Name​: Sahara Hossain

Activity​: Wheelchair Yoga

Sources​: Admin. (2020, March 20). ​Yoga Following a Spinal Cord Injury​. SCI Progress.
https://sciprogress.com/spinal-cord-injury-yoga/​.

Everly, R. (2017, April 21). ​Wheelchair Yoga for People With Disabilities​. Rolling
Without Limits.
https://www.rollingwithoutlimits.com/view-post/Wheelchair-Yoga-for-the-Disabled​.

Flint Rehab, E. T. (2020, October 20). ​Yoga for Spinal Cord Injury: How to Achieve
Physical and Mental Relief​. Flint Rehab.
https://www.flintrehab.com/yoga-for-spinal-cord-injury/​.

Shepherd Center. (2021). ​Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: Symptoms and Prognosis​. What
Is a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury? | Shepherd Center.
https://www.shepherd.org/patient-programs/spinal-cord-injury/levels-and-types/C
ervical-Spinal-Cord-Injury​.

Equipment​: yoga mat and comfortable clothing.

Description​: The objective of this activity is to align the body and improve lung capacity
by focusing on the process of breathing and working on the spine and joints.
Participants may feel disconnected from their body or out of sync after their spinal cord
injury, therefore, yoga is ideal for spinal cord injury patients to promote mind-body
awareness and self-acceptance.

1. Gather a group of participants have them sit on their mats or wheelchair with an
arms-width space between each of them so they can move freely without
limitations.
2. Start by telling the participants to take a couple of deep breaths in through the
nose and out through their mouth. Do this at least three times before moving on.
3. In this activity, participants will be doing the cat pose, the eagle pose, and the
twist. First, have the participants do the cat pose:
a. Tell participants to grip the sides of their wheelchair or place their hands
on their thighs and take a deep breath in. Tilt your upper body forward as
you exhale and curve your torso over, letting your spine arch.
 b. Have them stay in this position for a few minutes and make sure that
they are taking deep breaths.
c. When it is time, have participants come up slowly and relax.
4. Then, have the participants do the eagle pose:
a. Tell participants to breathe in and lift their arms to the side and upwards.
Then have them cross their arms at the elbows and put the back of their
palms together while keeping the spine and neck as straight as possible.
b. Have them stay in this pose for about 30 seconds while taking deep
breathes, before relaxing and lowering the arms.
5. Lastly, have the participants do the twist stretch:
a. Tell participants to hold the handles of their wheelchair and then twist to
the right and hold for 10 seconds before releasing.
b. Remind them to take a breath and then twist to the left and have them
hold the pose for 10 seconds.
c. After releasing, tell the participants to take deep breaths​.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 at least twice.
7. When the activity is over, allow time and space for the participants to reflect on
how they feel after doing the activity and have them compare it to how they felt
before the activity.
 
Primary Interaction Pattern​: The primary interaction pattern of this activity is aggregate
because actions are directed by a person towards an object while in the company of
others who are also directing actions towards an object but not towards each other.
Interactions among participants are not required.

Adaptation​: Cervical spinal cord injuries are the most severe type of spinal cord injuries.
The cervical section includes the top section of the spinal cord which comprises seven
vertebrae (C-1 to C-7) in the neck. Cervical spinal cord injury results in limited or absent
feeling/movement below the shoulder/neck. Injuries located higher on the spine and
closer to the brain will be more severe, high cervical spinal cord injury may even be
fatal. One of the best things about yoga is that it is highly adaptable and can be tailored
to a participant’s level of mobility. Participants with cervical spinal cord injury may not be
able to perform all the yoga poses, however, that does not mean they can not continue
to participate. If a participant is not able to do a certain pose, they can repeat a previous
pose instead or do the current pose as much as they can. A big part of yoga is deep
breathing and meditation. If a participant is unable to do a pose, have them focus on
taking deep breaths instead. ​Deep breathing helps improve respiratory functions after
spinal cord injury by increasing oxygen intake. The RT can also have them meditate to
improve their mental health. Meditation is a non-physical component of yoga that
concentrates on making the mind stronger and increasing ownership of the body. Spinal
cord injury patients may feel overwhelmed by lifestyle changes after their injury and
meditation can help them organize their thoughts and prioritize their recovery goals.