Yoga Young, Yoga
Smart
Starting a Yoga Life at an Early Age
by Sharona Sernik
M
ost parents agree that teenagers are hard to deal with.
As a seventeen year old, I feel I can speak for teenag-
ers when I say that it’s also hard to deal with the decisions we
have to make. The constant pressure of school grades, college
admissions, your future, your past, your friends and family, your
appearance, it never seems to end. Each step you take shapes
the way your life becomes as you grow. Yet it’s hard to keep that
in mind with all the present temptations: drugs, alcohol, boys, contribute to the many aggressive drivers that Miami is known
and parties. While some find refuge and addiction in cocaine or for. Now, however, I integrate the practice of ahimsa (non-vio-
marijuana, I’ve found my own harmless addiction: yoga. lence) while I’m stuck in traffic, which ultimately improves my
I started practicing in November 2006 because of one of state of mind. I also began to make better choices around foods
the many teenage pressures, my appearance. I did yoga to lose and explored holistic practices, like acupuncture and medita-
weight, and lost the weight, but then realized that yoga would tion.
serve as more than just the proper exercise. Through my prac- Yoga also taught me discipline and commitment. As I
tice, I was able to escape daily pressures in a real, healthy way. wanted to expand my practice, I needed to attend yoga classes
I tapped into myself mentally and physically and worked my more than three times a week, just like any member of a sports
thoughts in instead of letting my frustrations out. For instance, team who attends practices to improve their game. This taught
my day to day activities changed. Driving in traffic, for example, me to prioritize and use my time wisely, as I had to make time
used to be time to yell and beep at unknown drivers. I would for yoga and all my other activities. Through this commitment, I
met people and teachers who inspired me as they shared their
paths to yoga. When I shared mine, the response was always
the same: “You’re lucky you started so young,” they’d say.
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So, I realized that I really was lucky to have found this
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ancient practice in my modern life. All the changes that have
already happened are just the first of many to come. And apart
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from my peace of mind, I’m keeping my body healthy. Yoga is
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not only a healing practice, but it’s also preventative, and I’m
confident that if I continue to practice, my body will thank me
as I continue to grow. After feeling and seeing the changes
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that yoga has brought to my life, I enjoy sharing my story and
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inspiring other young people to follow the same path. I have
continued to learn different styles of yoga and have decided to
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take the steps necessary to become a yoga teacher.
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I started a youth program at the Yoga Warehouse in Ft.
Lauderdale, invited classmates and friends to YogaRosa for a
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special youth class, and am still looking for more ways to bring
yoga to the youth. Yoga is a way of life that is accessible to all.
This practice can open your mind and body to peace, non-
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violence, health and happiness, as it did for me.
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Sharona Sernik is now a senior at Dr. Michael M. Krop High
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School. She is the managing editor for her award-winning school

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newspaper, The Lighting Strike, and is interning with Susan Q
Wood at Natural Awakenings Ft. Lauderdale for her senior year.
She can be e-mailed at shary_sernik@hotmail.com for more

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information about yoga youth programs at Yoga Warehouse (see



newsbrief page12) and YogaRosa.
46 Broward County
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