
You're a teen - you're stressed and you don't know where to take it out. What are you supposed to do?
You're a teen – you're stressed and you don't know where to take it out. What are you supposed to do? Well, short of putting on boxing gloves and working the heavy bag, you can always try yoga breathing techniques. They may not sound like much, but yoga classes have been proven to relieve stress in even the most overloaded teens.
Seriously, a study about this just came out. Published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, the report found that holistic stretching and meditation can radically reduce perceived stress levels, even as it boosts mindfulness, compassion and quality of life.
Researchers from in and around Boston came to this conclusion after monitoring the health and wellness of 76 adolescents. A little less than half of the group was given four months of yoga instruction, while the remainder were not.
Overall, the team found that stress levels dipped precipitously following even a few sessions of yoga breathing for stress.
They concluded that "these positive effects on perceived stress and quality of life suggest that yoga-based interventions may be of value in cultivating subjective well-being in young adults."
According to the American Psychological Association, 54 percent of Americans worry about their stress levels, including an increasing number of teens and young adults.
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