Question
How can we integrate yoga into our treatment sessions with clients with cognitive deficits from a stroke?
Answer
That is a really great question. We do a Mini-Mental State Exam on our folks. They have to be able to follow instructions. They might still need help from you through the physical postures, but as long as they can follow most of the instructions, I feel like they can still benefit from yoga. We have not had anyone with severe cognitive impairment though. We have had lots of people not really be able to follow total instructions at the beginning, but pick it up by the end. We also have a lot of people who do not know their left from their right, which is a big challenge for yoga. Somehow, the yoga tends to help them with that as well, and that is probably just some body awareness. I think if you have someone who can follow some basic instructions, you could at least try yoga as an option for that person.
