Yoga is Paying Off

Haley has had low muscle tone her whole life. 

She didn't roll over until she was about a year old.  She didn't try to sit up.  She didn't try to stand.  When she was a baby we started physical therapy.  She actually walked for the first time in physical therapy when she was three. 

There were times that I thought she would never walk, never run, never jump.

She has surprised me over and over.  

 What surprises me now is how Yoga has changed her.  She has been going to yoga for a year now.  When she started she couldn't stand on one foot.  I had taken her to get some new shoes at a great store in our area called When the Shoe Fits.  They really know what they are doing.  The man that helped us wanted her to get up on her tiptoes.  She didn't.  He wanted her to stand on one leg.  She couldn't.  He told me that he thought she may have serious issues with her legs as she ages.

Now, I think she might be fine.

In Yoga she does the tree pose.  It is when you stand on one foot and balance with the other foot raised up so that your foot rests on your calf or knee.  When the yoga instructor first asked her to do it she couldn't.  Later on she could balance for a few seconds.  Then she got better at it and was a little better on one foot than the other.  That is pretty common.  Her Yoga instructor is always right there either supporting her or just barely touching her so that she knows that she will help if she is needed.  Lately she has been holding the pose all by herself for a count of ten.  It blows me away.

Tonight when we were getting her dressed in her pajamas I said "Haley, sit down on the bed and take off your socks."  She kicked up her heel and reached down and pulled her sock off.  She did it so fast that I didn't notice if she was steadying herself on the dresser or not.  Then she turned slightly, reached for the dresser with her other hand lifted her foot up in front of her and took off her other sock.

I was in shock.

I just said "Great job Haley!"

Yoga is paying off. 


~ Haley's Mom

I am participating in 31 for 21 Blog Challenge this month. The challenge I have accepted is to blog every day in October to raise awareness for Down Syndrome. Learn more about Down Syndrome at the National Association of Down Syndrome.