In episode 2 of a blog series for instructors or facilitators supporting newcomers, I aim to address reservations you or your program participants may have about the benefits of yoga. Recognizing that newcomers are accessing programs for language-learning and acquiring particular benchmarks and knowledge that will move their lives forward in Canada, I hope to provide evidence and testimony for how yoga and other wellness practices can be an important foundation for healthy body, mind and spirit that allows for growth, learning and resilience.
I have personally benefitted so much from yoga in terms of improved body awareness and strength, and learning to move my body in a way that promotes ease and prevents injuries. As importantly, it provides me with tools for calming myself in times of uncertainty and angst, and helps me navigate life and work with more clarity of purpose and intention. In 2020, I completed my 500-hr Yoga Teacher Training at Healing Movements Yoga Studio and since that time have been thinking about and trying out ways to help newcomers and the people that serve them to access yoga and other wellness practices.
In the newcomer classes I have recently led, feedback has included relief from the worry going on inside my head … every part of my body is relaxed … grateful for time for myself … grateful for the instructor … feeling the warmth of being together and cared for.
As a broader indication of its overall effectiveness for better physical and mental health, I’m inspired by the work of Ourmala, a UK charity specializing in trauma-informed yoga for refugees and asylum-seekers. In an independent evaluation done in 2018, 93% of their survey participants noted after 6 weeks of weekly yoga an improvement in at least 1 aspect of mental health (e.g. stress/anxiety/nervousness or depression); 95% felt an improvement in at least 1 aspect of their physical health (e.g. strength, posture, pain); and 95% noted that they felt more confident and/or less isolated following a yoga class.
There is a growing body of research and a multitude of practitioners that indicate yoga supports us in many ways.
Gentle yoga movements and guided breath support body systems by:
- Improving cardiovascular functions: Regular practice has shown to support a healthy heart, including lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol and heart rate.
- Improving strength and mobility: Tuning into how we are moving and doing poses in a way that feels right in our own bodies builds functional strength through better alignment of our bones, moving within a healthy range of motion, and relieving over-worked joints. See this 5-min. video for safe and easy neck and shoulder movements.
- Decreasing mild to moderate lower back pain: Gentle, supported yoga that strengthens core muscles and allows for healthy movement of the spine help alleviate lower back pain, in both the short and long term. This is among the best-supported research of the benefits of yoga.
For an intro to some other yoga movements associated with the above benefits, see these suggestions.
Movement, breath and the mental focus of yoga support our ability to relax the body and mind.
An article in Medical News Today sites several research studies that indicate the following:
- Reducing stress: Along with reducing physical effects, studies have found that practicing yoga for 3 months may lower both the physical effects and perceived experience of emotional stress.
- Relieving anxiety: Yoga practice is particularly helpful in reducing anxiety for those who experience relatively higher levels of anxiety (e.g. post traumatic stress disorder). Bessell van der Kolk is a clinical psychiatrist and author of ‘The Body Keeps Score’. He recognizes yoga’s role in restoring a sense of self through tuning into body and breath and allowing for present moment awareness, which are critically important in the recovery from trauma.
- Managing depression: A very recent study out of UBC found that simple, moderate exercise, including chair yoga, can help alleviate depression.
Yoga offers space and ideas for self-care, safety, control and a sense of belonging.
Paying attention to what’s going on inside of us – when we’re stressed, tired, in pain – can lead to improvements in how well we take care of ourselves. Further, being in a safe, caring environment that centres wellness allows us to share our experiences, find commonalities and reduce feelings of isolation. We are reminded that, amidst the goal-setting, challenges, stress and chaos, there is community.
For more about the research behind yoga, read an overview from a yogi and a healthy skeptic about what we know and what we don’t know about yoga.
I hope this these references are helpful in supporting your rationale around introducing yoga into your newcomer class or program. Please come back to this space for the next blog on some tips for introducing yoga to your participants.