Mindful Little Yogis

Nicola Harvey is an experienced and qualified Special Needs Educator, Therapist, and Children's Yoga Mindfulness Practitioner. She has written articles for SEN Magazine, Twinkl Education Publishing and Ambitious About Autism.

• Introduction. 1. Special Little Yogis. 1.1. What is SEN? 1.2. The Modern Day Classroom. 1.3. Mindful Yogis. 1.4. Everything Starts with the Breath. 2. Shine from Within. 2.1. The S.T.A.R. Model. 2.2. Stop. Part I: Take a Breath. 3. Mindful Breathing. 3.1. Be conscious of the breath. 3.2. How to Initiate the Practice. 3.3. Breathe. 3.4. Sensory. 3.5. Animals. 3.6. Shapes. 3.7. Sound. 3.8. Visualisation. 3.9. Body Flow. Part II: And... 4. Self-regulate and Flow. 4.1. Why Teach Kids Self-Regulation. 4.2. Upstairs Downstairs Brain. 4.3. Grounding. 4.4. Sensory Yoga. 4.5. Emotional Intelligence. 4.6. LEGO®-Based Therapy. 4.7. Calm Down Jar. 4.8. Music Therapy. Part III: Relax. 5. Positive Strategies. 5.1. Creating a Safe Space for Relaxation. 5.2. Positive Strategies in Action. 5.3 'Flipping Your Lid' Hand Model. Part IV: Final Reflections. 6. Conclusion. 7. Resources. 7.1. Developmental Skills. 7.2. Reading Bubbles. 7.3. Guided Imagery Scripts. 7.4. Progressive Relaxation Scripts. 7.5. Yoga Story. 7.6. Calming Strategy Visual. 7.7. Faces of Emotion. References.

Mindful Little Yogis is an excellent, user-friendly book full of fun, practical ideas for children and young adults with special needs. As a movement therapist I particularly enjoyed the yoga postures and the Lazy Eight Breathing technique. The STAR model that divides each chapter is a very clever idea, reminding readers to be mindful throughout.A must-have book for anyone supporting individuals or groups.