PARENTING
Om
30
november/december 2017yogajournal.com.auserve them now when making
their career choices, as well as in all
future life decisions.- DREAM BIG
Once the mind is quiet, it allows our
inner knowing to surface. Ask your teen
to take a piece of paper and journal all
thoughts that spring up. If they have a
blank, instruct them to answer these
questions: If I could be anything, what
would it be? If I could do anything, what
would I do? Encourage them to dream
big and not limit what thoughts come
up, but to write down every possibility. - MANAGE YOUR MIND
Once you have a clear understanding of
your direction, what it is you want to
do or become, then comes the task of
managing any limiting or negative
beliefs that surface. My teen yoga
classes love an exercise I call ‘chuck
it’. Ask your teen to write down on a
piece of paper any negative, limiting, or
disempowering beliefs they have about
their future direction, job or purpose. It
could be something like, “I can’t”, “I’m
not good enough”, or a worry or fear
such as, “What if I don’t succeed?” Then
have them tear it all up and throw it in
the bin.
Help your teens discover their life purpose and set the stage for success.
PHOTO:PESHKOVA/ISTOCKPHOTO.COMEXCITED LITTLE FACESlit up when I
recently asked a class of five-year-olds
the question, “What do you want to
be when you grow up?”Astronaut,
ballerina, explorer,andmermaidwere
some of their enthusiastic answers.
This is a beautiful age for little hearts
to dream big.
Fast forward and ask the same
question to teens making their subject
choices for college or university, orBy Loraine Rushton
forging a career path after leaving
school and we see the spark disappear.
Fears and worries cloud judgement.
Limiting thoughts take over such as,
“Will my exam results be good enough
to take me into my subject of choice?
Will I get one of the limited places?
Will they like me? Should I choose my
second or third favourite, but what
feels like the safest option?”
Life could look very different
for these teens if they learnt
how to stay open to future
possibilities without
limiting beliefs. Here are
some of the tips I share
with all my teen classes
for how to stay true to
what your heart desires
and follow the path you were
destined to fulfi ll.- GET QUIET
Have you ever asked a class of teens,
“What do you want to do when you
leave school?” If you have, then you
are well aware of the blank faces and
the utters of, “I dunno.” In order to
live a life of purpose, and choose
the right path for you, fi rst you
must know what that path
could look like. And the
only way to access this
information is to be
still, become very
quiet, and listen.
Because our inner
voice is different
to our outer voice,
and we must use
practices that help
us to connect with
it. Breathing
exercises, such as
belly breathing or
alternate nostril
breathing, work
well. Teaching
teens to quiet
their minds and
listen to their
inner guidance will
LIFElessons