Looking at Yoga as a Means to Interact with Special Needs Children
Yoga, a system of exercise to promote control of the body and mind requires movement, balance, and focus. Both Harper and Lily have been participating in Yoga for slightly more than a year. Not long after introducing Harper to Yoga we learned that Yoga is about more than building strength and flexibility!
In our attempt to aid in Harper’s muscular development we found a way for Lily to learn to safely interact with and move her special needs sister, as well as, a way for Lily to utilize techniques for emotional control. Not only did the practice of Yoga benefit our children but also it impacted our family. We started to physically see how children feed off of energy in their environment.
Calming and Communicating Through Positive Energy
When Lily was emotionally out of control I could scoop her up and hold her close and take 5 deep breaths. Always by the end of breath 5 she was calm and receptive to verbal communication and I found myself more in tune with what she actually needed from me at that time. The same applied with Harper. When Harper was not cooperating with a task such as feeding and I found myself frustrated, Harper would become increasingly more uncooperative, at which point I would put into practice the same calming technique that I used with Lily.
Yoga is more than just a form of exercise or spiritual enlightenment; it’s a language, a way of communicating through positive energy. They say you have truly mastered a foreign language when you begin to dream in that language. I love it when I go to wake Harper and find her dreaming in Yoga!
