Senior Arden Henley first turned to yoga as a migraine cure, but after completing a 200-hour certification program, the practice became a passion. Now Henley is one of the youngest instructors with certification.

Henley had horrible migraines in sixth grade, so to relieve her, her dad suggested yoga.

“I used yoga as a distraction from pain,” Henley said. “It was a source of comfort, and it took my mind off things. After my migraines went away, I fell out of my practice a bit, but then I picked it back up during COVID, thanks to the Peloton app. I instantly fell in love and decided to dive into the teaching world by signing up for the summer intensive course.”

Henley completed Highland Yoga’s Summer Intensive 200-hour training. Henley was the youngest instructor in training at just 17. Most of the other instructors are around 30. Henley said being younger, initially, was difficult.

“At first, I struggled with feelings of not belonging there,” Henley said. “It was almost imposter syndrome. In addition, this training was super intense. Ten days from 8-5 of yoga, lectures, practice teaching, taking classes and workshops. It took a toll on everyone in the class’s body to sit on the floor for 10 days. After some reflection, I realized that I really wanted to teach, though. This was the way to get it, so I pushed through and ended up making some really beautiful connections.”

Ally LaForest, an instructor of the 200-hour training course, said she was impressed with Henley taking the course at such a young age.

“Initially, I noticed how poised Arden was, especially in a room full of people with a lot more life experience than her,” LaForest said. “Many had children or were of age or older. So, the fact that she was able to show up confidently in that space proves her inner strength.”

Brittney Lanier, another training course instructor, said she initially thought Henley was older.

“I honestly didn’t know she was in high school,” Lanier said. “When I found out she was about to be a senior, I was super impressed by her confidence and maturity. I could also tell that she was a go-getter and held herself to a very high standard when it came to getting things done or doing things correctly.”

Henley said during the beginning of training, she struggled; however, her instructor Shannon Jackson helped.

“On the very first day, we were going around doing introductions, and we got around to Shannon,” Henley said. “Before introducing herself, she said ‘Arden, you are going to be our rock. I can tell.’ Whenever I had doubts during training, I thought back to this and remembered that I had a place in this class, and I needed to show up for the students and instructors, as well as myself.”

LaForest said Henley tackled the problem head-on, coming back stronger.

“There was a day when Arden was feeling overwhelmed, which is not usual,” LaForest said. “It’s a lot of pressure, so there was a moment she had to step out and recenter, and when she came back, she crushed it. It’s a big deal to be able to compose yourself when you’re going through something hard and show back ready to do better.”

The 200-hour training is extensive, filled with an online course, reading two books and an in-person portion. Henley said the training helped with her yoga skills, including learning how to “eight angle.”

“[The workshop part of the in-person portion] is where a lot of my skills really developed and where I found variations of poses that are in my practice now,” Henley said. “We had workshops ranging from arm balances and inversions to hands-on adjustments and chakras. After our workshop, we would crack down and practice teaching until time to go. Practice teaching was certainly the hardest part because there are so many rules and learning curves, but it is the basis for actually becoming a teacher.”

Throughout the class, Henley developed her own teaching style.

“My teaching style so far has been pretty fast-paced,” Henley said. “I want my classes to be challenging, but still accessible. My philosophy revolves around having gratitude for your body and the practice. These classes are hard, and it is a gift in itself that your body can complete a class.”

After completing the course Henley taught a trial class, which senior Julia Williams attended.

“[Henley] was absolutely amazing,” Williams said. “It felt like the real deal. The class was definitely hard, but [Henley] was super encouraging. I’m excited to go to another one, as it was super fun, and I felt really good afterward.”

Henley said, as a yoga instructor, she has certain goals she hopes her students get from taking her class.

“I hope to bring a safe space to students where they can grow and also fail without any judgment,” Henley said. “If you come into a class and just breathe for an hour, that is amazing. It is also amazing if you do every inversion in the book. Every student has their own place in my class, and I want them to feel equally welcome.”

Senior David Baker also attended a class taught by Henley and said the class felt inclusive to all skill levels.

“[Henley’s] yoga class was great,” Baker said. “I’ve done a bit of yoga before, but her class was really nice. It was challenging, and it has inspired me to start meditating more and going to more yoga classes.”

After attending Henley’s trial class, Williams is attempting to get Henley to host a class for the volleyball team.

“I really hope Arden will host a class for our volleyball team,” junior Siri Bluestone said. “I think it will be great team bonding and help our bodies recover. Julia said it was very helpful when she last did Arden’s class, and I’m so happy Arden is willing to host one for us.”

Henley plans on hosting classes in Piedmont Park to gain more experience, and she hopes to get more young people interested in yoga. 

“I am surprised that someone her age decided to put the work into completing a YYT program,” Lanier said. “I can see Arden going very far as a yoga instructor, and I think her resilience is what’s going to set her apart from others. I also am excited to see how she impacts others’ views on age.”