9Disclaimer
Throughout this book we made the arbitrary decision to use
the traditionally feminine pronouns “she,” “her,” and “hers” to
designate a variety of adults that could be male or female—
parents, teachers, and therapists. Consequently, we decided to use
the traditionally male pronouns “he,” “him,” and “his” to designate
infants and children. We chose these pronoun designations to
avoid having to use the awkward forms “he/she,” “him/her,” and
“his/hers” to refer to children in this book.
Whether male or female, we firmly believe that all children
are unique with their own profiles and develop at their own
pace. Children also vary in strength, flexibility, and balance. This
principle of individual variation applies to children who are
typically developing as well as those with developmental challenges.
Children in this latter group may also present with deep, focused
interests, sensory profiles, motor skills, and attentional capacities
that impact their participation in a yoga practice. The adult who
guides children will need to take these individual differences into
account and adapt the yoga poses and breathing exercises to meet
their unique needs. The adult who engages in yoga with children
with developmental challenges needs to be knowledgeable of the
children’s capacities and modify the practice accordingly.
This book contains illustrations of children and parent-child
dyads engaged in yoga poses. These illustrations were designed