A Fresh Start

Today was my first day back for the fall term of teaching yoga to high school students. After a long summer break, I forgot how excited I always am to return to school and a new group of young yogis, many of whom have little to no prior yoga experience. I swear, it’s these teenagers who help me stay younger in heart, mind, and outlook than I have a right to!

First day back, new approach

I decided to mix things up a bit from my usual first day. Instead of leading off by going through the guidelines for our 11-week, 4-days-a-week class (and undoubtedly boring them to tears), I started them off by writing for two minutes on the topic, “What is Yoga?” No right or wrong answers, no judgment. Just fill one side of a 3×5 index card.

Next, I sent them into groups of 2 or 3 to introduce themselves to each other. I’m always a little surprised by how many of the students don’t know each other coming into this class. It’s a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and the school isn’t huge, so I just assume that they know their classmates. I loved seeing them interact with each other, some for the first time.

A Gallery Walk in the Yoga Studio

But these were just appetizers. My main course was a “Gallery Walk” through the studio. I’d put on display seven items for them to consider in their small groups: two photos (including the one above), four quotations (from Rumi; the “Four Immeasurables” of the Buddhist tradition; Martin Luther King, Jr.; and RuPaul), and a post-it note that said simply, “Remember to Breathe”. Each group had a minute to make observations in statement form and a minute to pose questions that arose from their exposure to the item in front of them before moving to the next gallery object. After they’d visited each of the seven stations, we came back to our circle to share some of their insights.

They found throughlines and inspirations, support and encouragement, and insights and connections to their own lives. Best of all, they found these things themselves and expressed them in their own words. I loved seeing the wheels turning and their young minds expanding before my very eyes. If there is ever a time when young people need to feel confident in who they are and what they’re capable of, it’s now. I don’t envy them inheriting such a troubled, damaged world.

I like to move it, move it!

I led them through a short Sun Salutation sequence, mostly to get them out of their heads and into their bodies for a few minutes. And then I asked them to write for two minutes on the other side of their index cards. The topic again was, “What is Yoga?” I asked them to write any new thoughts they had about yoga based on the experiences they’d had since they first answered the question.

Tomorrow we’ll start a more regular yoga practice, but I plan on spicing it up this term with more activities like today’s, just to keep them reconsidering what yoga is and how it can impact their lives.

Lindel Hart teaches yoga online for PerfectFit Wellness. He lives in Western Massachusetts and teaches at Deerfield Academy, a private residential high school, as well as at Community Yoga and Wellness in Greenfield, MA. Visit his website, Hart Yoga.