Facetime, the old-fashioned way, for Yoga Programs

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In June we were invited back to teach on St. Vincent’s psychiatric ward. Before COVID-19, two Yoga Foundation classes have been taught on the ward every week for the past five years. When the virus hit, we had to pause the classes, providing a pre-recorded video until it was considered safe to return on ward.

“Teaching via a computer was not the face-time I was used to,” says teacher Louise Eddy. “It was hard to engage with the patients when I wasn’t there in person.”

In June the St. Vincent’s Health Education Office emailed to say, “everyone is deliriously happy Lou is coming back.”.

And Louise was excited to start the classes again.

“Teaching the class twice a week means I have really gotten to know the patients,” says Louise. “When COVID-19 happened, it was heartbreaking for me to stay away knowing they needed the class more than ever.”

The classes help the patients calm down using gentle yoga poses and breathwork.

“The psychiatric ward can be a loud, stressful place so giving the patients a safe space to explore breathing and stretching brings them all into a calmer frame of mind.”

Crisis Support Organisations

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