Overall, this 6-week yoga therapy course for balance was very well done. Kayko demonstrated yoga could help improve her client's physical, mental, and emotional balance. She did an excellent job on gathering information from individuals in the group during intake to establish baseline measurements (physical balance, awareness of alignment & proprioception, & awareness of emotions -- such as fear or confidence) that were re-assessed at the end of the program. During the 6-week program, Kayko incorporated many yogic practices & teaching tools to promote overall wellbeing. For example, Kayko began the series with an excellent presentation on "Yoga Therapy for Fall Prevention & Balance" which identified problems (falling, fear of falling) & how yoga therapy (a combination of physical postures, breathing awareness, concentration, meditation, self-inquiry, self-study, etc.) could help address those concerns. She introduced basic concepts (ie physical postures, breath awareness, focal point) at the beginning of the series & then added more advanced techniques (ie. advanced poses, breathing practices, meditation, witnessing awareness, journaling, Yogic sutras, chakras & Adhi mudra) to help students understand the union between body, mind & spirit. Kayko's research and preparation served her well, and she was able to support each session with materials to aid her clients in their home practice. Kayko supported her program by sharing relevant research, home-practice tools (i.e. a wonderful audio that she created on breathing meditation, an Ann Swanson video on Balance). My only suggestion to Kayko is to be a bit more clear in documenting her case study. I had some difficulty finding updated student tracking forms across the 6-weeks, which made it a bit more difficult to assess before & after results.

Kayko's knowledge of how yoga therapy can help people prevent falls, improve balance, and increase confidence as they age is excellent. At the physical layer, Kayko helped clients understand relationships between anatomy, posture, alignment, balance, proprioception, focus (external & internal) influenced stability. She helped students advance from mountain pose to standing poses to balancing poses with greater confidence as they understood the what, how & why. Kayko helped her clients deal with anxiety and fear of falling with breath awareness, concentration / meditation and journaling. Kayko encouraged her students to explore how balance (or lack of it) in life impacted their overall well-being with techniques such as a Witnessing Awareness practice kosha by kosha, a homework practice chart that included room for personal assessment, and self-study & practice (reading material, audio, video). Kayko also helped her students understand the connection between the physical and energetic bodies, and she provided tools such as breathing, 3rd eye Chakra, and Adhi Mudra practices to help them regulate their energy & balance their lives. Through meditation, journaling and group discussion, Kayko encouraged her students to explore their mental, emotional & spiritual states to achieve greater balance and confidence. From a case study perspective, my one suggestion to Kayko is to spend a little more time documenting the connection between "why" for concepts that she introduces later in the series; for example, why did she find it valuable to introduce the chakras especially the 3rd-Eye Chakra (Ajna) in relation to balance.

Kayko did an exceptional job building the 6-week course. She started by identifying physical & emotional challenges from lack of balance, and then overtime, she helped her clients understand how lack of balance impacts all layers of life. At each class, she offered new or more advanced yogic tools to help her clients' move deeper into their experience & to address imbalance in many aspects of their lives (not just physical fear of falling). I was impressed by how Kayko helped her clients' build confidence through progressive practices that helped them connect body, mind & spirit and awaken a deeper awareness of themselves. At the final session, Kayko helped clients synthesize what they'd learned through self-reflection, evaluation, and sharing. Clients saw meaningful progress in their ability to hold balance poses or recover quickly when they lost balance. Most clients gained self-confidence & several reduced their fear of falling.

Kayko did an exceptional job in taking base measurements, observing practices, listening to feedback, and reading journals to assess challenges & progress that her clients' were experiencing. With this knowledge, she made adjustments to the plan. For example, Kayko observed how a client gained greater awareness of proprioception when experimenting where the foot was placed on the mat, and she incorporated experimental foot positioning in future classes to help clients' build confidence. In another example, Kayko incorporated lateral poses (i.e. adapted moon salutation) to address her client's fear in side movement. In yet another instance, she modified a posture to support a client suffering from joint bursitis. Kayko's analysis and depth of understanding on the topic allowed her to adapt each session to best support her clients' needs. Finally, Kayko is willing to address both what work & what could be improved upon in her analysis of each session; for example, she recognized that there was insufficient time to explain why "the Four Locks & Keys" sutra could help clients achieve a more balanced life & she will update timing the next time that she offers this series.

Kayko used relevant and credible information to support her content. She listed relevant research on why she offered certain postures, breathing practices, meditations, sutras, chakras and mudras to aid her clients in using yogic tools to address imbalance in their lives. Kayko offered background information and practice instruction to her students through presentations, articles, audios, and videos -- enabling people to explore using different learning modes. Kayko might have provided more research (or relevant resources) on topics that were introduced later in the series; for example, why balance is impacted differently in lateral postures is different than in horizontal postures, why Ajna chakra can improve clarity, focus and balance, or why mudras can help people focus & find balance.

With each case study, Kayko demonstrates greater awareness, self-confidence, and ability to deliver yoga therapy sessions rather than yoga classes. Kayko did an excellent job at creating a 6-week series that addressed both individual and group needs. During the intake session, she explained the difference between yoga therapy & yoga classes, took baseline measurements, and encouraged self-expression so that she could meet each student where they were at physically, mentally, and emotionally. By providing a consistent format (checkin, group sharing, witnessing awareness, warmups, asana, relaxation, breath awareness, meditation, feedback, and homework assignment), she helped the group build trust and confidence. While there was a consistent format, the yogic tools that Kayko used were personalized to meet both individual and group needs. Through the use of group circles, journaling, and home practice charts, Kayko helped her clients become self-aware and accountable for their own healing journey within a supportive group.

Kayko displays the ability to adapt, adjust, and accommodate to meet her clients' needs. She offered solid observations for each of the sessions that she documented for this case study. For example, after the first session, Kayko identified balance challenges faced by many in the group (ie. improve core & lower body strength, alignment, awareness) and acknowledged her clients' comments about fear, anxiety, and lack of focus contributed to their imbalance. As a consequence, the goals for this group class were adjusted & Kayko incorporated Yogic techniques (such as focus on dristhi, witnessing awareness, breath awareness, meditation, journaling, sadana charts) to help clients become more aware & empowered in improving their well-being. Kayko did an excellent job at identifying herself as a yoga therapist who was empowering her clients to improve their health and well-being versus a yoga teacher leading a class. By giving homework and encouraging journaling, she promoted self-growth, self-awareness, and self-confidence. Kayko helped her clients track progress weekly by filling in homework practice charts and through self-assessment during their 1st and 6th (last) session. The one suggestion that I have for Kayko is to continue to assess how much she can deliver across 6 sessions, as she notes that there was not enough time to accomplish everything that she had planned in some of the later sessions.

Kayko is an excellent communicator. Overall, her case study is well-written, clearly presented, and references are provided. A couple of suggestions for improvement:

(a) As Kayko modifies the plan, it would be helpful for her to provide a link to the updated file or summary. In some cases, it was difficult for me to determine what was the latest version of a file
(b) When Kayko introduces a new topic, it's important to add a description of what, how, and why. For example, Kayko documented that she introduced a modified Moon salutation to address concerns on lateral movement & imbalance. I understood the "why", but I didn't understand was the "what" since there are variations in Moon salutations. Later, Kayko indicated she adapted Goddess pose for one client with bursitis. I was pleased that she adapted the pose to meet her clients needs, but it took me awhile to figure out that it was offered during the Moon salutation. It would have helped to have Kayko list the poses that she offered as part of her Moon Salutation (on first reference) for greater clarity.