Reviews
"Great for all kids and grown ups as well!" (read one) >>>
(5.0 out of 5 stars), October 21, 2010
"I am a Mom of 2 young boys and have always wanted to learn Yoga myself in addition to having my boys learn yoga. I do coach some families on the nutrition and quite a few of the families I work with have children affected with Autism so I thought this book would be great for my own kids and perhaps a book that I could recommend to some of my clients.
I have been using this book with my own boys for about 6 weeks or so and have since told 4 families about it who have special needs children and they LOVE IT. It has visual images that are easy to follow with an explanation of how each pose is done, it explains the benefits of the pose and what part of the body it helps to stimulate or stretch. What some of my clients found especially beneficial where other child yoga books haven't offered is if your child is not able to conduct a specific pose, Nancy Williams offers alternate poses and options.
For us beginners who are new to yoga, she also included some really easy affirmations that either your child can repeat or you can repeat if your child is nonverbal. Simple games incorporating musical instruments, bells, bubbles or sashes are included but my favorite of all are the breathing exercises. This is a great book to have on hand for any children in my opinion."
Bella Online book reviews (read more) >>>
Nancy Welker
BellaOnline's Yoga Editor
April, 2010
"I liked this book from the start. It simply felt right when I opened the front cover and starting reading. I was impressed with the book's dedication to the kids, no doubt, with challenges the rest of us truly can't comprehend, who succeeded at following instructions and bringing peace, quiet and something infinitely more valuable to their lives."
ForeWord Magazine
Customer review excerpt from ForeWord Magazine
Reviewed by: Elizabeth Millard | Jan/Feb 2010
"All yoga is therapeutic, or so believe yogis and their teachers. However, yoga therapy, a new branch of yoga practice is gaining greater acceptance. Yoga therapy combines techniques like breathwork, meditation, and yoga postures to address specific issues or boost overall wellness.
An experienced yoga therapist with a focus on children's needs, author Nancy Williams notes that yoga can be particularly helpful for children with special needs like autism, developmental disorders, ADHD, emotional sensitivity and even cancer. With clarity and insight, she espouses yoga's benefits, including body awareness, sensory integration and better sleep. Her proposed program has several components that include traditional postures, as well as various breathing exercises and guided imagery.
Although this work will be valuable for yoga therapists and yoga teachers who want to expand their teaching skills, the accessible writing and many illustrations make it an ideal book for parents, school teachers, and therapy professionals as well. Even if there's skepticism about some aspects of yoga- such as how the energy centers, or "chakras," affect the body- Williams articulates each pose's benefits in a way that synchs with Western thought.
For example, she describes one of the most common postures in yoga, child's pose, in which a person sits back on the feet and brings his or her forehead to the mat, basically curling into a ball. The benefit of the pose, writes Williams, is that it "facilitates foot and ankle extension, with the weight of the body resting on the legs. Complete flexion of the body is established, and a folding of the skeletal frame. Neck elongation is accomplished through proper head placement."
Particularly valuable are the modifications she includes for each pose, which address potential physical limitations. She encourages the use of props, like blankets, to help children get into a pose safely and reap its benefits without exacerbating any physical challenges.
The poses, breath exercises, and guided meditation presented here should be invaluable not just for special needs children, but for all children. In the current culture of overscheduling and underexercising, Williams' simple postures can be advantageous for relaxation and coordination.
As Williams' work is used beyond her own yoga therapy practice, it's likely that the book will fulfill her vision: "I hope to see transformations that will allow each child to blossom into their highest potential by improving skills in all areas of development, while amplifying the quality of their lives."– Elisabeth Millard, January, 2010
