01
In The Morning
Daylight, a short sequence, and staff who know when to step back if a position starts to feel like too much for your teen.
Yoga Therapy For Teens
We start with movement so your teen can sit through the therapy session later that day. Many teens find it hard to sit still enough to talk until they have moved first.
- 30-90 days
- Ages 12-17
- Morning and night
- Joint Commission accredited
- Family-owned since 2021
What this is
Settling The Body Before The Conversation
This is a morning practice on the terrace and a skill your teen can use on their own at two in the morning. It is not a fitness class. Strength, stretching, and breathing help your teen learn a way to settle down that does not involve a screen. Individual therapy still leads the treatment plan, and yoga helps a body that feels overloaded settle enough to take part in it.
When the body has to settle first
- 01
Sitting Still For Therapy Is Hard Right Now
Anxiety or ADHD can make it hard for your teen to stay in a therapy chair until they have moved their body first.
- 02
Mornings That Are Hard To Start
Depression and shutting down can make a first physical action important, and standing up on the terrace can be exactly that.
- 03
When Trauma Shows Up In The Body
We do not force a position that feels like too much for your teen. They can come out of any pose or do a smaller version of it.
- 04
Evenings That Are Hard To Wind Down
An evening sequence gives your teen a way to wind down that does not involve a phone, so sleep has a chance to start.
- 05
A Group Without A Talking Circle
Teens stand side by side with no talking required. Some teens find this is the easiest way to join the household at first.
- 06
A Skill That Can Work At Home
Three poses and a breathing pattern are meant to work in a dark bedroom, because the terrace is where your teen practices them.
How it works
Where The Body Work Happens
Morning on the terrace, the therapy hour afterward, and a shorter sequence before sleep all use the same practice.
02
In Sessions
Your teen's primary therapist knows what happened in the body that morning, and any panic after a pose is treated as useful information.
03
At Bedtime
A shorter practice before sleep, because we know resting is not something a teen can simply decide to do.
Our approach
What The Body Is Learning
A repeated morning practice, real choice within every pose, and yoga set aside when it feels like too much for your teen.
- Core of the plan
Most Mornings, Not A Workshop
The nervous system learns from repetition. A special class once a week may not be enough to teach a teen how to settle.
Choice Within Every Pose
Your teen can skip a position, step out, or do a smaller version. We do not ask anyone to push through a pose to prove a point.
The Same Breathing As The Night Skill
The breathing they do in the morning matches what they use at night, so your teen learns one technique instead of two competing ones.
Connected To Individual Therapy
What shows up in the body often belongs in the therapy session that afternoon, which keeps yoga and therapy as one plan.
- When needed
Set Aside When It Is Too Much
If there is a medical reason, your teen feels too much in the moment, or their body cannot do it, we skip yoga and keep individual therapy first.
Your part
This Is Practice, Not A Fitness Class
You learn the three poses that are meant to work in a bedroom at home, and yoga is treated as practice rather than a gym membership.
Are they just stretching over there?
Ask What Their Body Practiced
Settling down, building strength, and starting the day are the goals, and we will tell you when a pose was skipped.
We'll start yoga once they are home.
Learning The Short Sequence Too
Family time includes the same three poses, so the first night home is not the first time your teen tries them.
Tell them to calm down on the mat.
Prompt It, Then Step Out Of The Room
If you stand in the doorway and coach every pose, your teen has less room to practice it alone. We teach you when to start it and when to step out of the room.
Length of stay
30
days in residence, by progress
This practice runs alongside the 30 to 90 day stay rather than ending on a set date.
90
How This Fits Into A Stay
Yoga is part of a 30 to 90 day stay as one physical skill in the week. It does not replace individual therapy, and we skip it when a pose feels like too much for a teen or a clinician advises against it. Aftercare means a next therapist who already knows the practice.
- The first two weeks are for finding a sequence that works for your teen, with no pressure for a breakthrough.
- Most teens leave in one to three months, and some stay longer when the night-time skill still feels shaky.
- Aftercare means a next therapist and a written evening sequence that your family can use at home.
When to call
Call Us. We'll Tell You If This House Fits.
If your teen has trouble starting to talk until they have moved first, call us. Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will help you decide whether this house can teach it. If the goal is specifically a technique for two in the morning, our breathwork page may be the closer fit.
Before you call
The Details Families Ask About First
- Who treats your teen
- Clinical care is led by Alejandro Alva, M.D., our Medical Director, and Stacia Ponce-Rodriguez, LMFT, our Clinical Director.Meet the team
- Cost and insurance
- We verify your benefits at no cost before anyone is asked to commit, with plans including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, Cigna, GEHA, and Magellan. Benefits vary by plan, and verification is not a guarantee of coverage.How admissions works
- How progress is tracked
- Your teen's treatment plan is reviewed as their progress changes, and the next step is planned around that progress instead of a set date.
- Where your teen lives
- Teens live in a boys' house or a girls' house, in Orange County or Riverside County in Southern California. Families can tour the homes by appointment through admissions.Residential treatment for teen boysResidential treatment for teenage girlsTour the homes
FAQ
Questions About Yoga Therapy For Teens
Answers to what parents often ask about yoga therapy in our program. If your question is not here, admissions can talk it through with you.
What happens in a yoga therapy session?
Most mornings, your teen does a short sequence on the terrace with strength, stretching, and breathing. A shorter practice comes before sleep, and it is not a fitness class.
Who is with my teen during yoga, and who hears about it?
Staff are there in the morning and know when to step back if a position starts to feel like too much for your teen. Your teen's primary therapist knows what happened in the body that morning, and any panic after a pose is treated as useful information.
Does yoga take the place of therapy?
Yoga does not replace individual therapy, which still leads the treatment plan. What shows up in the body often belongs in the therapy session that afternoon, so yoga and therapy stay one plan.
What if a pose is too hard or uncomfortable for my teen?
Your teen can skip a position, step out, or do a smaller version, and we do not force a position that feels like too much. If there is a medical reason or their body cannot do it, we skip yoga and keep individual therapy first.
How do parents take part in the yoga practice?
Family time includes the same three poses, so the first night home is not the first time your teen tries them. We also teach you when to start the practice and when to step out of the room.