Cerebral palsy is a general term used to refer to a set of neurological conditions (condition that affects the brain and nervous system) that affects a Child’s movement and coordination. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain, this normally occurs before, during or soon after birth. The symptoms of cerebral palsy vary from child to child. Some children will have problems walking, while other children will be profoundly disabled and require life-long care.

Children with Cerebral palsy often have other related conditions such as:
• Epilepsy
• Learning difficulties
• Incontinence
• Impaired vision and/or hearing
• Difficulties speaking or understanding other people speak
• Delayed growth
• Curved spine (scoliosis)
• Drooling (unintentional loss of saliva from the mouth)
Cerebral palsy is not a progressive condition, meaning that it will not get worse as the child gets older. However, cerebral palsy can put a great deal of strain on the body, which can cause problems later on life. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but there are a range of treatments that can help relieve symptoms and help increase a child’s sense of independence and self-esteem.

Initial symptoms…
The symptoms of cerebral palsy will normally become apparent in the first three years of the Child’s life. They may show signs of being slower in achieving important developmental milestones such as learning to roll over or crawl, walk or speak. You may find children with this condition may also suffer with their muscle tone, this is the unconscious ability to contract or relax your muscles as needed.
There are two types of muscles tone:
Hypertonia- increased muscle tone in which the child can appear stiff or rigid.
Hypotonia- the opposite of above in which the child may appear floppy.
Some children may show signs in the first 3 months of Hypotonia which can later progress to Hypertonia. A typical trait of Cerebral Palsy is children favouring one side to the other which makes the posture appear unusual. There are many types of Cerebral Palsy and these types along with explanation can be found on the NHS website.

Yoga and Cerebral Palsy…

Encouraging Yoga practice and relaxation can enormously help reduce high muscle tone, which is characteristic of most children with cerebral palsy. Holding a posture will give the muscles and tendons a relaxing stretch, releasing overall stress and tightness throughout the muscles and joints. At the same time that postures relax the body, they also provide just enough resistance to exercise low muscle tone areas of the body. In this way postures improve high and low muscle tone problems in children with cerebral palsy. One of the most important parts of Yoga practice for children with cerebral palsy is its ability to stretch and realign the spine. Postures flex and twist the spine in all directions. Reducing the pressure on the radial nerves facilitates the release of muscular tension throughout the body and enhances overall nerve function. As a result, the child is able to develop a greater range of movement and coordination as well as greater independence and better self-esteem. Do any Yoga moves which strengthen the body and give alignment and symmetry as well as stretch which involves both sides of the brain such as diagonals. Baby lotus would be OK but just gentle…may need more massage to loosen up the body before Yoga practice starts. Avoid any stretches that involve hip openers where the legs are separated…only do ones that have the knees together and do not do inversions.