Wheelchair
Seated — Willow's way
Explore Mountain Your Way from a wheelchair, using a comfortable range of movement and the support you choose.
Activity 1 · Body Awareness & Grounding
Mountain Your Way
Finding a comfortable and supported starting position, your way.
Focus
Body AwarenessGroundingPostural AwarenessChoice
Three ways to participate
Choose the position that fits this learner today. All three are equally valid.
Adapted with support
Supported — River's way
Explore Mountain Your Way with a chair, wall, helper, or other chosen support. Keep that support as long as needed.
Standing independently
Standing — Luna's way
Explore Mountain Your Way while standing if comfortable. Change position, range, or pace whenever needed.
At a glance
- Age range
- Not specified · adapt to learner
- Time
- Flexible · participant-led
- Difficulty
- Adjustable
- Group size
- Individual or group
- Music
- Optional · learner's choice
- Seated adaptation
- Included
- Data tool
- Observation table below
What we're building
Mountain Your Way introduces the concept of finding a comfortable and supported starting position. Traditional Mountain Pose is often taught as one specific standing posture. In adaptive yoga, Mountain is whatever stable position allows the participant to experience their body as supported and present. Participants may practice standing, sitting in a chair, sitting on the floor, using a wall or mobility support, or another position that works for their body.
Why it works
Skills this activity may support
- Body awareness
- Postural control
- Proprioceptive awareness
- Spatial awareness
- Motor imitation
- Gross motor movement
- Choice-making
- Functional communication
- Self-advocacy
- Regulation
- Motor planning
Set the stage
- Yoga mat
- Chair
- Wall
- Visual pose card
- Floor markers
- AAC/choice board
- Preferred sensory or regulation supports
Provide enough personal space for each participant to move comfortably. Offer several starting-position options visually or through modeling: Standing • Seated • Supported • Your Way. Avoid positioning participants before they have had an opportunity to explore their own comfortable starting position.
Observation tool
Use these prompts to note what supported participation, not to score a pose.
| Look for | Notes / support to offer next time |
|---|---|
| Did the participant explore a body position? | Space for notes |
| Did they demonstrate awareness of one or more body parts? | Space for notes |
| Did they imitate or independently produce movement? | Space for notes |
| Did they select or create an adaptation? | Space for notes |
| Did they communicate a preference, request, rejection, or need? | Space for notes |
| What appeared to increase or decrease their participation? | Space for notes |
| These observations can help determine what supports to offer next time, rather than determining whether the participant “passed” the activity. | Space for notes |
| Child's choice / request for change |
Materials
No materials are required. Optional:
- Yoga mat
- Chair
- Wall
- Visual pose card
- Floor markers
- AAC/choice board
- Preferred sensory or regulation supports
Set-Up
Provide enough personal space for each participant to move comfortably. Offer several starting-position options visually or through modeling: Standing • Seated • Supported • Your Way. Avoid positioning participants before they have had an opportunity to explore their own comfortable starting position.
How to Teach
Invite participants to find their version of Mountain. You might say: “Let's find a position where your body feels supported.” Rather than instructing everyone to place their feet, hands, shoulders, and head in identical positions, encourage exploration.
- Notice: Where are your feet? What is touching the floor or chair? Where are your hands? Would you like to be tall, relaxed, wiggly, or still?
- Reach upward. Return to Mountain.
- Reach outward. Return to Mountain.
- Lean gently to one side. Return to Mountain.
- Participants may copy the instructor, choose only certain movements, or create their own Mountain variation.
Teach the YOGA Way
Y
Your Movement, Your Way
There is no single correct Mountain. Standing Mountain, seated Mountain, supported Mountain, moving Mountain, and an individually created Mountain can all be meaningful participation.
Find it in
Three ways to participate; How to Teach
O
Observe & Offer
Observe how the participant naturally positions their body before offering corrections or assistance. Notice stability, comfort, movement preferences, communication, sensory responses, and environmental needs. Offer options rather than immediately changing the participant's position.
Find it in
What to Observe; Instructor Reminder
G
Guide with Flexibility
Use modeling, gestures, visual supports, simple verbal directions, environmental arrangement, or demonstration. Reduce or increase instructional support based on the participant.
Find it in
How to Teach; Teach the YOGA Way
A
Adapt for Access
Change the position, environment, equipment, pace, or movement expectations when needed. The pose adapts to the person. The person does not have to adapt to the pose.
Find it in
Adaptations; Teach the YOGA Way
Adaptations
Body & Positioning
Perform Mountain standing, seated, kneeling, against a wall, on the floor, or using an individual's typical mobility supports.
Motor
Reduce the movement to one body part. For example, raise one hand instead of both arms.
Sensory
Allow shoes on/off according to preference, provide alternative surfaces, allow movement, or offer preferred sensory supports.
Communication
Provide visual choices for stand, sit, help, different, stop, more, and finished. Honor gestures, AAC, body movement, vocalizations, and other communication forms.
Learning
Model one movement at a time and reduce verbal language when appropriate.
Regulation
Participants may sway, rock, bounce, flap, shift their weight, or move while participating.
Environment
Reduce visual or auditory distractions, increase personal space, or allow participation from another area of the room.
Trauma-Informed Considerations
Do not physically reposition a participant's body without consent. Avoid statements such as “Stand still,” “Fix your feet,” “Hands by your sides,” or “Everyone should look like me.” Instead use language such as:
- “You can try it this way.”
- “Would another position work better?”
- “You can move if your body wants to move.”
- “Show me your Mountain.”
- A participant moving away from the group may be communicating a need for space rather than refusing to participate.
Communication Opportunities
Naturally model and provide access to: Up • Down • Sit • Stand • Move • Stop • More • Different • Help • Break • My Way • Finished. For AAC users, instructors should model relevant vocabulary without requiring the participant to imitate or select the modeled word.
What to Observe
Instead of asking “Did they perform Mountain correctly?”, observe:
- Did the participant explore a body position?
- Did they demonstrate awareness of one or more body parts?
- Did they imitate or independently produce movement?
- Did they select or create an adaptation?
- Did they communicate a preference, request, rejection, or need?
- What appeared to increase or decrease their participation?
- These observations can help determine what supports to offer next time, rather than determining whether the participant “passed” the activity.
Explore → Build → Expand
Explore
Find a comfortable Mountain position and experience one simple movement.
Build
Move between Mountain and two or more body positions.
Expand
Create an individualized Mountain variation or short movement sequence and, if desired, show it to others.
Instructor Reminder
Mountain isn't about standing perfectly still. It's about discovering where your body is and what support helps you feel grounded enough to participate.