Posing a solution: Special needs children get boost from yoga

When Bengaluru-based Bhoomika Shah learned yoga asanas from Mysore’s Yogacharya Bharath Shetty a decade ago, little did she know that it would help her bring about a change in the lives of children with special needs. Teaching yoga for over two years now, she associates with an NGO called Prafull Oorja, based at the same city. She says, “These sessions are for children with ADHD, cerebral palsy, anorexia, down syndrome, visual and hearing impairments, dyslexia, autism and global developmental delay.” It’s conducted in schools, therapy centres and even at an individual’s home, if need be.

What’s interesting is how these sessions are planned, as catering to special children requires a different approach. Each asana is modified to suit a child’s needs. The challenge here is not so much about teaching the children as it is about gaining their trust. “For the initial few sessions, it’s difficult to even make them sit through the 30- to 40-minute sessions. When I say ‘modified’ version, I mean that I include some body movements, some dance movements, club the asanas with songs and so on,” says Shah.

The aim here is not to make the children learn the asanas with perfection, but to ensure that they do so within their limitations and get into the  habit of practising yoga everyday. Shah says, “I don’t tell them ‘sit with your back straight’ or ‘sit with legs folded in Padmasana’ or something like that.”

For 30 minutes, the children are armed with cardboard cut-outs of stars and animals among other things, and there are songs and dances as well to spice up the routine. Shah says, “It is only after this  that they gradually get around to the idea of asanas.”

A typical session starts with the chanting of ‘Om’, which has been scientifically proved to leave a calming effect on the body. Since most of the asanas are inspired from various animals, Shah weaves a Jungle Book kind of story for the children before they perform asanas such as the butterfly pose, or the cobra, lion, rabbit and flapping fish ones. “A lot of children with behavioural disorders have irregular breathing and so they either breathe with their mouth or they breathe too fast. This is the reason we have included simple breathing techniques,” Shah says.

Most of the students have been consistent with their sessions, and there are a few cases where the change is tangible. One such example is of a nine-year-old girl with behavioural issues. She would scream and laugh for no reason and jumped and ran around a lot. It took around four months to convince the girl to attend at least one session. “But once she started practising yoga, something clicked in her and since that day, she has been practising regularly at the centre as well as at home, which is quite an achievement,” Shah says. The effect of this has been that she is now calmer and less hyperactive. She can sit and concentrate on an activity for longer periods and has even started following rules and obeying her teachers, for most part of the day.

“The most remarkable change that I have personally seen is in a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, who, after practising various asanas consistently, can today stand confidently and also manage to walk a few steps fearlessly, with only a little help,” Shah signs off.