Surf's Up! Adaptive Beach Yoga

So while talking with the kids last week at camp about what they like to do, there seemed to be a recurring theme: Swimming!

There are mostly boys with autism, ages 5-10 in the camp. For the ones with more developed communications kills, their favorite swimming is done at the beach-and their favorite "beach' topic is definitely sharks.
So taking this into consideration & since it was summer and since recent events have created alot of talk and debate about the current & future safety of our sea life, I thought that we would work with the topic of "Beach Yoga". It has proven to be a great choice!

Our warm up consists of breathing exercises followed by 'surfing'-the yoga mat is now a surf board, and variations of locust pose, warrior pose, mountain, triangle & down dog becomes a 'surfer' paddling his board out to the waves, surfing and (gently) "wiping out". The 'surfers' are taught the correct and safe way to 'wipeout' which is also a lesson in body awareness & self control. They ask for this every time, and it keeps them excited about yoga, so I keep doing it as a permanent part of the class. It also is a perfect opportunity for them to release pent-up energy. Kids need to do that before there is any hope of them "being still".

Surf music is played during the warm up. After 3 minutes of surfing, the kids (and the assistant teachers) are pretty warmed up! So we take a quick break with quiet breathing while I begin to explain the other activities & tell the day's story.

Our story is an original (by BodyLogique®) about a seagull that travelled over many miles of land to get to the ocean-over farms, mountains, volcanoes, trees, and even rainbows and when he got to the ocean he could see all the people on the beach & creatures below the water-fish, stingrays, sharks, coral, sea snakes, whales, sea horses, seaweed, jellyfish etc.  

As the story unfolds, the children each contribute a part of the story-this is facilitated by prompts: "Where is he flying now?" "What else does he see?"  "Name another sea animal/creature..." etc. The yoga is the movement of all the wonderful and creative animals they 'see' (some I have never heard of!).  In this way, and on many levels, the story comes alive. This is easily adaptable by using color photos, flashcards or some visual prompts for the children who need it.

We then played a non-competitive problem solving game of "Survivor Island." This is a variation on musical chairs and was designed to encourage cooperation and auditory processing. When the game was finished, the kids wanted to play again, but we were short on time. I had to bribe them with our next activity which was making their own "Message in a Bottle".
We wind down our class with a simple Guided Imagery-quiet music and reminding the children of their breath-to listen to it-like the ocean waves, rolling in to them- and away. Bringing  refreshment, happiness, love and all the things they need and taking away tension and all those thoughts & feelings they don't need.



The "Beach" or "Ocean"  theme can be expanded in a multitude of ways and adapted to various settings & skill levels. It can be done in the home, at a camp program, outside, in the classroom, by the pool, virtually anywhere that is comfortable, safe and secure for the group you are teaching. It fulfills the requirements for 1 hour daily of physical exercise set by the National Association for Sports & Phys Ed. I encourage parents and educators to teach &  play with their children in this way. You don't need any special skill or equipment, as it does not have to be perfect. It takes just a little imagination and a desire to lead your child through creative movement lessons.

Click here for more ideas on Sensory Games.


For more information on the Wanna Play Program (with locations in PA & NJ) , please click here


Click here to order the complete  "Ocean Surfari" summer S.M.Art Story™ curriculum!





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