Don’t we all have “special needs”?

The meaning of the word Yoga is “to yoke”, which speaks to the fact that yoga is all about the integration of mind, body and spirit.  In accordance with this definition and intention, we at Every Kid’s Yoga approach the art of teaching yoga to groups of children as an integrated process that views them along a continuum in terms of ability and need.  Because we are likely to encounter those identified as “typically developing” alongside those identified as having “special needs”, yoga teachers must have the ability to quickly assess group and individual needs and to respond accordingly.  Therefore in this training you will learn how to teach yoga to groups of children with varied abilities and needs.

Discover the many ways that yoga can promote the healthy development of children, ages 4-12.  In addition to learning all you need to know about creating a children’s yoga class, you will learn how the practice of yoga addresses difficulties with attention, self-regulation, speech and language, learning, and sensory processing.

This experiential workshop will address how to work with children exhibiting the following challenges in a group setting:

• Those who are easily over-stimulated
• Those who are potentially impulsive and/or distractible
• Those who exhibit poor body-awareness and social skills
• Those who are learning disabled/with an emphasis on speech and language based learning disabilities
• Those who are potentially oppositional and/or disruptive
• Those who present with high or low muscle tone

We are likely to encounter children diagnosed and undiagnosed with the following in most group yoga classes:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Sensory Processing Dysfunction (SPD)
• Learning Disabled (LD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

This program is appropriate for yoga teachers and parents, teachers and therapists with a personal yoga practice who are interested in sharing the gift of yoga with children.

As a result of taking this program, program participants will be able to:

• Structure a class for potentially impulsive children using behavior management and limit-setting techniques
• Modify postures for this population
• Teach breathing exercises, meditation and relaxation to children
• Integrate props, chanting, Thai Yoga Massage and partner yoga
• Employ visuals for children with language-based learning disabilities
• Use yoga to support speech and language, sensory processing, memory, and reading comprehension.

Fee: $595 (Price includes EKY Manual and DVD)

Registration Policy: Payment in full is required to reserve your space in this course, which is non-refundable. There is also a $40 processing fee to change the date of your course to a future date. If you change the date of the course you planned to attend within 2 weeks or less of the course, there will be a $100 fee. The original payment will be applied to a future course or workshop only.

Hours: Friday 1:30-8pm, Saturday 12:30-8:30pm and Sunday 12:30-5:30pm