Therapeutic Yoga for Schools
Weekly therapeutic yoga provides an opportunity for children to experience some calm and stillness. Yoga is accessible to all children regardless of their level of cognition, physical disabilities or those who struggle with their emotional and sensory regulation. Yoga can help to release stress and anxiety and teach regulation skills reducing incidents of behaviour that challenges others. It improves attention, sleep, digestion, develops muscle flexibility and strength, as well as body awareness, balance and co-ordination.
Therapeutic yoga is usually a 1:1 session with children who need a personalised approach to enable them to fully engage. However, children who are able to follow simple instructions and share space appropriately with their peers may benefit from a small group class.
Yoga classes will be a sensory experience and could include breathwork, yoga poses, yoga games, yoga stories, meditation, massage and other mindfulness techniques. They will be personalised to meet the individuals needs. Classes will not just teach physical and emotion regulation skills but also incorporate opportunities to develop pupils communication skills, with the use of AAC or through verbal language.
If this is something you would like to offer your students please get in touch.
Benefits of yoga
The benefits of yoga are infinite and as well as all those listed below there will be lots of other personal benefits. We can also include any topic work or key words into our sessions as well as developing positional language.
Physical Benefits
1. Sleep
2. Digestion and constipation
3. Relax muscles and increase flexibility
4. Strengthen muscles and bones
5. Balance
6. Co-ordination
7. Increase independent movements
8. Reduce pain or discomfort
Mental Benefits
1. Concentration
2. Attention
3. Less incidents of behaviours that challenge
4. More regulated and able to engage
5. Cope with change
Physical and Sensory regulation
1. Become more aware of different body parts
2. Develop awareness of body in space
3. More aware of internal physical sensations
4. Notice and learn how to change breathing
5. Recognise how heart rate changes
Sensory experiences
1. Textures
2. Smells
3. Sounds
4. Massage
Emotional regulation
1. Releasing trauma and tension from the body
2. Reduce stress and anxiety
3. Recognise emotions
4. Confidence
5. Build trusting relationships
6. Independence
Communication Skills
1. Listening
2. Making choices
3. Following instructions
4. Taking turns
5. Sharing space with others