Yoga relaxes people we support and staff

People we support and staff in Camden have been taking part in weekly yoga classes and feeling better because of it.

Four people and staff are taking part in a 10-month programme of yoga classes at Maha Devi Yoga Centre.

Maha Devi is a charity based near Holloway Road, which runs yoga for people with a range of disabilities.

The members of the class have said that the yoga is making them feel better.

Paul, who lives in Camden, can sleep four hours after yoga, he says, and he also feels healthier. He is gaining flexibility, he says, and is “learning how to do all the exercises better over time”.

Alice, who lives in Tufnell Park, says that yoga makes her feel good and she has enjoyed the social side. “It’s been nice to meet new people,” she says. “I really like my yoga teacher Ana. She is kind and helpful.”

Sophie, who lives in Kentish Town, can be nervous around new people. But yoga is helping her with this challenge. Since starting the classes, she has become friends with the yoga teachers and class members.

Sophie has also started to do more exercise as well.

Yuet really enjoys yoga and regularly talks about how much she likes it. During the classes she shows her love of it: laughing, clapping and taking the teachers’ hand.

Alice, Paul, Sophie and Yuet began classes last October and will continue until July 2025. The yoga classes are free, thanks to funding from Sport England.

LDN London staff members have also been enjoying the benefits of the classes. They like being equal members of the class with people they support.

Ane, team manager at LDN, says: “I have really enjoyed taking part in the yoga sessions, learning new moves and being challenged together.”

Ben Clay, LDN team manager, has enjoyed how the community has come together and built connections. And he has also found the sessions calming: “I come away from the sessions feeling relaxed and de-stressed and happy that they are having a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Ben also praised the instructors: “The teachers at Maha Devi really took their time to know people well. They have been able to gently start pushing people a little bit further with their yoga learning each time.”

Staff from Marsden Street in Camden also feel the calming benefit of yoga: “The stretching has helped us to release some of our stress”, the team says. And the staff say they are now using what they have learned in their personal lives.

The team have enjoyed the yoga so much that there is competition between them for who gets to come.

The team at Marsden Street also praised the calm and welcoming space at the centre, and the simple and clear instructions from teachers. Teachers also adapt for each individual, they said.

Supporting people to overcome isolation

Denisa, who is the founder of Maha Devi yoga, says she started the programme because she realised there was lots of social isolation.

For many people with additional needs there are not enough activities available, she says. Maha Devi applied for funding from Sport England for yoga for people living in residential care and fortunately received it.

The centre changes who teaches classes – with three different teachers – so participants can meet new people and build new relationships, Denisa says.

Denisa has found it really rewarding to see people improve, she says. One person was anxious and unsettled at first. But now she takes part enthusiastically and gives the teachers a hug at the end of the session. That is a celebration of what exercise can do, Denisa says.

Ana, yoga therapy coordinator at Maha Devi and one of the teachers, says yoga helps people get in touch with their bodies and its potential. It’s also a safe space, where people can come every week, whatever happens –  and “that’s a wonderful thing”.