Teaching Atypical Family Yoga: This is now also an article in Better Humans Publication - How to Teach Atypical Family Yoga
Unconditional positive regard is the key to seeing kids shine! Non-judgement, self-regulation and appreciation.
Jess is a yoga teacher who was hired to teach family yoga to a group with autistic kids. She was feeling nervous about it, and reached out for best practices and suggestions. Below are the recommendations I gave her.
These suggestions could also apply to doing yoga with your own family at home, or to any family yoga class. Modeling inclusivity benefits everyone, now matter how “neurotypical” they are.
What kids with autism and their parents crave the most: Unconditional positive regard.
Some other tips I cover:
“YES” space
Let it go
Accept
Appreciate
Priming
Visual supports
Special interests
Sensory Sensitivities
Community
How I Structure Inclusive Family Yoga Classes:
Sit in a circle — kids with parents on one mat or each on their own next to each other. Encourage everyone to participate at their level of ability, and do something centering, like a name song, a chant or an ice breaker.
Let the kids shine! Keep it fun and be sweet. Keep relaxation time short. End with a simple song or chant.
Have a blast!
Maybe you will see that the kids or their parents are calmer after class. Maybe you will see them shine. You may never know the benefit your class has on the families who attend. That’s okay, since inclusive family yoga isn’t something you will do for the validation. It will be an extension of your yoga practice, and you will learn so much.
FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfullyparentingatypicalkids
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How to Teach Atypical Family Yoga