Yamas and Niyamas: Successful Relationships with Self & Others (tweens and teens)

Kids Yoga Philosophy Lesson Plan Unit - 10 complete classes

In yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas are a moral code of conduct, a guideline for living. By introducing these principles to tweens and teens, we give them an opportunity to recognize and enhance how they behave toward others and how they care for themselves.

Teach the Yamas and Niyamas to Tweens and Teens

Yamas include five guidelines that support how we can be good people to others, the world, and ourselves. Because teens are formalizing who they are becoming, they need to be reminded where they want to go and who they want to become so they can choose their attitudes and behaviors and make decisions supporting that.  Niyamas describes the principles of being a good person. Through them, we build character and learn mindfulness and self-discipline to be good citizens.

These lesson plans can be used as a yoga class series or easily incorporated into the school classroom or at home.

Give your teens the tools to build self-confidence and count on their decision-making skills.

Each of the ten lessons introduces you to one of the Yamas or Niyamas and how to teach it to tweens and teens, including:

• group work or activity with facilitated questions and discussions

• breathing exercises, meditations, and guided relaxations you can read out loud

• beautifully illustrated yoga pose sequences

• art projects with instructions for children to express themselves

With the Yamas and Niyamas, teenagers can learn about kindness, honesty, and contentment while gaining the benefits of exercise and mindfulness.