Overview

Yoga therapy is uniquely suited to addressing the needs of autistic clients, yet there are very few opportunities for yoga therapists to learn about the adaptations and approaches that best serve this population. This book provides yoga therapists with the resources they need to make their services accessible to autistic adults without intellectual disability. Elizabeth Walen Walunas, an experienced autistic yoga therapist, examines the social and medical contexts of autism and explores ways of integrating this knowledge into yogic practices. Chapters include research on the potential benefits of yoga and mindfulness adapted for autistic adults, insights into adaptations used in healthcare and mental healthcare and finally applications of traditional yogic frameworks including kosha, guna and adhi-vyadhi theories. Offering yoga and mindfulness practices tailored to different presentations of autistic traits, this guide allows yoga therapists to provide the safe, empowering and empathetic support that their autistic clients deserve. With this multi-dimensional approach, yoga therapists will be well equipped to begin collaborating with their adult autistic clients.

Full Product Details

9781805017417

Table of Contents

Reviews

Walunas's book on yoga therapy with Autistic adults is a masterclass in integrative thinking and person-centred approaches to well-being. It threads together history, different presentations, treatments, neuroscience, sensory awareness, yoga philosophy, and the lived experience of Autism into a coherent and compassionate framework. Through the lens of yoga therapy, this book sets a new standard for understanding neurodiversity and working with Autism. Anyone in the field of yoga or mental health will find in it a richer appreciation of the mind's diversity and the subtle intelligence of embodied healing. * Heather Mason, Founder - The Minded Institute, Founding Director - Yoga In Healthcare Alliance, MA, MA, MSc, C-IAYT * With clarity and compassion, Elizabeth Walen Walunas offers a neuro-affirming perspective rooted in lived experience and deep professional wisdom. This book is a gift to those seeking to understand and support autistic adults without intellectual disability through yoga therapy. * Shawnee Thornton Hardy, C-IAYT, SEP, author of Yoga Therapy for Children and Teens with Complex Needs and Asanas for Autism and Special Needs *

Author Information

Elizabeth 'Libby' Walen Walunas is a yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and an autistic person who has been a yoga practitioner since 1996. She is a guest lecturer in yoga therapy at The Minded Institute in London and wrote the manual section on yoga therapy for autistic adults. She also guest lectures on neurodiversity and mental health for SVYSA USA yoga therapy trainings in Houston, Texas. She runs workshops on yogic energy management, stress reduction, and relaxation, and has experience in adapting teaching to meet the needs of neurodivergent adolescents and young adults as a former high school and community college teacher and yoga club advisor.

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