YOGA IN HEALTHCARE
MY JOURNEY PROVIDING YOGA IN HEALTHCARE
Yoga has an increasingly important role to play beyond the traditional Yoga studio. When adapted appropriately, Yoga-based practices can offer accessible ways to support physical and psychological wellbeing within healthcare, community and social prescribing settings
As a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist and Integrative Psychotherapist, I have more than 8 years experience delivering therapeutic Yoga within a range of healthcare and community settings, including NHS services, mental health recovery programmes and social prescribing
My work is informed by extensive training in Yoga Therapy, alongside experience of working with diverse populations and an understanding of the importance of adapting practices to the individual and the setting
Yoga4Health & Clinical Evaluation
Following my Yoga4Health training, I was invited to take part in the clinical evaluation of the programme with the University of Westminster and West London CCG as one of the teachers delivering the programme.
Explore the research
University of Westminster Clinical Evaluation (2019)
Qualitative study of patient experiences (2022)
Find out more about Yoga4Health
Yoga on Prescription: The Yoga4Health Social Prescribing Programme
Mental Health, Trauma and Recovery
My work in healthcare continued alongside my postgraduate training in Yoga Therapy and Integrative Yoga Psychotherapy with The Minded Institute, where I completed 580 hours of specialist training. This training gave me a deeper understanding of how yoga can be adapted for individual needs, bringing together practices including movement, breathwork, meditation, mindfulness and therapeutic approaches from talking modalities
As a Project Worker at CDARS, I offered Yoga Therapy to individuals and groups within a community service supporting people affected by substance use and related challenges. The people I worked with had a wide range of experiences, including trauma, mental health difficulties, recovery from substance use and neurodivergence. Although CDARS is a charity, its work was closely connected with local healthcare pathways, including GP referrals and referrals from drug and alcohol services. This experience reinforced for me that bringing yoga into healthcare and community settings requires more than simply taking an existing Yoga class and placing it in a different environment. Practices need to be accessible, adaptable and responsive to the needs of the group or individual, taking into account physical health, psychological wellbeing, previous experiences and the context in which someone is receiving support
Therapeutic Yoga and Yoga Therapy on Social Prescription
Alongside this work, I began working with Social Prescribing Link Workers in North Lambeth, leading weekly Yoga Therapy classes within the local community. The classes were initially funded by GPs within the Primary Care Network, reflecting an interest in using accessible Yoga Therapy as part of a wider approach to supporting health and wellbeing in the community. The work has since developed through the establishment of the Foundation for Wellbeing, which now supports the continuation and development of this provision with funding from the National Lottery. Our sessions have now been running for 4 years on weekly and open-ended basis which is rare to be able to offer in this setting
Read more about the work we do at The Foundation for Wellbeing
The programme reflects something I feel particularly strongly about: that yoga should not only be available to people who already have the confidence, resources or familiarity to seek it out. By working alongside primary care and social prescribing, Yoga Therapy can become an option within a wider network of community support — helping people access practices that may support their physical, psychological and social wellbeing
I also deliver weekly therapeutic chair and mat Yoga classes at The Bridge at Waterloo, which have now been running consistently for around 2 years. The classes provide an accessible way for adults with complex health conditions to experience the benefits of Yoga, with practices adapted to different physical abilities and needs. The use of both chair and mat-based practices allows people to participate in ways that feel appropriate for their bodies, rather than requiring them to conform to a particular physical idea of what Yoga should look like
Education and Training for Healthcare Professionals
My work also includes sharing knowledge and experience directly with healthcare professionals and trainee medical staff. I have delivered education to trainee medical professionals within hospital settings around the potential value of Yoga for both patient and staff health, and have also contributed teaching around yoga and chronic pain at St George's Hospital, Tooting
I particularly value this aspect of the work because integrating Yoga into the NHS and healthcare system is not only about delivering classes. It is also about helping healthcare professionals understand where Yoga-based approaches may sit within wider health and wellbeing provision, and where they may be appropriate as a conjunctive approach
I am interested in connecting with GP practices, Primary Care Networks, social prescribing services, healthcare organisations, charities and community organisations who are exploring ways to make Yoga and mind-body practices more accessible to the people they support
I can work with organisations to develop and deliver appropriate yoga-based provision, from accessible community classes and therapeutic Yoga Therapy to workshops and education for healthcare professionals
If you are interested in hosting Yoga in your healthcare or community setting, or would like to explore what a programme could look like for your organisation, I would be very happy to have a conversation