if I am not a physiotherapist, there is value in sharing the benefits of yoga, because the mind and body are so interconnected, and yoga uplifts one in the physical, mental and spiritual aspects together.
