Gladey RowanFor a while now, I have had the honour of sharing yoga with women who have served time in prison and are living in a rehabilitation re-settlement home designed for women returning to community living. These women are encouraged to partake in trauma informed therapy and I have the privilege of sharing yoga with them.
For many years I’ve been teaching yoga to a variety of people, however, there is something very special about these women.
I notice how open and receptive they are to the practice of yoga. I feel they are on a journey of healing and looking for meaning in their lives. They get that yoga is a ‘work in’ rather than a ‘work out’. These are women who have had to face themselves and their trauma. They are women who have been to the ‘edge’ for one reason or another and then had to endure punishment, boundaries and harsh consequences as a result of their actions. These women are not afraid to look within and face themselves. They are receptive and willing to do the work because they have had the experience of ‘doing time’. They are already on a journey of deep introspection and transformation.
They have shown up for themselves, on the yoga mat.
I feel deeply moved when I work with the women, who have spent time in prison.
We are all on our own journey. Who in this world has not experienced some kind of trauma or adversity?
We only have to switch on the news to feel traumatised!
I believe humanity is in a collective state of trauma right now and there is so much healing to be done.
The healing starts within ourselves. Each one of us can find a way to transform our trauma into resilience, empathy, humility and wisdom, if only we take the time to look within and do the work.
One day I asked my students to write down on a piece of paper, an answer to this question:
Why Yoga?
and these are some of their replies…..
“I feel as though when I come to a yoga class it is with an open mind as to why I need to go, what the benefit will be. I might think I need to stretch but actually I need to create space, or breathe, or be kind to myself“
“Yoga gives me the opportunity to combine my mind body and spirit into one entity. It keeps my energy moving and stops me from getting sick or depressed. Its given me a different awareness of myself and keeps me balanced and strong“
“Yoga relaxes…
my body and mind“
“Yoga gives me time to connect with my body and breath and find peace and stillness in my otherwise busy mind“
“Yoga reminds me what it feels like for my body to be rested and content“
“Yoga connects my body and mind. It guides me to see my soul and discover who I really am“
“Yoga reminds me to treat my body with love and respect when so much around us in the world teaches us to judge and fight with our bodies“
“Yoga brings me home…
and helps me to be my true self“
“Yoga stretches and forms…
my body and soul“
“I practice yoga to wake up and stretch my body and to help me feel grounded, centred and uplifted-that’s how I feel after a yoga class…“
“Yoga releases the constraints of the body, and in doing so, releases the constraints of the mind. A yoga session is like a little session of magic nourishment”
“Yoga gives me the space to reconnect with my body and to allow my mind to quieten”
“Yoga opens and tunes the divine instruments of our bodies so that the music of the universe can flow through and heal us….”
