words from our community ~ CADES

Yoga Home client, CADES, is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities, and the lives of their families. They believe that independence, dignity, and individuality are the cornerstones for building a meaningful life. In an effort to bring the benefits of yoga to their students, Kerri Hanlon provided a professional development session for their teaching and therapy staff, and was joined by several CADES team members at our Adaptive Yoga Training Intensives at Yoga Home. Student field trips to our studio were a highlight, as students found themselves “at Home.”

“I use portions of what I learned with all of my students. I frequently use the mountain pose as a re-group opportunity; to have a fresh, grounding break between activities. I also use that pose for when students need to wait. We have been doing a small yoga group as a calming/engagement activity with students with difficulty attending, waiting and have poor body awareness. For the older kids we are attempting to use the class for the relaxation and stretch as well as to promote a life long leisure activity.

I have been able to include all of the students in some way as a result of her training.” – Amy W., Teacher at CADES

“After taking the adapted yoga course, with Kerri, I have tried to bring a yoga practice to each of the children on my caseload. With modified poses, our children with multiple diagnoses seem to enjoy the movement, stretching and breathing. I have used it both as a sensory strategy to increase a student’s readiness to attend in the classroom as well as a form of relaxation for some of our more physically involved children.” – Wendy Levin MS, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist at CADES