I learnt more than 30 years ago that the practice of ‘Yoga’ is for everyone, as there is something within Yoga that is appropriate and appealing to people of all ages, abilities, beliefs and religions. In turn, I also teach that Yoga is for everyone and call it as it is - Yoga. However, in recent years there has been many names for Yoga classes that can confuse people and therefore people may not attend as the name of the class is off putting. We see Yoga for this illness, Yoga for that injury, Power Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Chair Yoga etc. The list goes on. So now, sharing about Yoga with a special group of people, I am in a quandary as to what to title it. I am not keen to share that it is ‘Yoga for Carers’ as this name does not really convey what the Yoga is about, so I will simply title the article Yoga!

In 1990’s I was a ‘daytime’ carer for my parents as my father had prostate cancer and my mother had Parkinson’s disease and dementia. I was also taking care of my immediate family of wonderful husband and three gorgeous teenage children and running my own Yoga business teaching 9 classes a week. It was difficult caring for my parents as I understood and could see that they were both deteriorating, and their health would never improve to how they ‘used to be’. What helped me through those years was my regular practice of Yoga asanas (postures/movements), pranayama (breathing techniques), mudras (hand gestures, mantras (sacred chants), dharana (concentration) and dhyana (meditation). I gained so much from all these Yoga practices as I could call upon them whenever I needed to. It wasn’t that I practiced them all at once in one session all the time, as sometimes I only had time for a 5 or 10minutes session.

As I gained much from my own practice of Yoga when I was caring for my parents, I one day thought of how other people who were carers of family members and friends were coping and thought how good it would be for them to also practice Yoga. This led me to contact the Carers Association of WA to learn if they would be interested in letting their members know that I was willing to teach a Yoga class specifically for carers once a month. The classes would be for Free and for 90minute sessions for the carers to gain from the practice.

A class was commenced with many people attending. However, over a few months I learnt that having a class on a specific day and at a specific time was not always easy for carers to attend if their support people didn’t arrive in time for them to leave to attend the class. Therefore, they would miss out on their monthly class and perhaps two months in a row. This concerned me and so I decided that carers could attend any of our Yoga classes that we conducted at our academy. We are fortunate to conduct over 20 classes per week, so there were plenty of opportunities for those who were keen to attend. I believe our academy was the first in WA and possibly Australia to offer these free monthly Yoga sessions to this group.

What I learnt and continue to learn from these wonderful people fondly known as Carers, is that they are selfless people. Often the carers were/are ill and or injured themselves with their own health and mental wellbeing not being their priority as they devote their time and energy to those whom they cared for. They are often quite physically and mentally fragile too!

Some questions Yoga teachers keen to conduct similar classes may have are:

1.   How can the practice of Yoga help people who are carers?

·      Basically, just taking time out for themselves and getting onto a Yoga mat is just enough as this is a luxury for them.

2.   What level of Yoga class will be suitable for a carer?

·      Any level that the carer can manage. Not all carers are fragile. Some are young children or teenagers, whilst others may be adults of all ages and abilities who may be seeking something stronger to build their strength and endurance etc.

3.   What techniques are most popular?

·      Limbering

·      Pranayama - breath observation and control

·      Asana – flowing – as this aids concentration and allows the body to move with the breath etc.

·      Asana & other techniques whilst seated in chairs is popular as so much can be practiced in a chair and these techniques can be applied out of the Yoga class whilst keeping care person company and in doctors’ surgeries and waiting areas etc.

·      Mudras – same as for above

·      Mantras – simple ones

·      Trataka – excellent for night time

·      Yoga Nidra – awakens their senses and emotions

·      Meditation – walking and sitting

4.   What about the philosophical aspect of Yoga being taught?

·      From my experience, most carers like/d learning about the Yoga philosophy. Particularly Patanjali’s 8 limbs. I share this as the ‘cycle of life’ and that understanding these limbs is a great preparation for the final letting go of all our expectations and existence as we know it etc. I also share the Koshas and Kleshas and these have been helpful to many as it was to me.

Teaching tips:

·      As for any Yoga class, be ready to adapt and adjust any class plan to suit the people on the day.

·      Use props of bolsters, blocks, chairs and belts etc as these are appreciated supports for the carers.

·      Have a sound understanding of Anatomy and Physiology.

·      Develop an interest in learning about the varied health conditions that carers may be dealing with for themselves and for those they are caring for.

·      Demonstrate genuine empathy rather than sympathy.

·      Encourage cares to practice one or two things they learnt in the Yoga class and to build upon that over the time (weeks/months etc) that they are attending.

·      Encourage carers to be proud of who they are and for what they do. They may not all go to support groups and the Yoga class may be the only support they have.

PS YogaHive strongly reccomends this brilliant App for Carers . Well worth checking out and downloading if you happen to be a Carer https://ourcarejournal.com/ or search on your App Store for Our Care Journal