Yoga for People with Learning Disabilities by Angela McAree
As we know, Yoga was developed in India more than four thousand years ago and is
a system of scientific concepts to balance and unite body, mind and spirit that has
been proven many times and it continues to be practised by millions of people.
There are approximately 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. There
are many different types of learning disability with many having associated conditions.
Learning disabilities can develop during pregnancy, some are genetic, and some as
the result of oxygen deprivation during childbirth. Some are due to childhood diseases
and some due to brain injury such as a car accident. All affect the developing
brain. Mild to moderate learning disability has been linked to poverty and social
exclusion. While learning disabilities vary in their levels of severity, they are
all lifelong and have a severe impact on people’s lives.
People with learning disabilities find it much harder to learn, retain knowledge
and communicate than others. They are more likely to suffer from motor delay, developmental
co-ordination disorder, low muscle tone, psychiatric and behavioural disorders, congenital
heart defects, chronic respiratory conditions, epilepsy, autistic spectrum disorders,
Down’s syndrome, and cerebral palsy.
People who have learning disabilities and special needs often spend their lives in
a continued state of heightened stress and reactivity. They are most often tense,
frustrated and fearful as they reside in a constant mode of survival as they attempt
to cope with everyday life. The regular practise of Yoga in a balanced session can
help to calm and reset the nervous system and return the person to a more balanced
state, where they feel safe. It provides the tools to help them cope better with
everyday life.
Yoga works deeply and on many different levels, which gives it the ability to be
effective in working therapeutically with many chronic conditions and disabilities. With
regular practise, it can help to increase concentration and balance. It can increase
both fine and gross motor skills and helps to develop co-ordination and cognitive
ability. Yoga can increase immune function, respiratory function, and increase the
level of serotonin in the brain, which gives an increased sense of wellbeing.
Serotonin is the brain chemical that helps us to feel calm and alert. It counteracts
stress and is necessary for us to cope with our everyday lives. It gives us a sense
of wellbeing. It is known that many people worldwide have depleted reserves of serotonin
in their brain chemistry. The large amounts of people in this country alone who
are currently taking anti-anxiety medication is a clear reflection of this. Serotonin
is depleted when we are under stress. It is our coping chemical which allows us
to handle stressful situations without overly heightened reactivity. When we practise
asana the elongation of the muscle receptors releases serotonin into the body. With
regular asana practise our reserve tanks of serotonin begin to fill up, so we find
it much easier to cope with stressful situations on a daily basis. It is known that
regular Yoga practise has a direct impact on the way the body reacts and handles
stress. Many studies have shown how the physiology of the body changes with regular
practise, which results in both lowered physical and emotional reactivity. This
is vitally important for people with learning disabilities who most often find interaction
with people and the performance of everyday activities and tasks to be frustrating
and stressful.
Movement, muscle elongation and the changing position of the head, during Yoga practise,
stimulates the vestibular and proprioceptive pathways and causes the motor sensory
systems to fire. This enhances the brain–body connection, which helps the student
to develop greater body awareness and increases motor planning abilities. Stimulation
of the vestibular system also helps to increase changes in co-ordination, motor registration,
energy, attention levels, alertness, arousal and muscle tone.
Conscious breathing can help the student on innumerable levels, from increasing circulation
and oxidation, to freeing the body of stagnant energy allowing space for fresh Prana
to increase energy levels, encouraging the student to be more intuitive, receptive
and empowered to learn. Breathing can also help with a major element of learning
disability, which is frustration. Conscious breathing can help to prevent students
becoming agitated, aggravated and hindered in their attempts to learn. Deep and
regular breathing sends a signal to every cell in the body to relax. This is a state
that is necessary for learning and indeed healing to occur.
The use of chanting is effective in increasing exhalation, increasing muscle tone
in the respiratory system, increasing oxygenation and circulation. It helps to encourage
the co-ordination of the brain and motor coordination, and establishes rhythms of
harmony and communication. Chanting helps to influence diaphragmatic breathing and
encourages emotional stability as it can help to clear emotional blocks. This increases
self-confidence and calmness whilst reducing anxiety. Sound is also a powerful
way to stimulate the body’s auditory and vestibular structures. It can also help
to encourage speech in students who are currently non-verbal, and to increase speech
in students who have reduced verbal communication.
Eyes exercises and movements can increase the efficiency of the optic nerve, relax
the face muscles and increase functionality of certain areas of the brain. Eye exercises,
which involve moving in a clockwise direction, can help to organise the brain, which
is very effective in developing concentration.
In Asana practice, the sequence should begin at a level that suits the student’s
current arousal state to ensure a level of comfort to begin the practise. It needs
to be balanced to organise the body and the brain, and the breath must be used in
co-ordination with the movement to allow for maximum release of the muscles, which
results in oxygenation and strengthening. Generally, held poses are calmer for the
nervous system, whilst repeating the pose or Vinyasa work is more stimulating. Postures
that involve and upward movement on an inhalation are opening and stimulating, while
downward or closing movements on an exhalation are more calming. Twist and side
movements help to organise and balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain,
and so increase co-ordination and balance. Inversions can powerfully influence
states of alertness, energy levels and reduce stress. However care should always
be taken regarding contraindications and medical issues which the student often may
be unaware of. In this case modifications can help to facilitate all of the benefits
of inversion whilst meeting the student’ s individual needs.
Relaxation provides the time and space for the body, breath, mind and internal systems
and rhythms to deepen and slow down. This can be done at the beginning and the end
of a Yoga practise. When students have learning disabilities it is advisable to
include as much deep relaxation as possible. When done at the beginning of the
practise it helps to calm, centre and settle the student, signifying the beginning
of the practise. When done at the end of the practise it allows the body and mind
to absorb the benefits from the practise, and it also can be used to signify the
end of the practise. People with learning disabilities generally work much better
in a regular routine.
Yoga brings the body, mind and spirit into balance.
When students have a learning disability it works therapeutically to gently organise
and orient the body mind and helps the student to make sense of situations, their
environment and increases their self-awareness. When the stress and frustration
of daily living is reduced the brain responds differently and they are better able
to cope, contribute and communicate effectively.
Research between groups of children with Down’s syndrome who had practised Yoga from
a very young age (as part of a controlled Yoga Therapy program), children with Down’s
syndrome who hadn’t practised Yoga but have taken part in other early intervention
therapy and children without a learning disability, showed that, in all categories
connected to the major developmental milestones in a child’s life, the group of children
who had practised yoga outperformed the children with Down’s Syndrome who hadn’t
practised Yoga in almost every area of development. In six of the milestone categories
the Yoga group were close to the children without learning disabilities.
The primary intention of Yoga for people with learning disabilities and special needs
is to help and encourage each individual to reach their full potential.
Angela McAree
YRT, CYF (dip), DTLLS, BSYA( Y.Th), SNHS dip Advanced Aromatherapy, Reflexology,
Reiki Master & Teacher.
Resources
Sumar, S (2007), Yoga for the Special Child. 8th Edition. Special Yoga Publications.
Manuel, J (2008) Yoga as a Therapy for Children with Developmental Challenges. Course
Manual
