Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? What does faith or mindfullness mean to you? Girl Zone is about the whole girl and this is the place to explore your soulful side. Watch this section as we add different elements about different ways to look inward and outward at the same time.
Meditation - from our partners at GirlForce.
Ayurveda - from our partners at GirlForce.
First chapter of Tao-Girls Rule- from our partners at Tao Girls.
Tao Girl Back-to-School by CJ Golden- from our partners at Tao Girls.
Tao Girl Holidays Memories by CJ Golden- from our partners at Tao Girls.
Could you be an Om Girl?? --- We are partnering with Yoga Journal and Teen Yoga Instructor Christy Brock for this YOGA section.
Look below for the cool Yoga Journal widget that shows different yoga poses.
Why should YOU do yoga?
The following chart appears in YogaMinded's book: Yoga 4 Teens, An Instructor's Guide to Teaching Yoga to Teenagers, by Christy Brock and Jennifer Lightsey. It has been reproduced here with permission from www.yogaminded.com. Check out their Yoga DVD for teens.
| Strength | builds strength of muscles and bones |
| Flexibility | lengthens muscles to increase mobility in the joints |
| Improved Posture | develops understanding of body mechanics, healthy movement patterns, and ideal postural alignment |
| Ability to Relax | develops the skill of non-action and the awareness to physically relax |
| Breath Awareness | draws attention to the breath as a reflection of state of mind and as a tool to elicit relaxation and focus |
| Stability and Balance | provides physical experiences that ask the body to continually re-establish balance, which develops coordination and prevents injury |
| Equalizes Energy |
revitalizes low energy and tempers hyperactivity |
| M E N T A L B E N E F I T S | |
| Stress Management | allows teens to experience a sense of space around their concerns (including what others think) and provides techniques for redirecting thoughts and calming the nervous system |
| Decision Making | teaches teens to make choices that respect themselves and others |
| Concentration | develops one's ability to focus through practical disciplines of breath and bodywork |
| Healthy Body Image | provides a strengthened internal perspective; helps self-image develop free of media and other cultural influences |
| Acceptance | cultivates gratitude for what the body can do; enables letting go of the tendency to be critical of one's self and judgmental of others |
| Curiosity |
provides a healthy way to experiment, take risks, and explore the body |
| S P I R I T U A L B E N E F I T S | |
| Compassion | opens us to our greater qualities of kindness, compassion, and nonviolence |
| Connection | cultivates interconnectedness between ourselves, others, and the natural world around us |
| Presence | heightens awareness and cultivates emotional connection while combating both numbness and drama |
| Intuition | encourages self-trust by valuing one's internal voice |
