Yoga, Meditation, and Mindfulness: Improve Brain and Body Balance for Children and Their Families – Betsy Shandalov

Salepage link: At HERE. Archive:

Children who are balanced in their body and brain do better in school, are more resilient, and feel more calm. Research shows yoga improves brain functioning, focus, balance, proprioception, the vestibular system, physical strengthening, and sensory desensitization. Studies show positive changes in brain patterns by quieting the mind and moving the body in mindful ways. Attend and learn calming breathwork individualized to each child’s diagnosis and symptomologies; active and restorative yoga poses and sequences; and specific mindfulness techniques to help children with autism, sensory disorders, and neurological disorders.

1. Demonstrate yoga poses that target specific parts of the brain to improve behaviors affecting brain function.
2. Employ breathwork, meditation and mindfulness techniques to enhance and change the nervous system specific to each child’s diagnosis.
3. Implement active and restorative yoga poses and sequences for when a child is seated, standing and/or lying down
4. Create a customized treatment plan incorporating specific yoga, mindfulness and meditation techniques to help children with autism, sensory disorder, neurological disorders, cancer and ADHD be balanced in their body and brain throughout the day.

Yoga to Improve Brain Function

• Yoga, meditation and mindfulness
• Self-regulation and vagal tone and the nervous system
• Parts of the brain and movement patterns that can change behavior

Breathwork to Enhance the Nervous System

• Yogic breathing
• Practice breath patterns that are calming
• Techniques specific to child’s diagnosis

Active and Restorative Yoga Poses

• Differences between active and calming poses
• How prone and standing poses affect the body
• Eye exercises for brain balancing

Creating a Customized Treatement Plan

• Incorporate specific yoga, mindfulness and meditation techniques
• Strategies for diagnoses: autism, sensory disorders, neurological disorders, cancer and ADHD 
• Case study review
• Food and home modification as part of the treatment
• Parent participation