Yoga for the Special Child with Jo Manuel .. continued.
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As the spectators, all we saw was a young boy eager to do yoga and going through the motions quite smoothly and obligingly and we could have been forgiven to think there was nothing more to it. All this apparent ease belies all the hard work which Jo made sure did not show. Appealing to the inquisitive mind of the young boy, providing him with lots of encouragement, demystifying his fears, interacting with him in a friendly though respectful way, involving him at each step of the way, she managed to keep him interested right through to the end and to gradually make him less anxious.
By asking the boy’s mother to participate in the yoga session, Jo also helped to create a stronger bond between mother and child. |
Words fail me to express the fantastic sense of achievement felt by this young boy at the end of the session, judging from the grin that brightened up his face when we all clapped for him. It is just so beautiful to see the transformation of yoga, to see yoga weave its magic on these special children, particularly as children are so ready for the gift of yoga. The yoga session held at Salusbury Primary School was certainly not facilitated by the incredible heat and closeness of the afternoon on that day. The three boys who had been chosen by their teachers for the yoga lesson did complain repeatedly about being too hot to do anything, but then again, with patience and a hidden firmness, Jo managed to bring them back to the present moment through lots of chanting and clapping before properly starting the class. She invited them to sit down in a cross-legged position, reminding them of the importance of proper breathing and of keeping the heart wide open. With the focus on the breath, it was as if they had been shown a way to draw the scattered energy back into their own bodies. The boys seemed quite happy to explore the cooling effect of Sitali breathing and then did some side stretches and a sitting twist. This was followed by a few adapted sun salutations and a balancing pose, the tree. The children then chose their favourite pose, ‘handstand’ and their second favourite one, ‘the penguin’. For the handstand, Jo made them go into downward dog placing their hands between her two feet spread apart while she remained standing up. Then holding hold of their hips she helped them lift their legs up into a most exhilarating posture. The penguin consists in standing on one’s knees with the feet off the floor and then having to move forward and back without losing the balance. It was quite funny how on such a hot day the three boys had chosen such energetic postures! Lying on their backs, the boys then did the candle, the crab and the fish with Jo’s help. When the time had come to sit up, the boys who had first been so fidgety were completely relaxed, so relaxed even that one carried on sleeping until Jo eventually woke him up. The session finished again with the chanting of a beautiful mantra, first in Sanskrit and then in English which the children seemed to know very well: For a moment I became acutely aware that the whole energy in the room had taken another dimension, and I was no longer aware of separate and dispersed energies bouncing off each other but instead -of gentle and unified energy. Watching Jo do her admirable work has certainly changed my attitude towards children with special needs and I like to believe that my eyes are a little more open than before. I know that the progress made by these special children may look small on our scale of progress, but for them it represents a mountain. Some children respond so well to Yoga for the Special Child that the results are visible from the very first class, for others it takes longer. But what is important is not always visible. Continuity should be maintained for the children to integrate the work done and for them not to feel separated from the rest of the world. It is during the crucial years of our childhood that we weave the tapestry of our own selfhood and one of the Special Yoga Centres’ missions is to support children in mainstream and special schools. Even one class a week is enough to make a difference, but obviously 2/3 sessions will bring faster results. What Jo offers these children and their families is invaluable, she gives them the possibility of taking yoga off the yoga mat into the practicality of day-to-day life. Yoga therapy does not stop when we leave the mat, it is not separate from life, and it is a wonderful way of living one’s life with mindfulness and joy. We came with nothing but a pen and a notepad and I feel that we leave with so much. So thank you so much Jo for opening the doors of your special world to us and giving us an insight into what goes on, on and off the mat at The Special Yoga Centre. I hope that many readers will join us in wishing you the very best in your life journey and that this will encourage them to support your mission in whichever way they can. May the light in your heart keep on shining brightly to guide those special children! The Special Yoga Centre in North-West London is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing yoga to children and their families, with a focus on children with special needs. The Centre holds 12 weekly children’s yoga classes but much work is also done in 12 local schools. Yoga therapy for children with special needs is offered one-on-one or in small groups at the centre. Scope and Brent Mental Health bring groups to the centre on a weekly basis. There are also many yoga classes for adults offering a variety of styles to suit everybody and in addition, yoga for teenagers. Please do visit the centre’s website: www.specialyoga.org.uk to fully appreciate everything that is on offer and for a virtual tour of the beautiful and spacious yoga studios and forthcoming workshops. Apart from Sonia Sumar, only two persons worldwide are qualified to teach The Yoga for the Special Child programme, Jo is one of them. So why not enrol on one of the two teacher training courses she holds each year? This eight-day training course is aimed directly at parents of special needs children or at anyone working or interested in the paediatric field. You do not need to hold any prior qualifications. The next course is February 10-16 2007. Jo also teaches’ Yoga for Children’ teacher training course with the Life Centre. The next course is at The Special Yoga Centre 27/28 Jan, 24/25 Feb, and 17/18 Mar 2007 from 10:30-5:30 each day. |
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