At Move Happy Fitness we know that empowered women that feel fit and strong make the world a better place. We also believe that this sense of agency and empowerment has to start early - which is why we want to offer teenage girls what we wish we had when we were younger!
Our Yoga teacher Gale Hubbard shares with me here why our new Yoga Classes for Girls aged 11 – 16 will be a physical practice but also so much more. They are a great way to help build the strength, confidence and resilience that is so important these days.
Gale, you and I remember being teenage girls together and dealing with so much – exam stress, social pressures, and just working out what it is to become a young women. And this was before all the added pressures of social media.
Can you tell us about your own experience of physical activity as a teenager?
Up until the age of 13 I was a gymnastic fanatic, regularly competing both regional and nationally. It really was my whole life, but once starting secondary school I found it just too time consuming with my other academic and social demands. If I was training so much, I just didn’t have time to make and see friends. And felt that things would pass me by.
I also found that gymnastics became less and less fun the more competitive it became. I started suffering severe anxiety during training and at competitions. Thank goodness the tide is now turning, and there is so much more understanding and emphasis now on mental well being for athletes. For example, it was particularly incredible to see Simone Biles share her own struggles so openly at the Olympics last year.
For me, after making the very difficult decision to leave gymnastics at the age of 13, I looked to other activities to keep me active without the added stress. I started trampolining club, joined the netball team, I would swim and go to the gym occasionally.
Less positively though, I became increasingly concerned about just keeping my body slim. I had stopped training intensively just as I was going through puberty, so there were a lot changes happening in my body. It felt a significant time, and it did impact my relationship with food and exercise.
Looking back, it’s easy to think of course my body would look different. I was becoming a woman. But this is a rational and objective way of thinking which is more possible with hindsight. It didn’t feel great at the time, and this is what mattered. Upon reflection, I don’t think I had a hugely healthy relationship to my body and exercise. It wasn’t until my early twenties when I rediscovered healthy movement practices that actually made me feel good about myself…yoga being one of them.
This is why I am so keen to share yoga with girls at this age.
Thanks so much for sharing this. And can you tell us more what it is that yoga can specifically provide for this age group?
I do remember being overwhelmed as a teenager with the various social, academic and wider societal expectations. Today our young people are growing up in an increasingly fast paced culture with very little breathing space. I see yoga as a great opportunity to unplug, slow down and connect with one another.
Yoga is not only a physically beneficial practice but also improves focus, instills confidence, offers stress management tools and encourages healthy sleep and relaxation.
I hear often that children who have been attending my sessions find they have been able to use simple breathing or mindfulness practices to cope with challenging situations such as tests or hospital appointments.
Please tell us what will the content of the classes include?
Each class will be created with the intention to be engaging, challenging and connecting.
Classes will include a combination of breathing (or pranayama), yoga postures (or asanas), mindfulness practice and relaxation (Shavasana).
Over the term we will explore partner postures and mindfulness practices, group games and challenges, self and partner massage, affirmations and visualisations. Each session will include a challenge posture to build confidence and self-belief.
We will gradually begin to introduce the Sandskrit names for the various practices.
How do you go about creating the right environment in your classes?
Before we jump into our classes, I think it is important for the girls to hear a little bit about what makes yoga a unique practice. That we will be practicing not only yoga postures but also proper breathing, mindfulness and relaxation. I will share with the girls a little about my own yoga journey and how it supports me in my life. I think it is important to provide everyone with the opportunity to think about and perhaps share ways in which yoga practices might be a useful tool in their life and the various challenges they face.
My intention is to create a safe and comfortable space where we all feel free to explore yoga in fun, creative and new ways.
I also enjoy using relaxing music as well as essential oil diffusers to create a tranquil space to practice.
Thanks Gale! You're a star. We are so excited about this.
Classes will run on Wednesday evenings, 6.15pm - 7.15pm at St Edmund Campion Parish Centre, Maidenhead
To book a FREE TASTER on 16th February and / or the 6 week course beginning 2nd March 2022