The program begins on Friday September 24, starting with registration at 1:45 pm, and ends after lunch on Friday, October 1.

Yoga for the Special Child®, LLC is a comprehensive training program that provides the essential tools for working with children with special needs. Using hands-on and video instruction, Sonia (Sivakami) Sumar, guides program participants through each stage of the special child’s development.

Our therapeutic program includes:

• An integrated series of balanced Yoga poses to increase body awareness, strength and flexibility
• Specialized breathing exercises and relaxation techniques to improve concentration and reduce hyperactivity
• An early intervention program to assure the healthy formative development of infants and toddlers

Yoga for the Special Child®, LLC training programs offer a unique learning environment for children and their parents, special education teachers, Yoga teachers and health care professionals. Courses are taught by internationally renowned Yoga therapist and author Sonia Sumar, whose innovative teaching methods have been improving the lives of children with special needs for more than 30 years.

7-DAY TRAINING COURSE

Sonia Sumar teaches this comprehensive training course in the theory and practice of Yoga therapy for children with learning and developmental disabilities.

This course is open to Yoga therapists, instructors and students, health care practioners, and families of special children.

Our comprehensive workbook, Yoga for the Special Child, is provided to participants.

It is important to understand the medical contraindications to certain asanas, so please do not try to copy our work without proper instruction.

Curriculum

This comprehensive training program provides the essential tools for working with children with special needs. Using hands-on and video instruction, Sonia (Sivakami) Sumar, guides program participants through each stage of the special child’s development.

Topics include:
• How to evaluate infants and children
• How to create the optimum home environment
• How to work with specific syndromes and disorders

Designed for:
• Parents
• Special education teachers
• Massage therapists
• Yoga teachers

It is also appropriate for the continuing education of nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists.

The one-week certification program incorporates the following:
• Specific techniques for evaluating infants and children
• The different components of interacting and bonding with infants/children
• The components of Yoga Therapy
• The description of the physiological/psychological benefits
• The four stages of development:
• 1) Preparatory Stage (birth - 6 months)
• 2) Inductive Stage (6 months - 1 year)
• 3) Interactive Stage (1 - 2 years)
• 4) Imitative Stage (2 - 3 years)
• Videos and/or working with children 3 – 12 years old
• Contra-indications
• Relaxation techniques
• Yoga for adolescents and young adults
• Challenge of adolescents
• Consultation with parents

Prerequisites

This course is available to anyone with an interest in working with this population, including but not limited toYoga therapists, instructors and students, health care practioners, and families of special children. Please direct your inquiries to the Academy Administration, 434-969-3121, ext. 153 or 139.

We recommend that all students not trained through Integral Yoga familiarize themselves with the Integral Yoga method of teaching Hatha Yoga by taking classes at an Integral Yoga Institute or from an IY teacher. Information on Integral Yoga teachers in your area can be obtained from the online Teachers Directory at www.iyta.org or by contacting the Integral Yoga Teachers Association at 434-969-3121, ext. 177. If this is not possible, you may purchase the DVD Yoga With a Master and the Integral Yoga Hatha I audio CD from www.Shakticom.org or IY Distribution at 1-800-262-1008 (outside US, call 1-434-969-1049).

Download an application

Our teacher training applications are available as PDF files. You can read these files with Adobe's Acrobat Reader. If you do not have a PDF reader on your computer, you can download one free from Adobe's website at www.adobe.com.

  Approximate Yoga Alliance Hours:  55     RYT 500

Sonia Sumar is internationally renowned for her pioneering work using Yoga therapy with special children. She is the founder and director of Yoga for the Special Child in Sarasota, Florida and in Brazil, where she has achieved remarkable results working babies and children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Microcephaly, Autism and other developmental disabilities. She travels extensively, conducting workshops and training programs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Oceania and South America. She is also the author of the book Yoga for the Special Child®,LLC which is translated into English, Portuguese and Chinese while Dutch and Spanish versions will be forthcoming soon.

Sonia's life dream is to help the world's special children to achieve their full potential and become active and productive members of society. Nothing can better express her success than the letters from the parents of her students.

Sonia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education and has taught at the elementary school level. She has conducted workshops and has addressed special education programs and symposia in Europe, Asia, United States, Oceania, Canada and South America. In 1980 she founded the Integral Yoga Center of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, which is now headed by her daughter Renata. In September of 2001 Sonia opened the National Headquarters for Yoga for the Special Child, Satchidananda Yoga Center in Evanston, Illinois. She continues to teach children and adults and offers specialized training courses to Yoga teachers and other professionals who wish to learn her methods. She now lives in Sarasota, FL.

Lorena I first learned of Sonia Sumar's yoga therapy through an article in the newspaper. I immediately felt that Sonia was the kind of person who could understand the heartache I was going through with my child. I was certain she would be able to answer all my questions, because here was a mother who had already successfully completed a journey that I was just beginning. Now that my daughter and I have had the opportunity to experience some of the benefits of yoga practice, I thank God for that newspaper article, which led me to Sonia Sumar and her community of yoga practitioners. I say "community" in the literal sense of the word, since all of us are friends who share a common bond, and we are able to support one another through an open exchange of ideas and experiences. Lorena began practicing yoga with Sonia in August of 1983, when she was nine months old, and now it is a part of our daily life. But yoga is not like any sport. It is much more comprehensive. Nowadays, "Lo" is nine years old and studies at a public school near our home. It is difficult to describe the light, tranquility, strength and optimism that yoga brings to us. My little daughter is a happy child, communicative and clever. We are very proud of her. Gloria Buval Moreira Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 1 December 1991

Eloísa In a few short sentences it would be impossible for me to relate all that yoga has done for my daughter. Nevertheless, I would like to share my experience with the many mothers who are searching for a way to improve the lives of their children with Down Syndrome. Thanks to the benefits of yogic breathing exercises and asanas, my 3-year-old daughter, Eloísa, is a balanced, calm, and happy child, with practically normal development for her age. She walks, talks, and knows everybody in the neighborhood. This year she entered a regular preschool. We are deeply grateful to Sonia Sumar, a gifted and caring teacher. Maria Piedade Kilson Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 1 December 1985

Henrique Sonia Sumar was the first person to teach me to believe in my child. She taught me that the love I felt for him would surely help us to build a brighter future together. I now see the birth of Henrique and the death of my older son, Elber, as the beginning of a new phase in my life. With Sonia's help, I have learned to give up my bitterness about the past. I have also learned to view the passing events of my life, tragic as well as joyous, with a measure of equal vision. Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Souza Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 14 March 1994

  Cost

The tuition for this course is $960 (which includes texts), plus accommodations of your choice which include vegetarian meals.

PLEASE NOTE: Parents may bring children and caregivers to this program. If the caregiver stays in the same room as the parent and child or children, there is an additional cost of $410 which includes meals. If the caregiver wishes to stay in a separate room, please call (800) 858-9642 or email ARC@iyiva.org for options and prices. Occasionally, Yogaville is able to find professional sitters at a fee of $550 per child. Please contact the Integral Yoga Academy at (434) 969-3121 ext. 139 or via email at iytt@iyiva.org for details.

    Applicable Discounts

  10% International discount is offered for students residing outside the US.

  10% Student discount is offered for full time students. A valid, current student ID is required.

  10% Senior Citizen discount is available for those ages 65 and up.

  5% IYTA member discount is available for those with current membership.

  10% Military discount is available for those currently on active or reserve duty in the U.S. armed forces or the National Guard.

  $100 Earlybird discount when paid in full 90 days prior to event

  Register For Yoga For The Special Child

The price of our teacher trainings includes tuition, accommodations and all vegetarian meals. To register for the teacher training, you are required to fill out and submit an application as a first step.

Your application will be reviewed promptly upon receipt. Be sure to include the application fee as indicated on the application form. Once you are approved, we will notify you by e-mail and/or telephone. Please note that sending in an application does not guarantee a place in the program. Please apply early.

Should you have any questions about the course please do not hesitate to contact the Teacher Training Department:

    Please call:      (434) 969-3121 ext. 139
    Email:             iytt@iyiva.org

Please direct questions concerning accommodations, travel arrangements and payment to ARC [Ashram Reservations Center] via email or at the following telephone numbers:

    In the US please call:      (800) 858-YOGA [9642]
    International callers:       (434) 969-2048

    Monday through Friday :: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST
    Saturday [Spring & Summer] :: 9:00 am - 12 noon

    Email:    arc@iyiva.org