Yoga for Special Needs Children: Strengthening Core Muscles

Photo: Children in Bow Pose,  artsriot.com 

Today I am happy to have a guest post from Craig Hanauer of Every Kids Yoga

Craig is a New York State Certified Creative Arts Therapist, a Kripalu Certified Yoga Teacher, and a Yoga Alliance 500-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher.

Committed to the health and empowerment of children, Craig has developed "Every Kid's Yoga", a unique and successful program for children with special needs, that integrates the creative arts, yoga, and play.

Today he writes about strengthening the core through yoga. The core is the area where all other movements originate from and Yoga can be a great way to support core strength as a supplemental activity for OT, PT and other types of traditional therapy. However, please use caution and common sense when selecting postures for children who have spine, joint or other weaknesses or injuries. Start with basics and build movements slowly, modifying and adapting as needed. Use the modifications that Craig has discussed below and if you are not sure if a posture is appropriate, please consult with the child's doctor and other therapists.

If you are not sure how to modify, or adapt, you can leave a question in the comments area for Craig or myself, or find more information in the "Related Articles" links below.



Yoga Strengthens Core Musculature

by Craig Hanauer

The muscles of the core include those surrounding the pelvis, those adjacent to the spine, and those surrounding the scapula, all lying closest to the bone. When these muscles contract, they stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle, and create a solid base of support. One is then able to generate powerful and controlled movements of the extremities. The goal of core stability is to maintain a solid foundation and to transfer energy from the center of the body out to the limbs.

When working with children, Sheila Frick, OTR/L recommends placing emphasis upon activating the core musculature to achieve deeper respiration and to increase core strength and endurance. The goal is to develop the deep muscles that lie closest to the bone, especially the muscles providing three-dimensional support around the central vertical axis of the head, neck and trunk. It is important to maintain a continuous flow of breath with focus on the exhalation during core activation so as to coordinate movement with the breath.

When these deep muscles are engaged, postural control and breath support become effortless, as minimal conscious effort is required. Thus, surface muscles, designed for skill, are released from undesirable "fixing" and are instead able to function according to their natural design. When the body moves with ease and fluidity, the child is free to creatively and independently execute complex reasoning for communication, problem solving, planning, organizing and executing life tasks and roles.

Engaging young children in musical movement sequences that engage the core musculature and prompting them to sing along is a sure way to increase core strength and postural support.  If they are singing while they are "swimming" they are taking a deep inhalation followed by a long controlled exhalation.

[You can use "The Goldfish Song" K-2  (3:28), Laurie Berkner, from the CD "Victor Vito" ]


Movements:

• Resting in prone position with head to the side
• Cobra (wake-up)
• Shake lower legs (shake out your tail)
• Locust Pose with arms extended (swimming)
• On knees act out shower and brush teeth
• Supine position propped on elbows, bicycle/extend legs
• Pat mouth and yawn (sleepy)

Modifications:

• Gently touch below collarbones to prompt lifting the chest
• If they are unable to lift their chest off the floor for swimming, place a pillow or folded blanket beneath the chest to provide support

Benefits:

• Increases core strength
• The song naturally vacillates between high and low energy
• Children are engaged and grounded in one place
• Simple chorus for singing along
• Supports receptive language skills with simple acting out scenarios
• Contains humor

Contact & Connect with Craig on 

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Find Craig's Full Training Descriptions:  

http://everykidsyoga.com 

To find additional adaptive yoga training, visit: 

www.bodylogique.com 

Related Articles:

Breaking it Down

If You Give a Kid Their Core...

Games that Build Core Strength for Kids

Good Posture from the Ground Up

To find our growing library of

Webinars and Conference Call recordings 

visit AnyMeeting

Contact the blog administrator: bodylogique@yahoo.com 




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S.M.Art Kids/Healthy Kids Top 12 Posts of 2012

As the year draws to a close, I'd like to thank you all for reading. In 2013 we plan to bring you an even more diverse variety of educational & fun activities, professional development, inspirations and more.

The links below are to our 13 top-viewed and shared posts of 2012. (I know the title said "Top 12", however 2 posts were tied for 12th, so we included them both, giving you a bonus link.)

We hope you enjoy!

And have a very Healthy, Happy New Year!

~Barbara




Dance, Cheer, Yoga!

Grandfather Tells: The Wolves Within

Aromatherapy & Autism

La Befana

Games that Build Core Strength

Constructive Fidgeting

Peace Pose

Skinformation

10 Tips for Paraeducators

Learning Through Play

Building Good Posture From the Ground Up

Pool Noodles-Part 2

The Myth of Meditation






Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com

3 Easy Beginner Postures for Kids and Teens

Photo: Sphinx Pose
©2012 Barbara Gini

In Monday's guest post, Shelley Mannell ( HeartSpace Physical Therapy ) shared with us the benefits of developing  a child's core. Core strength affects the way we stand, sit, our breathing and all movement. Shelly mentioned three yoga postures that are easy for kids to learn & beneficial in helping build good posture though strengthening and coordinating the inner & outer core muscles. Today I will discuss each one in little more detail, as well as adaptations for children who have low tone or other sensory-motor challenges.

A Few General Guidelines:

Give instructions slowly and allow the students to process what you are saying and how their body feels in each step. Be patient-they will not do it perfectly and that is OK. As long as they are keeping their own bodies and their friends bodies safe, (i.e not falling into each other or flopping onto the floor)  let them explore how their own bodies move.

Remind children to breathe with each movement. Breathing will relax muscle tension and bring body awareness as children move into each step of the pose.

Yoga postures are meant to be held with ease-so if a child is straining or holding his or her breath, encourage them to relax and ease into each step slowly, only taking the body as far as it feels comfortable.

These postures are excellent as an energizing break from sitting at a desk or computer, as a supplement to sensory motor or occupational therapy, and as a part of a conditioning program for dancers, cheerleaders and other youth athletes.

Cobra:
(Modified version "Sphinx Pose" pictured above at left) Cobra pose is a foundational posture that is actually a mild back bend. Cobra teaches the body how to coordinate legs, pelvis, and belly. When done correctly, the legs provide the power and support for the spine to gracefully stretch and extend, and the muscles of the pelvis and belly work to lengthen and support the lower back.  The key with cobra pose is to be patient and move slowly, breaking down the posture into its smaller components. Don't overdo the back bend & find the height at which the student can work comfortably to avoid straining. 

To do Cobra:  Lie on belly. Inhale and place elbows under shoulders and forearms on the floor. Extend legs, feet and toes fully and keep thighs together.  Lift upper body as shown, using hands and arms for support. Exhale, and relax into Sphinx. Next, move into a Baby Cobra posture by moving hands back next to chest. Keep shoulders down and to sides and belly strong. Press into the floor with hands, and using belly, chest and back muscles, roll head, shoulders and chest upwards while inhaling. Hold for 1-5 breaths and slowly roll down placing chest on floor. (I let the children "Hisssssss..." on the exhale as they come back down to the floor.) Rest for 3 breaths and repeat, each time lifting torso a little bit higher.  Move slowly and deliberately like a cobra looking over the grass for food or danger. Posture may be modified to be practiced while seated in a chair, using a desk or tabletop to place hands on for support as chest and chin roll upwards.

Photo: Tree Pose
©2012 Barbara Gini

Tree:
Begin by standing with both feet parallel, under hips. Shift weight slightly onto one foot, and balance, keeping it firmly on the floor. Bend opposite knee and place foot of bent leg onto inner part of balancing leg, starting down near the ankle. Stabilize stomach and stand tall, stretching entire spine upward. Relax shoulders and stretch arms straight up toward the sky, parallel to each other, palms facing, or form an inverted 'V' with arms. (These are the branches of the tree-stretching and growing towards the sun.) Hold posture for 3-5 breaths and come back to starting position with both feet on floor. Switch sides, using opposite leg for balance.

Children can stand with back braced against a wall if they feel unsteady in this pose or hold on to the back of a chair. As balance is obtained, gradually move position of foot higher up on the support leg. To adapt this posture for children with poor tone or balance, children may bend their knee and instead of placing foot on leg, they may place foot on a short stool or stack of books until they develop more balance. The key with this posture is to get the children to visually focus on a stationary object in front of them. If their eyes are focused, usually the rest of the body will be as well.

Hands wide to support body
©2012 Barbara Gini

Downward Dog: 
Strengthens the upper back and torso. The key to this posture is to relax the neck and head between the shoulders. Begin on the floor on hands and knees with knees directly below your hips and hands under & slightly in front of shoulders. Spread palms, (I tell the kids to "make your hands big" ) keeping index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, (as shown at right).



Photo: Downward Dog
© Barbara Gini

Turn toes under and push up with legs. Lift knees away from floor, keeping the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen and Stretch spine and lift hips up toward the ceiling. While exhaling, push top thighs back and press heels onto (or down toward) the floor. Straighten knees but be sure to remind children not to lock them.

Encourage kids to keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang. Elbows should be even with the ears. Breathe and hold posture for 1-3 breaths. Slowly release & bend knees back to floor.

Increase the challenge by lifting and extending one leg behind the body to form a straight line with the spine while in the downward position. (Some of my teens refer to this as the "Dog Peeing on a Tree" pose. Some teachers are offended by this and find it to be inappropriate, however I think if their imagination keeps them laughing and engaged in the activity, and they are not undermining a peer, then I am not too hard on them. Sometimes you have to pick your battles! )

Adapted Downward Dog
©2012 Barbara Gini

Adapt this posture for children with weak upper body strength by using a **therapy ball for trunk support as shown on the right.

After postures and sequences, be sure to allow children to rest quietly for several minutes and re-hydrate with plain filtered water.

**Please do not leave children unattended while on equipment.


For more photos and descriptions of children's yoga postures, visit our Posture Page.


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Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com







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If You Give a Kid Their Core...

Photo: yogainterlude.com

Today we are happy to feature a guest post from Shelley Mannell from HeartSpace Physical Therapy for Children. Shelley is a pediatric Physical Therapist in St. Catharines Ontario Canada. She has 25 years of experience treating babies, children and adolescents with physical challenges and gross motor delays. She is also a certified children’s meditation facilitator.


Today she shares with us some valuable insight on the connection between inner and outer core strength, postural alignment, breathing and motor skill development, and how activities and movement that promote core stability can help and support a child for their entire life.





If You Give A Kid Their Core...

One of my favourite children’s books is “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” - I love how the beginning of the story is also the end of the story. As a Physical Therapist I understand that success in motor skills begins and ends with core stability; the core supports every skill from eating to handwriting to walking to basketball. And I think it’s outstanding that so many people are now talking about the importance of core stability for kids.

We know that there are inner core muscles and outer core muscles. The four inner core muscles stabilize our spine and pelvis before every movement that we make. (FYI these are: the respiratory diaphgram, the pelvic floor, the transversus abdominis and the multifidus.) And our research has shown that there is a key to building core stability – you need to have neutral alignment of your rib cage and pelvis and you need to be able to breathe into the front, back and especially the sides of your rib cage. This sounds simple but because we spend so much time in sitting, it turns out to be harder than expected. The inner core is our central anchor but it needs the help of the outer core muscles for movement. And the outer core muscles are most effectively trained when combined with each other and with the breath.

It might surprise you to learn that children are not born with core stability; in fact, they have relatively inactive core muscles. However, as their brains and bodies mature, babies begin to develop the core strength and coordination that allows them to stabilize the trunk efficiently and effectively in preparation for movement. One of the reasons a baby needs to spend time playing on the floor is to develop the connection between the inner core muscles and some very important outer core muscle groups. This connection sets the stage for all future function in sitting and standing. Unfortunately, many of our babies spend too much time in equipment (swings, chairs, walkers) and they don’t build good core stability. Or in later years our kids spend so much time sitting that they lose the core strength they gained as babies.


There’s also one other huge bonus to teaching children to engage their core. As they get that all important alignment and learn to breathe fully with their diaphragms, they engage the calming nervous system (= the parasympathic nervous system). It turns out that when we belly breathe or when we breathe with our upper chest, we don’t really activate the big nerve that feeds the calming nervous system well; this only happens when we breathe by fully expanding our diaphragm. The ancient yogis really did know what they were talking about - deep breathing is calming, but only if you can do it properly.


So we build core stability by connecting inner and outer core groups through the combination of neutral alignment and breathing and movement. That’s where yoga comes in. There are very few other activities for kids that combine awareness of alignment with breathing and movement the way yoga does. Downward dog, cobra and tree pose are three favourites of mine, poses that children of all ages can do. And when they are done with proper alignment and breathing, they engage the core muscles wonderfully. And they’re fun. So the next time you watch your child doing downward dog, remember she’s also building her core muscle strength. And when you give a kid her core, she’s preparing her body for lifetime of successful movement.

~Shelley Mannell

Shelley Mannell
www.heartspacept.com 

In addition to her clinical work, Shelley teaches continuing education courses for therapists across North America. For more information, you can visit Shelley at: www.heartspacept.com . Be sure to visit her blog at the HeartSpace website.

You can connect with Shelley on: Twitter (@heartspacept)  or on Facebook (HeartSpacePT).









Related Articles:

Deep Breathing: Facilitated Technique for Kids



Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com

Games That Build Core Strength for Kids

"Funny Football" is a fun game that
helps kids build core strength

We hear many references in the fitness industry to building "core" strength. The body's 'core' refers to the muscles of the abdomen, pelvis, hips & and back & neck. The "core"  is  body’s center of gravity and affects all functional movement & postural activities: sitting to standing, walking to running, jumping, playing and more. The core muscles are responsible for alignment of the skeleton (bones) and for providing internal pressure for digestion & to detoxify the body by expelling substances (vomit, urine, carbon-laden air, etc.) These muscles are continually at work stabilizing the body against the force of gravity.

When looking for activities & exercises to help encourage a stronger core for children, keep in mind that the major abdominal muscles have very specific & limited action. There are many different minor muscles (and ligaments, tendons and nerves) that assist in stabilizing the spine and pelvis, and run the entire length of the front & back midsection of the body. Exercises, games and other activities need to focus not just on the front abdominal region, but on a variety of groups of muscles that run from the hips up to the shoulders & neck.

Signs of poor core strength are: tiring easy,  poor posture, decreased body awareness, head hanging or holding up head while sitting, poor self image, constipation and frequent injuries. Poor core strength results in poor proprioception, motor planning and balance due to unnecessary torso movement and swaying during all other body movements. This is tiring and frustrating to the student and can lead to de-motivation.

Good core strength will improve posture, digestion & elimination, confidence and concentration, increase energy level and improve balance and motor planning. The key is to keep in fun and challenging. I like to call the exercises & activities "Games" to young children because exercise should always be fun. Try these beginner, intermediate & advanced activities for younger children:

Downward Dog

Dogs Chasing Frisbees: (Beginner) Each student gets 2 Frisbees, one for each hand. Place them on the floor, curved side up, in front of the student. Each student stands in front of the Frisbees and bends down, (Downward Dog-pictured at left) placing one hand in each Frisbee. Students must bend knees & "Dog Walk" as the push the Frisbees to the other side of the room.  (Encourage the children to squat or dog-walk-not crawl.) You can make this a relay race or even have the kids go through an "Obstacle Course" to find the bone at the end of the course. (you can mark off with tape or use plastic cones and  cutouts for the bones.)

Bridge Pose
Photo by B.Gini @2009

The Bridge Game: (Beginner/Intermediate) Have children lay side by side and hold a "Bridge Pose" (See photo at right) . See if you can roll a ball underneath them as they stay up. Gradually extend the amount of time the posture is held. You can even sing the  "London Bridge" song.

Funny Football:  (Beginner/Intermediate) Pass a spiky colorful ball around in a circle using only your feet. For added challenge, use a balloon, football or beach ball. Have each person say a letter to spell a word or say the alphabet as the ball passes round the circle. (See Photo at Top of Article)

Don't Rock the Boat: (Intermediate/Advanced) Have children come into "Boat Pose" (see photo at left) and see who can remain the stillest.

To keep this fun for young children, limit the number of repetitions by having them count to their age. (If they are 5 have them hold "Bridge Pose" for 5 big breaths.)  It’s better to do a few repetitions & move on to another activity, and then come back and repeat. This keeps the kids interested & engaged.

Also remember to always remind the children to breath IN through their noses. Its very important for proper respiration, filtering & warming of air, mind/body integration and improved concentration.

For teens or advanced learners, who need a little more of a challenge, here is a down-loadable file showing how to do "Yoga Sit Ups".  I showed this to a teen boy who was going through a sensory-motor therapy program and had reached a plateau with sit ups and "Boat Pose". He started to become bored and de-motivated and needed an additional challenge to keep him interested. He liked this activity and stated that it made him feel "awake" &  "powerful", like he wanted to "run a race". It will provide the additional challenge he needs to take him up to the next level of his therapy.

Keep in mind that any of these postures and activities can be adapted to slower learners and children with lower tone and underdeveloped motor planning. Use bolsters, pillows, props and mats as needed.

For more information on how to adapt activities for children of all abilities, visit our website: www.bodylogique.com  or  Subscribe to S.M.Art Kids / Healthy Kids by Email
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