In September of 2009, I was sent an e-mail by Robin Schwoyer (in photo on left with myself & Chris Hoffner) my former business partner regarding a proposed yoga program for an autism support classroom. After contacting & working with the head teacher Chris Hoffner who proposed the program (Chris is in photo on right) we were very grateful & excited to secure a grant through a cooperative effort of the Perkiomen Valley School Foundation and Best Buy Corporation.
On October first, the funds were awarded in a community ceremony and on October 14th the "Creative Movement Project" began. To date, the kids are responding in positive ways and having fun with it as they learn new skills and re-enforce the ones they have already acquired.
I've been keeping notes & a journal of progress, and have decided to make parts of it public. (The names & personal information regarding staff & students won't be used unless with permission.)
When educators, parents, schools, families & communities work together, it benefits the children in ways we could never imagine! That is the intention of this exciting pilot program. We hope more educators and schools will follow this district's lead.
I want to again thank Robin, the teachers, support staff, parents, the Perkiomen School Foundation & Best Buys for making this program possible! We will keep everyone posted as to our progress here.
~Barbara
10/28/09: The class of 8 (all boys) did well today with some minor distractions. 2 of the students told me (in their own way) that they had a hard time sitting on the floor, so I showed them and their support staff how to modify their sitting posture to make their own bodies more comfortable. One student stated that "Yoga is for Girls." He did however like the printed material I gave them showing all the professional athletes that use yoga in their training and did well with "Flip Dog" the challenge posture. (his favorite!) He said he changed his mind about yoga being for girls. There is one non-verbal student that did well also and I am attempting to further modify the activities so he can communicate with me & his peers. The boys are very helpful and supportive of him, one student observing: "I used to be like him-I just didn't want to talk much, so I understand." Two of the students needed to take a few breaks during the 30-minute class due to minor anxiety at the new experience. The idea of "doing your best and have fun" is emphasised over perfection. Overall they said they liked it and wanted to know what we were doing next week. When I asked them if they liked a challenge, one student replied "Bring it ON!!!": )
12/02/09: Today was our 5th class! The students have made good progress individually as well as a class! The overall atmosphere of the class I would describe as cooperative and eager to learn. They have learned to recognize stress in the body (through me demonstrating my "crunched-up" face/body) and how to use the breath & slower movements to relax. They have learned simple imagery & other self-calming techniques and are starting to learn when to apply them. These students are very willing to attempt the more challenging poses and overall attentiveness, verbal & kinesthetic participation is excellent! Next week, the students will be starting an interactive, non-competitive & yoga game designed specifically for this class. The objective of the game is to create greater awareness & self regulation through the use of physical challenges, (poses) academic challenges (general questions) and character challenges (problem solving scenarios). The students will also help each other through the challenges to earn points towards their next challenge level. They and I are looking forward to it! Stay tuned...
1/28/10: The staff told me that boys missed me/yoga after the holiday vacation and me being sick for a few weeks. One boy told me he did his "Sun Salutations" at home (unprompted) when he wanted to get away from the noisy house. :) ["Sun Salutations" is a series of movements, one flowing into the next that exercises and stretches all the major areas of the body. It can be done slowly for calm and focus or aerobically for strength, stamina and improved balance/coordination.] Last week we worked on partner poses, which required each partner to do their part. There was a bit of hedging from one or two students as to who I partnered them with, but after an explanation of how a person might feel if you exclude them and how do THEY feel when excluded, all was well. Today we continued our game and worked on feet/ankle/leg strengthening poses and activities. The group was very attentive-minimal calling out and no one needed a "break". At the end of class, we learned foot massage (on themselves) for calming/relaxation (the staff liked that!) and did a 4 minute relaxation/imagery exercise in which everyone (except one) was still and quiet for the whole 4 minutes! Awesome! One student remarked that: " Wow! I felt like I was in a dream!" They continue to enjoy and do their best.
For more information on yoga workshops, classes and events, please visit: BodyLogique Creative Fitness
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