A local teacher has combined her passions for youth and yoga, partnering with Mackay Regional Council and the Activate Program to implement Yoga for Youth, a yoga class aimed exclusively at young people aged 12 to 18.
Rebecca Cooper previously explored yoga within her role as a secondary physical education teacher.
“I noticed how much the students got out of that experience, quite a diverse group of students who really needed this opportunity to slow down and escape the challenges of being a young person,” Ms Cooper said.
While on maternity leave, Ms Cooper contacted council to explore the possibility of a youth-focused yoga class who, at the time, had recently completed the Youth Out Loud 1000 survey.
“They interviewed 1,000 young people and from that they identified that there was a lack of safe spaces for young people to connect in the Mackay and Northern Beaches area and a lack of affordable and accessible youth-centred events, hence the birth of Yoga for Youth,” she said.
Whether young people are looking for low impact exercise to develop their sporting performance or are feeling stressed or anxious about the pressures of study, Ms Cooper said yoga can help.
“We’re encouraging young people to let go of their preconceived ideas about yoga and who it is for,” she said.
“Yoga is for everybody, and everyone can gain something different from the practice.”
Yoga for Youth classes present an opportunity for young people to move their body in a different way, improving strength, power, flexibility and balance.
“It gives young people the opportunity to move their body, regulate their stress, connect with themselves, calm the mind, and it’s also an opportunity to put the phone down,” Ms Cooper said.
Yoga for Youth classes are held weekly at the Mackay Northern Beaches State High School Performing Arts Centre from 4:45 to 5:45pm at a subsidised cost of $5 per student.
Ms Cooper will also host a mindfulness and yoga afternoon at Mackay Northern Beaches Community Group’s upcoming R U Ok? Day event on September 14 at Eimeo Beach Surf Life Saving Club.
Visit Yoga for Youth - Mackay on Facebook for more information.
Rebecca Cooper
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