Special Yoga for Special Children
with Cerebral Palsy and PMLD extension
On our Special Yoga for Special Children (SYSC) course we teach practices and adaptations for a wide range of diagnosis including Cerebral Palsy / PMLD, Autism Spectrum Disorders / ADHD and Down Syndrome.
This extension to SYSC offers a broader range of practices for parents of, or those who work with a child or young adult with Cerebral Palsy / PMLD.
You will also have an additional webinar focused entirely on CP/PMLD and be added to a Study Group with those serving this population.
On this course you’ll get…
Live Webinars
Webinars offer an amazing opportunity to learn direct from Jyoti and from other teacher/advanced practitioners with many years using our methodology with children and adults.
There will be time spent practising together, time discussing the teachings and learning how to implement becoming more confident in adapting practices to whomever is before you.
Live Teaching Webinars on this course will be: Saturday 5th October 10.00am - 12.30pm and Saturday’s 9th November, 7th December and 11th January 10.00am - 12.00pm The first webinar is a 'must-attend' - we all get to meet each other and from that you'll be allocated to a small study group with a study group teacher who'll support you throughout the course. We can't imagine why you'd not want to be there for the remaining webinars but we know that sometimes life get's in the way. If you can't attend you will need to watch the recording.
This CP/PMLD extension includes an ADDITIONAL WEBINAR led by a specialist CP/PMLD Special Yoga teacher/Advanced Practitioner. This will be held on 30th November between 2.00pm - 4.00pm
Book SYSC with CP/PMLD extension
A great opportunity for support as you study
Study support groups to test & embed your learning. After the opening webinar when we’ve met you and heard what you want from the course you’ll join a small study group with one of our senior practitioners.
The four live study support sessions on this course provide you with the opportunity to learn from each other as you work through study group assignments set specifically to draw out what you’ve all learned and help develop your skills to share with the special children in your lives.
Arrangements for the Live Study Groups on this course will be agreed during the first webinar but will be during weeks commencing: 20th October, 17th November, 15th December 2024 and 19th January 2025.
Those booking SYSC with CP/PMLD extension will be grouped together in one study group and led by a specialist CP/PMLD Special Yoga teacher/Advanced Practitioner.
Recorded video and written lessons
Course Learning At Your Fingertips via desktop, app or tablet. A course space exclusively for the students on this course can be accessed via desktop, tablet or mobile phone enabling you to access the self guided elements at the optimum time for you to learn.
Content is time released so you can pace yourself as you go. You can access the videos for three months post course for ongoing support. There are two personal assignments to work through with constructive feedback from your assigned teacher.
You will get access to the first self learning module one week before the opening webinar.
Access ends three months after the date of the final assignment.
Those booking SYSC with CP/PMLD extension will have access to ADDITIONAL VIDEO PRACTICE LESSONS providing a broader range of
Book SYSC with CP/PMLD extension
Here’s a deeper look at the benefits of some of the practices you’ll learn on this Cerebral Palsy and PMLD course:
Sound, Music & Mantra:
Sensory Stimulation: Sound, music, and mantra can provide rich sensory experiences stimulating auditory, tactile, and sometimes even visual senses and providing opportunities for engagement and exploration.
Emotional Regulation: Music has a powerful effect on emotions and can help regulate mood. Listening to calming music or chanting mantras can promote relaxation and reduce anxiety or stress in children with cerebral palsy and PMLD
Massage and Working with the Feet:
Muscle Relaxation & Pain Relief: Massage can help relax tight muscles and reduce muscles spasms and spasticity, which is common in individuals with CP. This can help to alleviate pain by releasing tension in the muscles, promote circulation and improve range of motion and overall mobility.
Enhanced Communication: Massage can serve as a form of nonverbal communication, allowing individuals with CP and PMLD to express their needs and preferences through physical cues and responses. Massage may also provide an opportunity for positive social interaction and bonding, strengthening the relationship between parent and child
Yoga Teacher Tory shares Special Yoga in action.
Mum Charlie talks about yoga with her son
Headteacher Gail talks about yoga at her school
Student Testimonials
Introducing Your Teachers
Laura Tilley
Laura is a caring, intuitive and creative individual and teaches yoga to children and adults with SEND in nurseries, schools, day centres and private 1-2-1 work.
Her background is in dance and movement therapy and yoga for over 10 years. She has an in depth knowledge of Special Yoga having studied with us for many years and having taken foundation and senior practitioner courses. She now supports our work as a study group leader and teacher.
Laura has two very special daughters, one with complex learning disabilities and another with ADHD and Autism. This experience has shaped her journey towards yoga and self care for the children. She is also keenly aware of the importance of practise and self care for parents/carers and enjoys sharing ways in which this has supported her.
Jyoti Jo Manuel
With her depth of knowledge and many years of experience, Jyoti Jo Manuel is recognised by many as one of the worlds leading authorities on therapeutic yoga for children. Her personal
yoga journey started in 1974 and she began teaching in 1989.
In 2002 Jyoti founded Special Yoga, a global organisation established to provide and develop sustainable and accessible yoga programmes for children with special and additional needs.
Special Yogas work reaches across education, therapeutic settings and within the home.
Jyoti has travelled extensively implementing Special Yoga programmes in orphanages, social care, education and health care and for paediatric therapists and psychologists.
As founder, lead and spiritual head of Special Yoga she has trained senior practitioners to support the effective and impactful delivery of Special Yoga for children with special needs meeting them wherever they are.
Christine Levrot
Based in Canada, Christine was introduced to yoga at the turn of the century and since then has relearned to live, breathe and move!
Christine completed teacher trainings with Lyne St-Roch and Hart Lazer but it was in
2015 after her mother had a stroke causing hemiplegia that she began to see yoga through another lens, that of people with disabilities who did not have access to it.
Christine is now a Special Yoga Senior Practitioner and teaches on this course for Cerebral Palsy and PMLD.
Christine guides children with multiple disabilities on the path to yoga, adapting the practice to their body and their heart helping them find freedom through subtle movement.
She continues to study with Special Yoga and has completed many courses over the years to keep up to date with the latest research on using yoga as a therapy.
