Experiences of children and parents in MiYoga, an embodied mindfulness yoga program for cerebral palsy: A mixed method study

Abstract

Background and purpose: A mindfulness yoga program (MiYoga) was developed and trialled with children with cerebral palsy and their parents. This mixed-method study explores the experiences of children and parents who participated in MiYoga, to assess its acceptability, feasibility and implementation. Materials and methods: Of the forty-two child-parent dyads who participated in the MiYoga randomised control trial, 19 children and 22 parents were interviewed individually in a semi-structured way about their experiences of MiYoga. Participants rated their mood on a 5-point scale before and after each session and completed short questionnaires at the end of each session. Results: Children and parents reported improved mood after each MiYoga session. Parents reported being more aware of their thoughts and feelings and possibly became more aware of their day-to-day mindlessness. Conclusion: MiYoga significantly improved children and parents’ mood. Parents reported gains in awareness as well as challenges of adhering to the home practice.