Yoga for children with special needs
We are all aware of what yoga can do for our mind, body and soul, but how we can transfer these benefits to our children with special needs ? The practice of yoga is a great way for a child to begin to think about and acquire the energy to face the challenges in everyday life. What I propose is not necessarily, a sun salutation, but this hand yoga and the yoga of chair become a part of the theraputic programs that we offer to our children with special needs in our community. The capacity of the ambulatory and coginitive should not pre-bend our children to practice this tradition, life-changing, there are only small adaptations to be made.
I run currently a program of yoga chair with the adults with whom I work who have disabilites developmental and physical. The concept of yoga was new to the people that I support and their families, but thanks to some minds very open, we have created a program that allows people to flourish in their practice of yoga, regardless of ability, age or restriction of health.
For children in wheelchairs, I would recommend looking at yoga poses chair, which now are mainly for the elderly. These poses can easily be adapted to your child. As Rodney Yee said, ” the single most important piece of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind. “If we approach yoga from the Chair, with this attitude, I think that exercise has a great potential to build confidence and increase range of motion.
In working with our children with special needs, it is important that any activity is not prohibited, but only modified. I suggest that the studios in St. Louis added a program class to yoga with a chair in their calendar, and see how is the response. That all the world enjoy the benefits of the ancient practice and do the movements with your child, we must all learn to breathe a little better.
Contents
Yoga also enters the schools…
Over the past years, Yoga, found recognition to more people, men or women, regardless of age, nationality and physical condition. However, recently, there are e as new programs in schools in the United States, where Yoga is a special course for children with autism or children with special needs!
Note: This new type of Yoga was created by Scott Anderson to help answer several behaviors and specific situations experienced by these people!
The different behaviors of these people generally have to do with:
- compulsive behavior
- an explosion of aggression
- severe pain
- excessive stress
- uncontrolled emotions
- alternate feelings
- lack of self-control
Yoga improves control of these situations for people with disabilities or autism, and in parallel (as any type of yoga to each person) help:
- the acquisition of the flexibility
- to the conquered from the physical self
- the increase in stamina
- the strengthening of the body
- the strengthening of the mind
Anti-stress Yoga!
The people with autism usually have strong emotional fluctuations but also very high levels of stress! Their interaction with others increases stress levels which can lead to serious psychosomatic situations!
(!): Stress affects not just the psychology of the individual but also his body! High levels of stress (especially in an individual with special needs) can cause a malfunction in the whole of the body!
(!): Stress is proven that especially in these people the process of digestion, and the function of respiration and heart rate are harder!
The course becomes “audiovisual”…
To facilitate people with disabilities to participate in a series of Yoga exercises, several cards are used in combination with audio controls. So the person listens to the command of the teacher and in parallel also sees a map of the asana to succeed!
The Visual stimulus allows more in-depth understanding of the exercise and its cessation easier!
Experts believe that the course can be understood and feasible for people with needs precisely thanks to these cards!
