Yoga therapy

What is Yoga Therapy for Children?

Yoga is a combination of mindful movement, breathing and meditation - helping children feel calm and develop motor skills, balance, strength and co-ordination. Therapeutic yoga works on individual goals for children, addressing their specific physical as well as cognitive and social/emotional needs.

How Yoga Therapy Helps

  • Creates a calm, quiet space for a sense of well-being

  • Strength building exercises develop gross motor skills and core strength

  • Non-verbal interaction through copying physical movement and aided movement builds confidence

  • Breathing exercises identify and address anxiety and help develop emotional self-regulation

  • Builds emotional resilience

  • Deep breathing soothes nervous system

  • Creates a mental map of the body, developing spatial awareness and sense of own body in space

  • Participation in choosing and creating yoga sequences helps develop sense of independence

  • Guided visualisation helps to develop imagination and creativity

  • Meditation relieves anxiety and encourages focus and concentration

What we Offer

Children’s Yoga Tree runs a variety of courses and mentorships to help yoga teachers and school teachers support children with special needs through yoga and mindfulness.

Advanced Training in Yoga for Special Needs.

This mentored, online course for children’s yoga teachers is accredited by Yoga Alliance Professionals and can be completed in student’s own time. The 10 hour course qualifies students to create assessments and develop tailored yoga programmes for children with special needs.

Tailored School Training

Bespoke online or in-person training is available for SENCOs, teaching assistants and teachers wishing to provide yoga and mindfulness interventions to support their children.

Yoga Therapy Mentorships

Emma and Siobhan also work in schools in Brighton and West Sussex and Johannesburg, providing therapeutic programmes for children with special needs.

  • Testimonials

'Emma is a very knowledgeable professional who worked with all year groups and with a range of different abilities. She built a great relationship with all of the students she worked with.

Yoga has had a positive impact on the students’ self-esteem, concentration and behaviour. It has helped to develop their motor skills, body awareness and coordination and provide sensory integration. It is ideal for young people with autism and a great addition to curricular activities. 

As well as working with students Emma provided in-house training for staff, which helped them to integrate various yoga techniques in to classroom activities. We cannot recommend Emma highly enough, she is fantastic." 


             Kairi Reiter, Deputy Headteacher, Kestrel House School for Autism, Crouch End, London

"Emma has been our sons yoga teacher for over 5 years. Our son has downs syndrome and his muscle tone and balance have been a challenge for him. Regular yoga sessions with Emma enabled him to grow not just in strength and flexibility but also in well being. Emma created a space for our son where he could relax, be himself and grow in confidence.

Emma is kind, inclusive and a genuinely lovely person and talented yoga instructor. She shows patience with children of all abilities, developing and nurturing talents along with scaffolding those children that need a little bit more time. Thank you Emma for all you have done."
             Julie, mother of Connor

‘Emma is fantastic! Her approach with delivering Yoga, especially to those living with dementia, was second to none. Emma is very calm and encouraging. Emma’s Yoga sessions were extremely well received by our residents and you could see the progress in particular residents each time.

It was a great opportunity to help channel some of our residents anxieties, especially those living with dementia, focusing on relaxing through means of breathing and music. Emma’s encouragement and praise boosted self confidence in residents and this was reflected in the atmosphere during our Yoga sessions.

The physical movements also proved popular with residents, helping the less mobile residents maintain and in some instances improve movements. Emma was patient, understanding and had a very gentle disposition although we were also able to laugh and have lots of fun!’

Lauren Tweddle, Activity Co-ordinator, Care UK

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