Creating a Fun and Therapeutic Yoga Class for Children

Posted by Yoga Wonderland on 6/30/05

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Hi, my name is Martha Gold and my colleague Jessica
Rascoll and I will be presenting a one day workshop in New
York City on July 9th at Columbia University, Physical
Therapy Department, on how to teach a yoga class to
typically developing children, as well as children with
neurological and cognitive impairments, such as cerebral
palsy, Down's syndrome, spina bifida, mental retardation,
autism, etc. The workshop is meant for teachers, health
professionals, parents or individuals interested in
working with children. We are both Doctors of Physical
Therapy and we work as pediatric physical therapists in a
New York City public school for children with multiple
handicaps. We implemented a yoga program there two and a
half years ago and we currently teach more than 150
students a week yoga ranging from typically developing
children to children with mild, moderate and severe
disabilities. We have witnessed the benefits of yoga in
these children, which includes improvement in gross motor
skills, fine motor skills, balance, self-esteem, and so
much more. In addition, during the past school year, I
taught physical and occupational therapists who work for
the New York City Department of Education a workshop: Yoga
for All: Finding the Ability in Disability, which
empowered them to go back to their respective school
within the 5 boroughs and start a yoga program. Because of
the overwhelming positive response for this course, I
decided to make it available to people outside the
Department of Education. The class is really fun and
filled with practical ideas to begin your own yoga class
immediately. Wear loose clothing and be prepared to move
around a lot and have a great time. Below is a syllabus
for the day. Please e-mail with any questions. We look
forward to having you in our workshop.

Namaste,

Martha

Below is the syllabus for the workshop:

YOGA WONDERLAND:
Creating a Fun and Therapeutic Yoga Class for Children of
ALL Abilities

At the completion of the workshop, you will leave with all
of the tools you need to begin your own children’s yoga
class

8:30 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 11:00 Child-centered yoga class filled with a
variety of ideas for you to include in your yoga program

11:00 – 11:15 Break

11:15 – 11:45 Structuring a child’s yoga class and
teaching suggestions

11:45 – 12:00 Video

12:00 – 12:30 Modifying yoga for different abilities

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch


1:30 – 2:30 Group collaboration

2:30 – 2:45 Break

2:45 – 3:45 The Power of Breath – How to teach breath
awareness to children

3:45 – 4:00 Discussion and Evaluation


The tuition for the workshop is $150.00. This includes a
yoga mat, manual and other surprise yoga props for kids.
To register for the workshop please download a
registration form at yogawonderland.com. For information
please contact martha@yogawonderland.com or call 917/359-
9319.

Please wear comfortable clothing, bring your inner child
and prepare to have a lot of fun.

Please note workshops are ongoing (ask for future dates if
you cannot make this one). On site workshops are also
available.