When you hear the word “yoga,” do you think of a person with his legs twisted up like a pretzel? If so, it may seem like yoga is very complicated or just for adults. Not true!Kids and teens can do yoga for the same reasons grown-ups do: because it feels good to stretchout your body, slow down your breathing, and relax your mind. Yoga can help you feel calmer when life is busy and stressful.

一聽到“瑜伽”這個詞，你是否就會聯想到一個人將自己的腿扭成椒鹽卷餅那樣呢?這樣想來，瑜伽似乎很復雜，更像是專門給大人練習的。其實并不是這樣!兒童和青少年也有和大人們一樣的練習瑜伽的理由：因為伸展身體、放緩呼吸以及放松精神的感覺很棒。當你感覺生活緊張、壓力重重的時候，瑜伽可以讓你平靜下來。

What You Need

你需要——

Any time you start a new exercise routine it's a good idea to check with a parent. A yoga class can be a great way to get started because the instructor can teach you how to get into the poses.Find a large enough space with few distractions. No TV or people, if possible. Wear comfortable workout clothes and no shoes or socks. A yoga matcan be helpful because it cushionsa bit and keeps your feet from slipping. Yoga should not hurt, so go slow and ease into position. Go only as far as you comfortablycan.

無論任何時候，當你要開始一項新的鍛煉安排，和父母談談總是好的。上瑜伽課程是個不錯的開始，因為導師會教你怎樣做動作。找一個足夠大而且沒有什么干擾的地方，最好沒有電視或人。穿上舒適的健身服，不要穿鞋襪。瑜伽墊很有用，因為它起到一定的緩沖作用，并防止腳部滑動。瑜伽不應該讓你感到疼痛，所以你要慢慢地、舒服地擺姿勢。盡量做，舒服就行。

Why Yoga for Stress?

為什么選擇瑜伽減壓?

When you get stressed or nervous, many things can help you feel better. Talking with someone—a parent or friend—is a great idea because they can help you figure out what's wrong and start coming up with solutions.In addition, you can easestress through exercise. You probably know exercise is good for your health, but it's also a proven way to put you in a better mood. So it makes sense that yoga is a favorite activity among people who want to feel stronger and more relaxed.Yoga includes a lot of stretching, but that's not all—yoga also focuses on breathing and meditation,which means thinking calm thoughts. Practicing yoga is a chance to learn stretching/breathing/thinking skills that you can use to calm yourself down the next time you feel worried. In other words, yoga can help your body stay looseand relaxed when things heat up!

感到有壓力或緊張的時候，很多事情可以讓你放松下來。跟家長或朋友聊聊就是一個不錯的方法，因為他們可以幫你發現問題所在，找出解決辦法。另外，你還可以通過體育鍛煉減輕壓力。你也許知道體育鍛煉對身體有好處，但人們已經證實運動還可以令人心情更加舒暢。順理成章，瑜伽備受那些希望變得更強壯和放松下來的人士喜愛。瑜伽包含大量伸展動作，但它遠不止如此——瑜伽還注重呼吸和冥想，也就是冷靜思考。練習瑜伽讓你有機會學習伸展、呼吸以及思考的技巧。下次當你感到憂慮的時候，便可以通過這些技巧使自己鎮靜下來。換句話說，在事情一團糟的時候，瑜伽能夠讓你的身體保持舒展放松。

Think Good Thoughts

積極的想法

Meditation is the first part of a stress-relievingyoga routine. Meditation means being calm, quiet, and focused. Some people call this “feeling centered.” When you're feeling centered, you can do your best in stressful situations such as taking a test or working through a disagreement with a friend. Try these meditation exercises:Take a yoga vacation: Find a quiet, private place, like your bedroom. Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Imagine a place where you feel safe and relaxed. Is it your best friend's backyard?Your grandma's house? Camping in the woods? Imagine yourself in this place for three to five minutes. You'll feel much calmer after your “yoga vacation.”Positive pictures: When you're feeling stressed about a big test or game, it can help to imagine it going really well. Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Picture yourself feeling prepared for your test or kicking the winning goal in soccer. Of course, positive pictures can't take the place of actual preparation, but they can help you feel more confident.

冥想是減壓瑜伽練習的第一部分。冥想就是保持鎮靜、平靜和專注。有些人稱之為“感受中心”。當你感受到自己的中心，在受壓情況下——如進行測驗或處理與朋友的分歧等——就能發揮最好狀態。試試以下冥想練習：進行一次瑜伽旅行：找一個安靜、私密的地方，比如臥室。以舒服的姿勢坐下來，閉上雙眼。想象一個讓你感到安全放松的地方——是摯友的后院、奶奶的房子，還是林中露營?用三到五分鐘想象自己身處這個地方。完成“瑜伽旅行”之后，你會感覺平靜多了。積極畫面：當你為一場大考或比賽臨近感到緊張時，想象它們進展得很順利，這很有用哦。舒服地坐下，閉上眼睛，想象自己已經準備好去應考，或者有信心在足球賽中踢入致勝一球。當然，想象積極畫面代替不了真正的準備工作，但它們能讓你更加自信。

Breathe Deep

深呼吸

On one hand, you already know how to breathe. You're doing it right now! But learning how to breathe in yoga practice can help you notice how your breathing changes when you're anxious or upset. Often, when you start to feel nervous or uncomfortable, your breathing may get faster and you might not breathe as deeply. Once you tune in to your breath, you can try belly breathing.

一方面，你已經知道如何呼吸，因為你此刻就在呼吸!但學習如何在瑜伽練習中呼吸能助你在焦慮煩躁時察覺呼吸的變化。當人開始感到緊張不安時，其呼吸往往會急促起來，而且呼吸的深度不夠。一旦了解自己的呼吸變化，你可以試著用腹部呼吸。

Get Up and Move!

動起來!

There are many different yoga poses. Some can help you stretch the neck, shoulders and back, which are most likely to get tense when you are nervous or stressed. Try these two yoga poses when you want to de-stress yourself:Surprise/Sourpuss: Open your mouth wide and bugout your eyes, then close your eyes very tightly and puckeryour lips.Alternateback and forth between “surprise” and “sourpuss.” Do this while you're studying to help loosen up your face and jaw, which can get really tense while you're studying. If you have a study partner, make a game of it! Who can make the silliest face? Shoulder gymnastics: Do a few gentle shoulder and neck rolls right before a test to keep your shoulders nice and loose. You can even do them during a test if you need a refreshing break.

瑜伽有很多不同的姿勢，有些可以讓你伸展頸部、肩膀和背部，這些部位在你緊張或感到壓力時通常會繃得很緊。當你想減壓的時候，試試以下兩個瑜伽姿勢：驚訝/怒容：張開嘴巴，瞪大雙眼;然后緊緊地合上眼睛，噘起嘴唇。交替做“驚訝”和“怒容”這兩個動作。我們學習時，臉部和下顎會繃緊，這套動作能幫你放松這兩個部位。如果你跟同伴一起學習，還可以當游戲玩呢!誰的鬼臉更傻呢?肩操：測驗前適當擺動肩頸能讓你的肩部舒適放松。如果想休息一下，讓自己頭腦清醒，你甚至可以在測驗中途做一下這個動作。

Have Fun with Yoga

開心自在玩瑜伽

Yoga can help you in serious ways, but it also can be a lot of fun. You can smile during yoga, and even laugh, which is a great stress reliever too. Yoga can be done alone or with friends. And you can do it at home, at a yoga studio, or in the park.We'll end with a special Sanskritgreeting—“namaste.” It's traditionally said at the end of a yoga practice and it means the light inside of me bows to the light inside of you. Namaste.

瑜伽既可以嚴肅對待，也可以趣味橫生。練習瑜伽時你可以面帶笑容，甚至放聲大笑，這也是減壓的好方式哦。你可以獨自練習瑜伽，也可以結伴練習;瑜伽可以在家、瑜伽室或公園里進行。我們將以一句特別的梵文問候語結束——“雙手合十”。瑜伽練習結束時一般都會說這句話，意思是我體內的靈光向你體內的靈光鞠躬。雙手合十。