Yoga for Speech-Language Development

Yoga for Motor Planning for Speech 85

around the room by walking, running, dancing, hopping, crawling,
or moving in various ways. The movements could include “yoga
walks,” such as downward facing dog, lizard, or warrior I walks.
When the leader shouts “freeze” and names a yoga pose, the
children execute the posture.
Similar to the performance of yoga poses, the movements
associated with the breathing exercises involve motor planning
and programming. Children must sequence actions in order to
execute various techniques. For example, as described in Chapter 5,
alternate nostril breathing requires children to sequence eight
steps, as shown in Box 6.1.

BOX 6.1 The eight steps of alternate nostril breathing

1. Bring the right hand in front of the face with the thumb
   adjacent to the right nostril and the ring finger adjacent
   to the left nostril.


2. Close the right nostril with the thumb.


3. Inhale through the left nostril.


4. Close the left nostril with the ring finger.


5. Exhale through the right nostril.


6. Inhale through the right nostril.


7. Close the right nostril with the thumb.


8. Exhale through the left nostril.

In order to practice “whale breath,” another breathing exercise
mentioned in Chapter 5, children first inhale through their nose,
then tilt their head back to exhale through a “blowhole” made with
cupped hands. Figure 6.3 illustrates a boy practicing whale breath.