Special Yoga for Children – New Wellbeing Service

Wendy Joy
2 days ago
2 min read

We are excited to introduce Special Yoga, a new service supporting children’s wellbeing, regulation and development at TCT.

It is common knowledge that yoga is great for adults. But is yoga only for adults? No! At TCT we are lucky to now have a dedicated yoga teacher, Eve Mansfield, to run a specialist children's yoga service.

Special Yoga is a therapeutic approach that integrates yoga, breathwork and mindfulness to support children’s sensory regulation, emotional wellbeing and body awareness. Unlike mainstream yoga, it is specifically designed for children and young people with additional needs, with postures, sequences and activities adapted to meet each child where they are.

Using movement, breath & mindfulness as a sensory intervention

As a Level 1 Special Yoga Practitioner, Eve integrates yoga principles throughout her occupational therapy practice. She can also offer dedicated blocks of Special Yoga sessions for children who would benefit from a more focused sensory and regulatory intervention.

How does Special Yoga support children?

Through movement and breath, Special Yoga works directly with the nervous system to:

Sensory integration: organising and responding to sensory information from the body and environment
Interoception: building awareness of internal body signals, which underpins emotional regulation
Proprioception and vestibular processing: through movement, balance and body-weight activities
Attention and focus: breathwork and mindfulness practices support the ability to settle and concentrate
Emotional regulation: calming the nervous system and building self-awareness over time

Who is Special Yoga suitable for?

Special Yoga sessions are suitable for children and young people who experience sensory processing difficulties, challenges with regulation, anxiety, or who would benefit from a movement-based sensory approach. It can be offered as a standalone block of sessions or integrated into broader occupational therapy support.

What does a Special Yoga session look like?

Sessions are gentle, playful and fully individualised to the child. They incorporate yoga postures, breathing exercises, relaxation and mindfulness activities, adapted to suit each child’s sensory profile, interests and level of engagement.

Sessions can be offered in clinic, at home or outdoors, and parents and carers are encouraged to participate where appropriate so that the tools can be used at home between sessions.

Meet Eve

Eve is a qualified Occupational Therapist and Level 1 Special Yoga Practitioner with over five years' experience supporting children and young people across specialist education, mental health and community settings.

She is passionate about helping children, young people and their families thrive, taking a holistic, child-centred approach that celebrates each individual's strengths and supports their wellbeing. Alongside her clinical work, Eve is a Director and Lead Facilitator at Resurface Therapy, where she delivers evidence-based wellbeing programmes, including specialist yoga sessions for children and young people.

You can find Eve's full professional profile in our brochure, available to download below. We also have a child-friendly introduction to Eve available here.