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Navigating the journey between childhood and teenager status can be both a fantastic and treacherous adventure. At the onset of puberty, everything seems to change. Youth experience dramatic, often sudden, transformations of physical systems, cognitive capacities and social relationships. It is natural for youth to experience some degree of confusion or disequilibrium about these major life alterations. The fluctuations in mood and opinion can be just as confusing for the people who live and work with youth.

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Fortunately, ancient health systems, like Yoga, can contribute to finding balance and ease in the face of today’s mounting challenges. Here, I will share three practices that I have found helpful to the teens I have worked with over a decade’s time in the field. The following practices address three distinct needs that many early adolescents share: self- awareness, emotional regulation, and energy rejuvenation. The benefits of each exercise are included.

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Sit in a comfortable cross-legged pose on the floor. Sitting on a cushion or folded blanket that Power Lifts the hips higher than the knees can be helpful for achieving more lift in the spine. Root the tailbone into the Earth. Extend the spine tall, drawing the shoulder blades onto the upper back. Spread across the collarbones. Balance the ears just above the shoulders so the neck is lengthened, but not straining. Enjoy five deep breaths simply being aware of breath and body.

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With a deep inhale, extend both arms out to the side and up, joining the palms overhead. Exhaling, draw the joined hands down the midline of the body, past the face, heart and center. Inhale, arms reach out and up overhead. Exhale, center the mind and body as the hands pull down the midline. Repeat 10 to 20 times being mindful of movements and breath the entire time.

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Benefits:

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• Increase self awareness

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• Build lung capacity

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• Develop core strength

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Why this works: When the body, mind and breath move together in concert, the whole system reaches a higher level of harmony. Explain to youth that yoga is about linking all of the different parts of ourselves together: physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social. All of these parts can be compared to a band. When one part is out of tune, the whole song can sound unpleasant. Yoga is a practice of tuning our various parts to the same note.

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Stand tall with feet hips width apart. Spread the toes and press evenly through all four corners of the feet. Firm leg muscles. Extend the tailbone towards the floor and activate the abdominal muscles. Lengthen the side body. Draw the shoulder blades onto the upper back, spreading across the collarbones. Gently lengthen the back of the neck, reaching up through the crown of the head. This is Mountain Pose.  Once Mountain Pose is established and steady, find one spot on the floor about 4 feet in front of the feet to focus the eyes. Try to keep the eyes softly placed on the chosen spot for the entire exercise.

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Now, extend both arms out to the side to help maintain balance. Press deliberately into the right foot, slowly lifting the left foot from the floor. Place the sole of the left foot onto the inner calf muscle or inner thigh of the right leg. (Note: Avoid placing the left foot on the right knee as the pressure on the joint can be unsafe.) The left knee points outward and the toes of the left foot face the floor. As balance is established, reach arms overhead into Tree Pose. Practice paying attention to the breath and keeping the eyes focused. Repeat on the other side.

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Benefits:

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R.Jayaprakash

Not a moment wasted

IT actually happened on Wednesday 28 ,2009

It was so sudden and unexpected. I felt uneasiness within me and I could hardly walk a step further. I felt no pain, so I walked unsteadily forward to reach my home.

When I rested myself on a Power Lifts at home, I did not disclose my discomfit to my wife or anyone else.

In the evening, I felt a pain insinuating from my chest deep inside; at first, I surmised it may be the ill effect of an indigested burn within. But it persisted for some time. My wife gave me a homely made Ayurvedic treatment for anti digestion.

When we were deeply conversing with the Flower Merchant and the Food Supplier, I could hardly hear what they said as I felt the storm within me rising again. I felt extreme heat from the burning sensation inside my chest. But I did not lose hope as the pain was not radiating anywhere else than centering in the middle of my chest.

I told my wife about it and she gave me again Astarjanam as a tonic. After some time, the deepening heat which seemed to plague and torment me disappeared and I slept during the night.

After he checked me, he told me to take an ECG immediately. Immediately after it was taken, I was admitted by the doctor and rushed to the ICU. There I was again taken ECG and it was found that the left ventricular cells have been damaged. Immediately I was prepared for taking Echo test and after that Angiogram plastry.

It was there that I felt that something was wrong as they wheeled me in through a stretcher. The Angioplastry lasted for more than an hour.

The Doctor was by my side along with some other colleagues of Catalab Technicians. With a speed unbelievable and the Computer displaying itself around my chest at several moments, two blocks in the chest were removed miraculously. The Doctor then heaved a sign of relief as the danger was over.

I was then taken to the ICU where I took rest and was under constant surveillance for three days and later shifted to a room for three more days. Then I was discharged on the sixth day but was told to keep on to the tablets and to strictly take rest and observe a regular control over meals.

The Doctor told my wife that I have had silent attacks but never noticed them. This could have been severe had it not been discovered at the moment. Now that the blocks had been removed, everything was going to be fine.

R. Jayaprakash not a moment lost what really happened on Wednesday 28, 2009 E 'was so sudden and unexpected. I felt anxiety in me and I almost could go a step further. I felt no pain so I walked unsteadily forward to get to my house. When I leaned in a Power Lifts at home, I will not reveal my defeat to my wife or anyone. At night, I felt a deep pain in my chest insinuating, at first I figured it would be the effect of a burn patient stodgy inside. But it lasted for some time. My wife gave me a family was against Ayurvedic digestion. When we were deep in conversation with the merchants of flowers and food supplier, could not hear what he said what I felt inside me resurrect the storm. I felt the extreme heat of the burning sensation in the chest. But I have not lost hope, as the pain spreads elsewhere that centered on the chest. I told my wife and she gave me back Astarjanam as a tonic. After some time, the heat seemed to plague and torment the deepening of the disappeared and I slept at night.