Three teenaged Santa Barbara sisters lure other teenagers through the doors of their home yoga studio to introduce them to the practice. Students walk in with some hesitation then walk out armed with a sense of empowerment.
The desire to give teens the tools to gain confidence and strength for their journey into adulthood inspired the sisters to create specialty yoga classes aimed at their age group. The teachers, Lauren and Emily Parsons, accompanied by their sister Jessica, have been leading classes for their peers in their parents’ Santa Barbara home studio since the release of their DVD Yoga by Teens. The girls starred in the family-produced video released last year, featuring a 40-minute hatha yoga class promoting the message that yoga can be practiced by all ages at any ability, with a focus on teens.
Lauren, Emily and Jessica grew up surrounded by yoga; it is almost as though they were destined to be yogis. Their parents, Jim and Sue Anne, have been teaching yoga throughout Santa Barbara since 1986, including a teacher training course utilized by yoga instructors at Santa Barbara City College. Jim and Sue Anne home-school the three sisters; the education includes the parents’ yoga teacher training curriculum. The girls felt truly blessed to be living and studying in this enriched environment and wanted to pass on this attitude of gratitude to their friends and other young people their age.
The Parsons sisters teach their peers because they have felt first-hand the benefits of yoga. “I’ve gone through a lot of growth spurts in the last year that have totaled up to four inches,” Emily said. “It was pretty painful so I would immediately do yoga and it helped a lot, especially with the pain in my legs.” Beyond the physical benefits, yoga helps young practitioners gain a stronger sense of themselves and ease the transition into adulthood, supported by the motto “less pain, more gain.”
During a class at the Parsons’s home studio, a group of seven teenage girls raved about the practice that has heightened their confidence. “Since I started taking yoga, I have been feeling more secure about myself,” Matti, a student, explained. “I do belly dancing and I relate yoga to it. Because you are doing something that is graceful, but at the same time, it is something you are doing for yourself.”
When Lauren teaches, she encourages discussion, even during class. While in an asana (posture), the teens talk openly about their concerns or struggles, the room fills with chattering and communication about their feelings and an abundance of laughter echoes throughout the space. The unspoken rule of remaining silent, invoked in many yoga classes, does not apply in Lauren’s.
This freedom of open discussion provided a relaxed and personable setting for the class I witnessed, the perfect environment for a group of teenage girls craving to live in a world without judgment or criticism. It was a playful, yet professionally-led, tension-free time for the girls to be themselves. Throughout, Lauren’s insistence that yoga is a personal thing, with an emphasis on going inside and learning about oneself, shone through.
Since I started taking yoga, I have been feeling more secure about myself
Self-inquiry initiates the practice for Lauren. A meditation and centering technique she often employs is to ask the students to visualize their desired pose for the day. Once pictured, each group member is given the chance to discuss their imagined form in detail, along with their pains and/or injuries. After meditation, attention and self-inquiry, the class continues with simple poses set in slow motion. Lauren and Emily team-teach, enhancing the experience of personal instruction and encouraging empowerment.
The sisters take their teaching on the road to a variety of settings, including the Girl Scouts, public school system and events such as career conferences in Santa Barbara and a health and fitness day in Ventura. The response is encouraging. “When we teach our class at a public school, the kids are really surprised by how simple yoga is and what they can do,” Lauren said. “They immediately want to learn more about yoga and are eager to do more.”
The girls’ mother Sue Anne hears positive feedback from the parents of teenagers who attend the class. “A woman approached me the other day and expressed her appreciation for yoga,” Sue Anne said. “Her son had graduated from high school and had been so heavily involved in team sports that he felt lost. He had lost his sense of self. He had heard about yoga and started taking my daughters’ class. He and his mother thought how amazing it would be to incorporate some kind of personal practice into the school system so that you have something to take with you when you leave.”
With a constant flow of support from clients, parents and teachers, the Parsons sisters are approaching studios in Santa Barbara and beyond, modeling for teenagers the importance of living in simplicity with confidence.
For more information, visit www.yogabyteens.com.
Lori Denman is a yogi, photojournalist and publicist for the National Veterans Foundation in Los Angeles.
