Special Needs Yoga

I was asked if I would be interested in teaching Yoga to some Special Needs children in a summer camp program. Gifted with such an opportunity, I gladly accepted!

There were eight bright-eyed children with loving smiles. When I arrived, they were playing on the outside deck. One of them saw me through the glass and I heard her exclaim: " She's here! The Yoga teacher is here!" I asked the woman in charge what she had told them, and she said "nothing really", just that there would be a "Yoga class". She then added, "They don't even know what 'yoga' is."

I helped them arrange their towels into a circle, so we could sit close to each other, our 'yoga mats' extending out like the petals of a flower. Next to me I placed Yogi Bear - a stuffed bear who does Yoga with me when I teach Yoga to kid's.

The hardest part in classes with kids is getting them to settle down enough to begin. This was not the case with these lovely children. As soon as I asked them to sit, they sat. When I asked them to be still and fold their hands at their heart, they did. When I sang the 'Namaste Song', some hummed, some swayed back and forth, and some did both.

They loved the poses: roaring like a Lion, meowing like a Cat, flying like a Bird, standing strong like a Tree. We barely began when the woman in charge reminded me (as I asked her) that there were 10 minutes left. I started the cool down .. where we sit with folded palms at our heart, smelling the 'flower' in our hands on the inhale, then humming like a bee on the exhale. This is a great way to get kids to breath deeply for final relaxation.

Then came the quiet time. I asked them all to lay down and "be still .. be quiet", and they did. I didnt think this was very remarkable, but when one of the woman's eyes widened about the two minute mark, I started to think that maybe being still was something these beautiful and energetic children did not normally do very often. Five minutes total, I rang the bell with a little song to bring awareness back into the body. All of them seemed calmer, smiling at me softly, sitting quietly. (As a reminder, these are Autistic and Sensory Integration Dysfunctional kids.)

When we sat up, we 'hummed' again, then I said: "And that is the end of Yoga class", which was, seemingly, a cue for me to be mobbed, for they all jumped up at once and ran over to me, surrounding me, touching my jata ('locks'), holding their hands at their hearts, talking at once! I immediately felt supported, uplifted and nurtured having them around me .. their joyful energy was amazing!

In all, their energy was enthusiastic and inquisitive, playful and wise. One little boy (who sat next to me during class) came and stood next to me and asked: "Can I hug you?" When I said "Yes!", he wrapped his tiny arms about my neck, and for that moment, nothing else mattered but that simple gift of love.

Afterwards, the woman in charge told me how surprised she was that they were so still for so long. "How did you do that!?", she asked.

As I was leaving, one little girl told me: "I want to give you a gift from my Special Box. Only Special People get gifts from my Special Box." Then she ranoff. When she returned she handed me a plastic sandwich bag with stickers shaped like hearts and stars and circles.

As I drove home I could hear their laughter in my ears, their hugs around my neck, feel their deep gaze within my eyes, and the warmth of their beautiful energy - freely given - all about me.

Eight more weeks to go!

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi