"if you judge people, you have no time to love them"
~ MOTHER THERESA
WHY ON EARTH ARE WE OFFERING AFFORDABLE YOGA?
The Inspiring Grace Foundation Incorporated was launched in late 2015 by a group of fabulous people from Australia and New Zealand. The Committee of The Inspiring Grace Foundation Incorporated is made up of everyday people who care enough to want to help offer FREE Yoga Classes and Individual Therapeutic and Restorative Yoga Sessions for kids and adults both on and off the Autism Spectrum, and with other special needs such as physical and intellectual disabilities, social and economic challenges and the like.
We love kids, we love Yoga and we love helping others. Most of our committee members are dedicated and regular Yoga practitioners. We are parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, partners, brothers and sisters, cousins, godparents and friends of kids and adults with special needs. We have all had our lives touched, improved and indeed greatly enhanced by knowing these amazing and very special individuals.
As an organisation, we wish to bring a little inspiration and grace to the world of Yoga, and we want to also enable amazing special needs kids and adults to better cope in a world designed for those without such levels of additional awesomeness.
WE BELIEVE BEYOND DOUBT and are absolutely guided by the principles that:
Additionally, our volunteer Resident Yoga Teacher Annaliese Szocs thrives with Asperger's Syndrome (High Functioning Autism) and she is one of only a handful of Autistic Yoga Teachers worldwide.
As a person rocking the Awesome Spectrum, Annaliese has found Yoga immensely helpful over the years in keeping her cool, calm and collected. Pranayama (breathing techniques) in particular allows her to calm herself when she finds a situation challenging or fascinating.
Our MISSION is simple. We offer FREE Yoga Classes and Individual Yoga Sessions for special needs and spectrum-rocking people of all ages, and affordable classes for everyone else!
Yoga has so many benefits for everyone - but particularly for those on the spectrum and with special needs.
With this in mind, Annaliese has completed a number of speciality training courses from Special Needs Kids Yoga, to Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga. Annaliese is also working towards completing a truckload of additional training courses to extend her skill set and also to further develop her knowledge and understanding of her own Autism condition.
If you or your organisation wish to get on board and help us continue to make this dream a reality, please contact us directly.
Meanwhile, here are a few articles about the benefits of Yoga for kids with Autism and Special Needs.
The Inspiring Grace Foundation Incorporated was launched in late 2015 by a group of fabulous people from Australia and New Zealand. The Committee of The Inspiring Grace Foundation Incorporated is made up of everyday people who care enough to want to help offer FREE Yoga Classes and Individual Therapeutic and Restorative Yoga Sessions for kids and adults both on and off the Autism Spectrum, and with other special needs such as physical and intellectual disabilities, social and economic challenges and the like.
We love kids, we love Yoga and we love helping others. Most of our committee members are dedicated and regular Yoga practitioners. We are parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, partners, brothers and sisters, cousins, godparents and friends of kids and adults with special needs. We have all had our lives touched, improved and indeed greatly enhanced by knowing these amazing and very special individuals.
As an organisation, we wish to bring a little inspiration and grace to the world of Yoga, and we want to also enable amazing special needs kids and adults to better cope in a world designed for those without such levels of additional awesomeness.
WE BELIEVE BEYOND DOUBT and are absolutely guided by the principles that:
- Our public Yoga and Meditation classes MUST be accessible, affordable and available.
- Our public classes will support and enable us to offer our SKY Project classes and sessions free of charge.
- Our spectrum and special needs classes (SKY Project) MUST be offered free of charge, to support this sector of the community who area already battling with the cost of essential therapies, or the cost of life in general.
- The very precious gift of Yoga MUST be shared with as many people as possible. This is in support of and in union with the vision of John Ogilvie (of Byron Yoga Centre), who wants to spread the gift of yoga far and wide.
- The spaces we practice Yoga in must be heartwarming, inviting, have great vibes (because it's all about the vibe of the thing) and sensory friendly
Additionally, our volunteer Resident Yoga Teacher Annaliese Szocs thrives with Asperger's Syndrome (High Functioning Autism) and she is one of only a handful of Autistic Yoga Teachers worldwide.
As a person rocking the Awesome Spectrum, Annaliese has found Yoga immensely helpful over the years in keeping her cool, calm and collected. Pranayama (breathing techniques) in particular allows her to calm herself when she finds a situation challenging or fascinating.
Our MISSION is simple. We offer FREE Yoga Classes and Individual Yoga Sessions for special needs and spectrum-rocking people of all ages, and affordable classes for everyone else!
Yoga has so many benefits for everyone - but particularly for those on the spectrum and with special needs.
With this in mind, Annaliese has completed a number of speciality training courses from Special Needs Kids Yoga, to Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga. Annaliese is also working towards completing a truckload of additional training courses to extend her skill set and also to further develop her knowledge and understanding of her own Autism condition.
If you or your organisation wish to get on board and help us continue to make this dream a reality, please contact us directly.
Meanwhile, here are a few articles about the benefits of Yoga for kids with Autism and Special Needs.
- https://yogainternational.com/article/view/yoga-generates-huge-benefits-for-children-with-autism
- http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3817/7-Benefits-of-Yoga-for-Kids-with-Autism.html
- http://psychcentral.com/lib/yoga-therapy-for-children-with-autism-special-needs/
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elaine-gavalas/yoga-autism_b_1858166.html?ir=Australia
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21992466
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22917120
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3221508/