Yoga Therapy for Children and Teens with Complex Needs: A Somatosensory Approach to Mental, Emotional and Physical Wellbeing

by Shawnee Thornton Thornton Hardy, Amy Wheeler (Foreword by)

Overview

This deeply compassionate and inclusive resource explores the practice of yoga therapy, mindfulness, and somatic enquiry with children and young people who have complex needs. Suitable for working with ages 5-18, the book explores a wide range of conditions, including sensory processing disorder, autism, Down syndrome, hypermobility, scoliosis, anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Chapters also include comprehensive theory on the nervous system, child development from the age of 3+, the benefits of expressive arts, and regular reflective prompts for the adults. It is supplemented with over 100 photographs to ease learning and is an invaluable resource for therapists working with children and teens with complex needs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787752269
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	08/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Shawnee Thornton Hardy has worked with children and teens with complex needs for nearly 3 decades. She holds a Master's in Special Education, is a Certified Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists and a Somatic Experiencing© Practitioner through the Trauma Institute. Shawnee is the founder of Asanas for Autism and Special Needs and the Founder/Director of Yoga Therapy for Youth. She is passionate about making mind-body practices inclusive and accessible to all brains, bodies and abilities. She leads trainings' internationally and throughout the US and offers 1:1 sessions in mind-body practices to support children and teens with complex needs, to include; autism, ADHD, neurodiversity, developmental disability, sensory processing challenges, communication difficulties, anxiety/depression and trauma. She is also the Author of Asanas for Autism and Special Needs - Yoga to help Children with their Emotions, Self-Regulation and Body Awareness. She combines her unique experience as an educational/behavioral specialist and her knowledge and passion for yoga and somatic practices in her work and teachings. Her heart's longing is in facilitating healing in the world.

Editorial Reviews

As a Yoga therapist and parent of two older children with complex needs, I only wish that I had access to Shawnee Thornton Hardy's wise counsel many years ago. Her book, Yoga Therapy for Children and Teens with Complex Needs, isn't just a compilation of tools. It is a beacon of hope for those of us struggling to connect with our children. And best of all, it offers our kids a pathway back home to themselves.
With clear examples, practices, and scientific evidence, Hardy shows us there is a path forward, even when we feel lost and confused. She explains, "The practice of yoga is a practice of coming home to ourselves. The intuitive, curious, joyful and present nature of who we truly are beyond our experiences in life. A coming home to our innate wholeness, wellness and interconnectedness with the world." Thank you Shawnee for shining a light in the dark, and helping us all find our way home.

Jivana Heyman C-IAYT

Shawnee Thornton Hardy offers her wisdom and expertise with heart and clarity in this much needed and important resource to support children and teens. This book provides the reader with an accessible and comprehensive guide for assessment and program development strategies informed by yoga philosophy and practices, integrated with neurophysiology and psychology frameworks.

Marlysa Sullivan DPT

With tender and compassionate zeal, Shawnee Thornton Hardy embraces the complex needs of our children, those often misunderstood, unseen or held at a distance by our society. Shawnee's approach, caring, curious and creative, lays down a somatic and yogic path, offering responsive, inclusive and accessible practices, a gateway to holistic health and a feeling of belonging and enduring self-respect. Sometimes a book comes along that helps you remember the goodness in humanity - this is it!

Anne Pitman