Gloria gets out of bed and picks up her phone. Opening an app, she clicks and scrolls, and then watches a short video. The usual morning routine for a teen, you might think…but then she puts the phone down and starts an asana sequence.
The app is the result of two years’ research funded by the European Union on how yoga might best help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It was designed to help teenagers maintain their yoga practice between classes. It guides them through sequences selected by their teacher, so that their practice, rather than confined to a weekly class, can be daily, with the obvious benefits that that involves.