Question: Your tween daughter is begging to take a weekly yoga class with her friends. Should you steer her toward a sport instead?

Answer: Adolescence is actually a prime time for yoga, says Paula Walker, yoga instructor at Miami-based Green Monkey yoga studios, which partners with schools to offer children's yoga classes.

"Self-confidence, self-esteem and self-respect are the three most important things for preteen girls to develop as their bodies are changing," Walker says. "Yoga teaches them to become very in touch with their bodies from the inside out."

The breathing techniques, spiritual teachings and mindfulness meditations that accompany the stretches and other physically taxing parts of yoga classes can give tweens the tools they need to navigate any number of stressful situations.

"It teaches you to calm down your nervous system," Walker says. "You learn to calm down your anxiety and panic modes so when you're 13 and you're facing a big test or pressure from the outside world, you can control your breathing and think more clearly."

A few other benefits for tweens, Walker says:

Nutrition awareness: "Yoga becomes a lifestyle that permeates the rest of your life. So when you leave yoga, you're not going to want to go eat at McDonald's. You start to choose all kinds of healthier ways to live."

Connectedness: "It builds a sense of belonging and community with the other people in your class. And preteens can take adult classes, so it's something that moms and daughters and sisters can all do together."

Crossover: "Yoga makes you more flexible and strengthens your core. So if you do ballet or gymnastics, it's a great add-on. If you swim, if you do any other sport, it's going to elevate your skill set."

Posture: "It makes you sit up straighter and roll your shoulder blades back and just be more mindful of your posture." Just in time for prom photos.

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Yoga ideal activity for tweens

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The burning Indian fragrance is an incense called nan champa, and the music that sets the mood is a mixture of Kundalini meditation music. The lights are low, and the moment Shannon Workman Lanier starts the class, all chatter becomes a sudden, focused quiet. Lanier has been practicing yoga for 10 years, but it wasnt until this past summer that she became a certified yoga instructor through YogaFit.

Lanier said whats important to remember about yoga is not to have any specific expectations, and to be open to whats new and different. Let go and honor your body.

While there are many forms of taught yoga, Lanier teaches a version called Hatha (ha in sanskrit means sun and tha means moon), which dates back to the 15th century and was founded by a sage in India as a way to intensify the meditation experience through stretching exercises. Hatha Yoga is the basis for other various yoga techniques taught today, said Lanier.

While Lanier guides her students through various poses from Childs Pose, which is a kneeling position on the floor to the several standing Warrior forms she instructs them on when and how to use their breathing techniques.

They say we take 5,000 breaths a day, said Lanier, And how many of those do we pay attention to?

What she also notes about yoga as compared to other exercises is that yoga is very adaptable to the individual participant. She keeps the routines flexible in case anyone is having specific issues with joints or muscles. For example, she said, shoulder expansions and forward folds will do well to stretch out kinks in the back, neck, or shoulders. Also, certain positions can be made to adapt to a persons experience and flexibility level, which is why, she points out, yoga can be accessible to all ages and body shapes.

One of Laniers students during a Wednesday class said she is able to use what she learns from yoga and apply it to horse riding and shows. Anne Demirjian, 46, a former registered nurse, has been practicing yoga for 2 years. She also does aerobics and weight training. She said it helps with balance and keeping flexible for riding, specifically down dog, which stretches out her heels. It also allows her to mentally focus and visualize what she needs to do.

It calms you, explains Demirjian, And, in turn, it calms the horses.

While Laniers classes consist mostly of women ranging in age from 30 to 60, a recent one at the Decatur Indoor Sports Center, which offers a yoga class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, was made up of students in their early 20s. Of the eight who attended, three were men.

One session in early March at the DISC was run by T.J. Kuster, 22, a Millikin student from Warrensburg-Latham.

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Yoga practitioners find many benefits along the ‘journey’

SHANNON MONEO VICTORIA From Monday's Globe and Mail Published Sunday, May. 13, 2012 7:53PM EDT Last updated Sunday, May. 13, 2012 7:55PM EDT

With music softly playing in the background, the calm voice of yoga teacher Gwen Siciliano instructs five women, each with their beloved dog beside them, to settle into a pose.

But theres no barking out instructions at what is Vancouver Islands only yoga class for dogs and people doga where participants bond on the mat during one hour of heavy breathing and soft poses.

Its about tuning into yourself and settling into yourself so the dog will feel it, says Ms. Siciliano, who teaches doga at the Fuller Lake Arena near Duncan, B.C. Youre grooving to your breath, going into a twist, holding the pose and getting into this quietness. The dogs become totally relaxed, said Ms. Siciliano, a yoga practitioner for 10 years and yoga teacher for two years.

When a fitness co-ordinator asked her if shed like to lead a doga class. Ms. Siciliano, who owns four dogs, at first didnt bite.

I thought she was crazy. I thought it was a gimmick, she said.

But once she tried it with her two golden retrievers, shepherd, and Shih Tzu-mix, Ms. Siciliano realized you can teach an old dog new tricks.

You might judge this as flaky, but once youve experienced it, youll really understand the quality of the bonding, she said. Its like Mommy and Me yoga, where you bring your kid.

At the one-hour class, dog owners bring their pets favourite blanket and toy and use the same spot each week. The dogs, who remain on leash, dont socialize before or during class.

Even hyper Jack Russells or high-strung Chihuahuas can be brought under the calming spell of doga as long as the owner retains control, Ms. Siciliano said.

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A yoga class for dogs (and people)

Your tween daughter is begging to take a weekly yoga class with her friends. Should you steer her toward a sport instead?

Parent advice (from our panel of staff contributors):

Once you've checked it out, I'd say let her go for it. As the parent of a girl this age, I think they can benefit from learning anything that increases their focus and ability to calm themselves, which I've found to be one of the great, lasting benefits of yoga. And while team sports are great, I think it's important to promote physical activities that kids can still be doing at age 80. Like yoga.

Cindy Dampier

I would think the benefits of yoga would outweigh those of most other activities. Even if your daughter is interested only because her friends are and she's just following the pack, something might click, and she'll become involved in a body/mind practice that she can benefit from long after she'll have lost the ability to kick a soccer ball.

Bill Hageman

Teaching children about the mind/body connection, breathing and stretching can have lifelong benefits. Plus there's a fitness component, and it's a great stress reliever. Also, the noncompetitive nature of it can improve self-esteem in kids more than a team sport. And what tween couldn't use a bit of self-esteem?

Seka Palikuca

Expert advice:

Adolescence is actually a prime time for yoga, says Paula Walker, yoga instructor at Miami-based Green Monkey yoga studios, which partners with schools to offer children's yoga classes.

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Is yoga the best choice for teen?

Leslie Glickman doesn't like to call herself the yoga queen of Boca Raton. But after 20 years she's so well known, her master class will be center stage at National Mom's Nite Out at Town Center at Boca Raton. You can also find her in Sanborn Square on Saturday mornings, a new city perk to help generate foot traffic downtown.

That's Glickman looking half her age holding court on the floor, as bloggers relax on mats for a preview of "Zen for the Mom" from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the Nordstrom wing of the mall. Mothers are invited free and without the children for a breather: meditation, music, massage, a Lululemon Athletica fashion show, and gentle exercise before the mad rush of Mother's Day on May 13.

Guess whose picture is in the yoga and running gear store? That's right, Glickman, whose business is called Yoga Journey. A walking ad for yoga, she turned to instructing after co-owning Michael's Body Scene gym in Boca Del Mar. "I still teach there," she said.

The Saturday morning class came through a city worker and her volunteer work with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, the walk in Mizner Park in October. "This is my community and we should be creating community through yoga," Glickman said, adding that's she up to about 40 devotees every Saturday morning.

At a California Pizza Kitchen food tasting later, founder Maria Bailey said she was relieved not to have to "hop on a plane" to one of 1,100 National Mom's Nite Outs she started five years ago.

She said 133 malls are doing this now. "This started with a tweet that everyone felt like Mother's Day is so much work. Suddenly, there were 800 events across the country."

Now her own brand with the large agency BSM Media in Pompano Beach and clients like Walmart, the author and Mom Talk Radio host said she'll tweet from the event at the mall in Boca. Bailey's event web site is momsniteout.com/.

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Yoga queen plus the founder at National Mom's Nite Out

WALNUT CREEK -- Although there was a slight chill in the air on a recent overcast Thursday morning, a group of people showed up to stretch.

As yoga mats were arranged in a semicircle at the entrance of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, Pleasant Hill yoga teacher Jan Enderle led the students through a series of gentle, flowing movements.

"Outside yoga is a little different. Instead of closing ourselves from the world, we're going to bring everything in," said Enderle, who guided students to the benefits of each yoga pose and movement.

She explained that her style, called Sugi Yoga, emphasizes gentle movements that encourage participants to be mindful of their bodies to ensure a pose or movement doesn't cause any pain. Enderle said she invites students to "find a place where it's comfortable and stay there." The adage "no pain, no gain," doesn't have a place in her class, she said.

After exploring the parks, trails and open space of Contra Costa County for several years, Enderle received training and certifications in horticulture and natural landscape interpretation. Soon after, she took up yoga teacher training at what was then Sugi Yoga studio in Pleasant Hill in 2004.

Enderle's first introduction to yoga "all started with a book and a TV show," when she was 20 years old.

"I did my yoga off and on for several years as I was hiking but hadn't combined the two," said Enderle, who took up backpacking in high school. "I always hiked

Today, Enderle has blended her two passions -- hiking and yoga -- and is offering them through Yoga Nature Adventures for the public's enjoyment.

She started inviting people on yoga hikes and soon developed a following, she said.

"Now, I can't go hiking anywhere without scoping out a great yoga spot," said Enderle, who also teaches at Windbell Wellness Center in Pleasant Hill.

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Teacher takes yoga to the great outdoors

Tao Porchon-Lynch considers her hundreds of yoga students to be her own children. The 93-year-old has been practicing yoga since she was 8 years old, and was just named the world's oldest yoga teacher by Guinness World Records.

Based in New York, Porchon-Lynch has taught hundreds of students around the globe for over 45 years, and has followers in India, France and the U.S.

Accolades arent anything knew for the famous yogi. Born in a French colony in India, she once won a contest for the best legs in Europe after working as a cabaret dancer in London during World War II. Her win led to a modeling career in Paris and then acting roles in America, followed by a career in script writing and documentaries.

It wasnt until the age of 73 that Porchon-Lynch decided to concentrate on teaching yoga, founding the Westchester Institute of Yoga in New York.

According to her website, Tao is a living advertisement for how to tap into our human potential. She is unique in her ability to overcome the effects of aging to control her body and mind in harmony with yogas principles.

Porchon-Lynch teaches yoga four days a week and also keeps busy ballroom dancing and guiding wine tours in New York State. And she certainly knows how to overcome a challenge. At 87, she had hip surgery but a month later she took to the dance floor, starting lessons.

I believe that we can always reach just a little bit further," said Porchon-Lynch. "Im inspired to bring yoga into others lives along with helping people unearth new talents.

The previous record-holder for oldest yoga teacher was Bernice Bates, 91, of Florida, who was given the title last year.

Oldest bodybuilder When great-grandmother Edith Wilma Connor, 77, began to feel like the time spent behind her desk was making her stagnant she decided to take up fitness. She was in her sixties, and what began as simple gym routine with her son turned into a serious pursuit of bodybuilding.

She has called her discovery of the sport her salvation.

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At 93, world's oldest yoga teacher still going strong

An Internet weight-loss sensation that involves a new, high-intensity form of yoga has led a once-obese man to drop a 100 pounds.

Arthur Boorman, 47, has managed to lose the weight using DDP, or Diamond Dallas Page, which is a pumped-up form of yoga that forgoes all of the gongs and serenity typically associated with the Hindu physical and spiritual discipline.

"It's a different kind of yoga. We make a joke: 'It ain't your momma's yoga,'" Boorman said.

DDP was invented by Diamond Dallas Page, an extreme former wrestler who thought yoga could use a new intensity. We all know yoga can build strength and flexibility, but it can also be the key to significant weight loss by creating a slow, deep resistance to each movement, getting the body working against itself. Page's program capitalizes on this.

These days it's hard to imagine that not many years ago, Boorman was a Gulf War veteran with some serious back issues. At that time he plunged into some dark days, becoming so obese that at one point, he couldn't walk without leg braces.

Boorman thought yoga could help his back pain, but no studios wanted to work with him because he couldn't stand on his own.

"I was up late, on a search engine just typing different things, and I typed in yoga and broken back, and up popped Dallas' page," he recalls.

Boorman soon got the Page's DVDs, and slowly and surprisingly he saw himself shrinking, tightening and strengthening.

After his weight loss, Boorman has now moved from DDP student to teacher. But he must warn his pupils that there is nothing soothing or meditative about his class.

"It's like the Marines, yoga for the Marines," Claire, one of Boorman's students, said.

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Extreme Yoga: Man Drops 100 Pounds

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This Saturday, May 12th, Black Dog Yoga celebrates its tenth anniversary as an inviting, safe and unpretentious yoga studio, centrally located in the San Fernando Valley.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120510/LA04623LOGO )

The original owners, Steve and Shirley O'Connor, first opened the doors of the studio in May, 2002. Peter Barnett took over as owner in 2008, continuing the commitment of the original owners to make a contribution to the local community. Today, Black Dog Yoga offers a varied schedule of 90 weekly classes, including several discount community classes to make yoga more accessible.

As the studio gears up for its anniversary party, congratulations have poured in from past and present students, like Susan Jensen Debonne, who wrote in an email, "Black Dog will forever have the most special place in my heart. Whenever anyone asks me where I recommend for yoga, without hesitation, Black Dog is my answer. What you do at that place is what all yoga studios should strive to do. The energy is beautiful, upbeat and non-threatening. I feel so fortunate to have discovered Black Dog. I look forward to returning again and again for my favorite class - Peter's, of course - and for all the other wonderful classes you offer!"

As part of the studio's commitment to community service, in November, 2011, Black Dog Yoga adopted the Downtown Women's Center as its primary charity. All proceeds from the studio's donation classes now go to the DWC. Once a month, the studio donates groceries for a special dinner prepared by the Black Dog Yoga Cooking Club, a group of volunteer yoga students and staff, spearheaded by Rose Gresch, manager of Black Dog Yoga, and a former chef at Spago.

Black Dog Yoga offers an eclectic mix of Hatha yoga, primarily based on the Ashtanga Vinyasa and Anusara disciplines. With classes for all levels, the studio is dedicated to making yoga accessible and fun in a clean and nurturing environment.

Steered by owner Peter Barnett, and a growing roster of more than 30 gifted instructors, Black Dog Yoga has become the premier yoga facility in the San Fernando Valley. Withthree practice rooms and a retail area, totaling 4,500 square feet, it is the largest, independently-owned yoga studio in the Valley area of Los Angeles. For more information, visit http://www.blackdogyoga.com.

Peter Barnett peter@blackdogyoga.com Rose Gresch rose@blackdogyoga.com 818-380-0331

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Valley's Black Dog Yoga Celebrates Tenth Anniversary