South Shore Conservatory Offers Yoga for the Special Child Training

South Shore Conservatory’s Creative Arts Therapies department offers Yoga for the Special Child® basic certification program, a comprehensive training course in the theory and practice of teaching yoga to babies and children with learning or developmental disabilities, from August 6 through 12 at South Shore Conservatory, One Conservatory Drive, Hingham, MA. The program often draws students from across the United States. This session's deadline for registration is July 1.

Using hands-on instruction and video, licensed Yoga for the Special Child® instructor Kathy Randolph teaches participants how to adapt yoga for the successive stages in a special child's development, from infancy through adolescence. Designed for parents, yoga teachers, educators, physical and occupational therapists, and health care professionals, this program provides the basic tools for teaching yoga to children with special needs. No previous experience in yoga is required to attend this teacher training program. Benefits to children participating in this type of therapeutic yoga are mindfulness, concentration, physical ease, emotional balance, and ultimately peace of mind and happiness.

Randolph’s week-long session addresses the following topics: choosing the most effective yoga routine, creating the optimum home and classroom environment, specialized breathing exercises and relaxation techniques to improve concentration, and adapting yoga techniques to children with different syndromes and disorders. Populations addressed include individuals living with: autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other cognitive and learning disabilities.

In keeping with SSC’s inclusive mission to provide access to quality education in the arts for all, the Creative Arts Therapies Department programs ensure that the Conservatory is truly able to offer programs for all segments of the population to enjoy. SSC’s Yoga for the Special Child® practitioners teach at local schools, at care centers for adults with special needs, as well as offering private sessions at SSC campuses.

To register for the Yoga for the Special Child® basic certification program, visit http://sscmusic.org/yoga_special_child.html. For more information, visit www.specialyoga.org, or contact yoga department chair Gita Brown at g.brown@sscmusic.org or 781-934-2731, ext. 20.

About South Shore Conservatory

South Shore Conservatory, (SSC) has been providing access to and enriching the lives of South Shore residents through music and the arts for 45 years. Recognized as a national model for arts education by the National Guild for Community Arts Education, SSC is the largest, not-for-profit, community school for the arts in Massachusetts, serving over 3500 students of all ages and abilities at its two beautiful campuses and in partnership with schools, and social service and community agencies throughout the South Shore. Students participate in more than 50 diverse programs in music, dance and drama, with performance playing an important role in overall education. With more than 100 exceptional musicians on faculty, SSC offers 30 professionally produced concerts annually. Through innovative partnerships, SSC’s Creative Arts Therapies department supports the mental, emotional, and physical health of some of our community’s underserved members, and the ImagineARTS program strengthens pre-reading skills for young learners in Brockton Schools through integrated music and dramatic play. SSC’s campuses are located at One Conservatory Drive, Hingham, (781-749-7565) and 64 St. George Street, Duxbury (781-934-2731). SSC programs are supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information call us, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram or visit www.sscmusic.org.

In keeping with SSC’s inclusive mission to provide access to quality education in the arts for all, the Conservatory offers programs for all segments of the population to enjoy, regardless of age, ability, geography, and financial means. Furthermore, South Shore Conservatory admits students and families of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.