Sensorize Yoga Therapy

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Use the information provided on this site as an educational resource for determining your options and making your
own informed choices. It is not intended as medical advice or to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific illness.

Sensorize
Toys, Products, and Ideas
for Sensory Stimulation

Yoga is a beneficial and fun addition to traditional PT, OT and physical rehabilitation. It develops
increased strength, flexibility (range of motion), balance, body awareness, coordination, motor planning,
concentration and an overall sense of well-being. Yoga provides organizing sensory input, teaches effective
deep breathing patterns, relaxation, and decreases feelings of stress. Yoga is a whole-body practice that
benefits both the body and the mind. Many find that yoga, when practiced regularly, helps children
become more aware of their thoughts and feelings. From this awareness, changes and growth in new and
positive directions can blossom.

BENEFITS OF YOGA THERAPY FOR CHILDREN:

Yoga is a foundation for well-being
develops strong and healthy bones
fosters creativity and imagination
increases focus and attention span
discovers self-awareness and respect for others
fosters confidence and self-esteem.
fosters ability to communicate
improves social skills
improves ability to motor plan

Children with sensory integration dysfunction:

struggle to figure out where their bodies are in space
demonstrate a great deal of difficulty with finding that "just right" level of attention
have poor control of precise and coordinated body movements
may either be over sensitive or under sensitive to particular sensory stimulation

These elements may lead children with sensory difficulties to the following:

find themselves at the extremes of attentiveness....either "slumped over their desk" at school or
"bouncing of the walls".
may appear clumsy
develop behavior that gets them in trouble at school
tend to fidget
display unusual behaviors such as "self biting", "throwing themselves on the floor", "chewing on
inappropriate items such as their shirt"

The system of yoga is beautifully and inherently designed to

improve body awareness through self discovery and breathing
increase strength, endurance and flexibility through yoga postures
teaches patience for one's abilities and inabilities as well as tolerance in challenging situations

Here are some of the aspects that are included in a yoga practice and their therapeutic benefits for children
(and adults)

Mantra (Yoga sounds): Use of vibration and vocalization is calming and helps to focus attention.
Encourages development of language and the physical ability to speak. Helps establish eye contact
and interactions.
Pranayama (Breath awareness): Deep breathing has a claming effect. Children are able to learn to use
their breath to self-calm. Practicing breathing encourages the development of breath support for
speech and postural stability. Children with hyperactivity or unstable activity levels respond
beautifully to breathwork and singing to calm and stabilize their activity levels. Styles of yoga that
use movement and breath together—like in Vinyasa and many exercises in Kundalini yoga are
perfect.
Asana (Postures and exercises): Help with all developmental aspects of gross motor skills, including
general body awareness and position in space.
Savasana (Deep relaxation): Even a few brief moments of quiet stillness can have beneficial effects for
children who rarely stop moving. Use visualization techniques. Try rolling a foamy ball up and down
the body slowly and with moderate pressure.
Meditation (quiet/alert time): Improves attention span, the ability to sit still and concentrate. Helps
remove anxiety and frees the mind from clutter so that it is more available for learning new things.
Using yoga songs and affirmations are a good way to start, for example: “I am happy, I am strong.”