Celebrating Neurodiversity Celebration Week.

This week is Neurodiversity Week . As someone who's worked with neurodiverse populations for many years (and may even be neurodivergent myself), I'm excited to celebrate the upcoming week.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a time to recognize and appreciate the incredible value of the neurodiverse brain, mind and being!

I've often thought that if we could see the world through the eyes of the neurodiverse children Special Yoga has been supporting, we'd be gifted with something extraordinary.

The neurodiverse spectrum is vast, but one thing is certain: the children and young people I've had the privilege of working with bring a tremendous gift; It's not just the potential of seeing the world through their eyes, but also in being present with their very being.

So many of the children diagnosed as neurodiverse seem much more clearly connected to something greater, the divine if you will. And yet the culture we live in tries to squeeze anyone not seen as ‘normal’ into molds that don't fit them. In all that we have to celebrate this week, it’s also a reminder that often, western society rather than valuing people for who they are, often judges on an unrealistic idea of how people ‘should’ be. I believe that all of us, but especially at Special Yoga, have a responsibility to change this. Maybe it starts with small acts and baby steps, but we can be vehicles for change.

If we remove the word "should" from the equation and truly see the magnificence that’s present in the neurodiversity in our society, we all have so much to honour and learn.

We work at Special Yoga to come away from our judgements and exectations, to learn to listen deeply, and to offer our full presence to every being we have the privilege to be with. Then we can see not only the unique value that everyone brings but also to recognise the magnificence of every being, and to stand together in that belief. We all have a valuable place here, and as well as celebrating our neurodiverse community is a reminder of how we can all support one another allowing each of us to thrive through an openhearted, compassionate and loving presence.