Yoga and Its Relation to Speech-Language Development 23Summary
Yoga is an ancient tradition that consists of the three practices
of poses, breathing exercises, and meditation. The six non-
mutually exclusive categories of yoga poses include standing,
balancing, twisting, hip opening, bending, and inverting. Yogic
breath focuses on control and coordination of the breath cycle
with movement and a type of speech called chants. Meditation
shifts the practitioner from the external to the internal world
begun by concentrating on a single point of focus. The popular
practice of “mindfulness,” the here-and-now nonjudgmental
observation of one’s thoughts, feelings, and sensations, is a
pathway to meditation that promotes healthy brain development
and stress relief according to current research. The use of yoga
with adults is a well-established complementary and alternative
approach to health and well-being. Yoga for children has increased
exponentially over the past decade and has been embraced by
educators and clinicians in various fields such as psychology as
well as physical and occupational therapies. In this book, the
focus is on a relatively unexplored area, the use of yoga to support
different aspects of children’s speech-language development and
the related area of play.