Special Yoga for
Cerebral Palsy and PMLD

Starts 14th September 2024
Saturday Afternoon Webinars
No prior knowledge of yoga necessary

Yoga and You

Since our training began over twenty years ago we’ve met thousands of parents who are just like you.
They find us at different stages of their parenting journey: grief stricken, confused, curious, angry, hopeful, exhausted, but they all share one thing - they all want the best possible future for their child and all have a heartfelt belief that this is more than the label or diagnosis assigned to them.

Whether you have a regular yoga practice or you’re a newbie, at Special Yoga we’ll give you a toolbox of these practices and show you how effective they can be when shared by you and the uniquely beautiful qualities you bring to the practice. We’ll teach you to unlock your child’s potential.

By the completion of this training course you’ll be ready to consider your own self care and to bring yoga to your child, sharing with empathy, patience and resilience.

You’ll have seen the magic.

Why Special Yoga for Cerebral Palsy and PMLD?


On this course we teach many different aspects of yoga taking a deeper dive into those particularly beneficial to those with Cerebral Palsy and PMLD, for example:

Yoga Asana or Poses:

  • Improve Flexibility and Range of Motion: Yoga poses and stretches can help loosen tight muscles, improving flexibility and increasing range of motion. This can enhance mobility and make everyday movements easier for those with cerebral palsy.

  • Enhanced Strength, Balance and Alignment: Certain yoga poses can help build strength in muscles that are often weak in children with cerebral palsy. Additionally, practicing balance poses can improve stability, motor skills and coordination. Our practices also emphasise alignment and posture, which can be particularly beneficial for those who struggling to maintain a stable and upright posture.

Pranayama or Breathwork:

  • Improved Respiratory Function: Many children with cerebral palsy and PMLD may experience challenges with respiratory function due to muscle weakness or impaired coordination. Breathwork exercises can help strengthen the respiratory muscles and improve lung capacity, leading to better breathing patterns and improvement in brain and body function.

  • Enhanced Relaxation: Certain breathing techniques, such as deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing, can induce relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This can be particularly beneficial for children with cerebral palsy and PMLD who may experience heightened levels of stress or anxiety.

Sound, Music & Mantra:

  • Sensory Stimulation: Sound, music, and mantra can provide rich sensory experiences stimulating auditory, tactile, and sometimes even visual senses and providing opportunities for engagement and exploration.

  • Emotional Regulation: Music has a powerful effect on emotions and can help regulate mood. Listening to calming music or chanting mantras can promote relaxation and reduce anxiety or stress in children with cerebral palsy and PMLD

Massage and Working with the Feet:

  • Muscle Relaxation & Pain Relief: Massage can help relax tight muscles and reduce muscles spasms and spasticity, which is common in individuals with CP. This can help to alleviate pain by releasing tension in the muscles, promote circulation and improve range of motion and overall mobility.

  • Enhanced Communication: Massage can serve as a form of nonverbal communication, allowing individuals with CP and PMLD to express their needs and preferences through physical cues and responses. Massage may also provide an opportunity for positive social interaction and bonding, strengthening the relationship between parent and child.

Mindfulness:

  • Sensory Stimulation: Sound, music, and mantra can provide rich sensory experiences stimulating auditory, tactile, and sometimes even visual senses and providing opportunities for engagement and exploration.

  • Emotional Regulation: Music has a powerful effect on emotions and can help regulate mood. Listening to calming music or chanting mantras can promote relaxation and reduce anxiety or stress in children with cerebral palsy and PMLD.

In addition to these practice the course also includes teaching modules on relaxation, mindfulness and how to adapt yoga to different diagnoses and situations.

If you want to:

Access a variety of practices to support your child’s wellbeing
Become part of a community of parents, sharing experiences and resources
Develop a lifelong habit of Self Care, enhancing your wellbeing, resilience, empathy and patience.
Enable deeper connections to the purity and innocence of your child.

………..then this course is for you

On This Course

Teaching Webinars

In a supportive learning environment you’ll join a series of four live webinars lead by our most senior practitioners and teachers.
You’ll learn more about the practices and practise together to embody and feel their effect and be encouraged to get out of your head and into your heart/body. There’s also plenty of opportunities to answers to any questions you have.

Live Teaching Webinars on this course will be:
Saturday 14th September 2.00pm - 4.30pm and Saturday’s 12th October, 9th November and 30th November from 2.00pm - 4.00pm

Self Guided Learning

A course space exclusively for the students on this course can be accessed via desktop, tablet or mobile phone enabling you to access the self guided elements at the optimum time for you to learn. Content is time released so you can pace yourself as you go. You can access the videos for three months post course for ongoing support. There are two personal assignments to work through with constructive feedback from your assigned teacher.

You will get access to the first self learning module one week before the opening webinar.

Access ends three months after the date of the final assignment.

Arrangements for the Live Study Groups on this course will be agreed during the first webinar but will be during weeks commencing: 29th September, 27th October, 16th November 2024 and 5th January 2025.

Study Group Assignments

After the opening webinar when we’ve met you and heard what you want from the course you’ll join a small study group with one of our senior practitioners.
The four live study groups on this course provide you with the opportunity to learn from each other as you work through study group assignments set specifically to draw out what you’ve all learned and help develop your skills to share.

Student Testimonials

  • "Special Yoga is very empowering

    both for the individual you are working with and for yourself. It allows you to be in touch with you and shows the importance of taking a breath, relaxing and letting your mind be free. I feel energised and I’m buzzing with joy after each session. The key thing for me is seeing the young people I work with relax into their own bodies and enjoy being them.”

    - Trace

  • "This course enabled me to feel more confident

    with the belief that working with these special people in their way with patience and kindness brings a connection and reward that’s beyond words”

    - Janine

  • "I have learned so much

    about my students and myself throughout this course. We have bonded as a team and the students are so calm and open. The trust and relationships we have built though our Yoga practises will flow into all aspects of our classroom. Thank you, from all of us.“

    - Beccy

  • "All the children I work with love the sessions.

    I enjoyed the Special Yoga for Cerebral Palsy and PMLD course. It is well-structured, in-depth, and very practical. “

    - Kinga

  • “This course will help you connect with your pupils

    in ways that will enhance everyone’s well-being - bringing joy into your classroom.”

    - Gail

  • "I've enjoyed learning how to use Yoga as a tool

    to connect with my students. We have had some lovely moments that benefitted students and staff, promoting well-being.”

    - Sarah

“This course has been developed over years of experience working with these beautiful children. Our intention is to share impactful techniques and practices to enhance children’s physical, emotional and physiological well-being. “
- Jyoti Manuel

Introducing Your Teachers

Laura Tilley

Laura is a caring, intuitive and creative individual and teaches yoga to children and adults with SEND in nurseries, schools, day centres and private 1-2-1 work. 

Her background is in dance and movement therapy and yoga for over 10 years. She has an in depth knowledge of Special Yoga having studied with us for many years and having taken foundation and senior practitioner courses. She now supports our work as a study group leader and teacher.

Laura has two very special daughters, one with complex learning disabilities and another with ADHD and Autism. This experience has shaped her journey towards yoga and self care for the children. She is also keenly aware of the importance of practise and self care for parents/carers and enjoys sharing ways in which this has supported her.

Jyoti Jo Manuel

With her depth of knowledge and many years of experience, Jyoti Jo Manuel is recognised by many as one of the worlds leading authorities on therapeutic yoga for children. Her personal
yoga journey started in 1974 and she began teaching in 1989. 

In 2002 Jyoti founded Special Yoga, a global organisation established to provide and develop sustainable and accessible yoga programmes for children with special and additional needs. 
Special Yogas work reaches across education, therapeutic settings and within the home.
Jyoti has travelled extensively implementing Special Yoga programmes in orphanages, social care, education and health care and for paediatric therapists and psychologists.
As founder, lead and spiritual head of Special Yoga she has trained senior practitioners to support the effective and impactful delivery of Special Yoga for children with special needs meeting them wherever they are.

Christine Levrot

Based in Canada, Christine was introduced to yoga at the turn of the century and since then has relearned to live, breathe and move!
Christine completed teacher trainings with Lyne St-Roch and Hart Lazer but it was in
2015 after her mother had a stroke causing hemiplegia that she began to see yoga through another lens, that of people with disabilities who did not have access to it.
Christine is now a Special Yoga Senior Practitioner and teaches on this course for Cerebral Palsy and PMLD.

Christine guides children with multiple disabilities on the path to yoga, adapting the practice to their body and their heart helping them find freedom through subtle movement.
She continues to study with Special Yoga and has completed many courses over the years to keep up to date with the latest research on using yoga as a therapy.

On This Course You Get….

Eight and a half hours of live teaching and group study
Fifteen hours of pre-recorded videos and written lessons
Seventeen hours of self study, self practice and assignments
Total Course Time Commitment Is Around 20 Minutes Per Day
To learn from teachers with a wealth of experience supporting children with Cerebral Palsy and PMLD
To share the joy of your exploration and use of Special Yoga with a supportive and understanding community

…..so book now