Yoga is a privilege that many of us are fortunate enough to access. We have the time, physical health, freedom and resources to make yoga a regular part of our lifestyle. However, not everyone shares this good fortunate.
Happily, there are many charities around the world that make yoga accessible to communities and individuals that might otherwise be able to practice. Here are four UK-based yoga charities making a difference to those who need it most.
Charities welcome donations, volunteers or other forms of support. Click through to their websites to find out how you can help our yoga community grow.
Prison Phoenix Trust
For over 30 years, the Prison Phoenix Trust has brought yoga, meditation and spiritual support to people incarcerated in the UK and Ireland. Its founders wanted to help meet prisoners’ spiritual needs, especially, and leaders of various faiths including Zen Buddhism and Catholicism were instrumental.
According to its website, the PPT, “encourages prisoners in the development of their spiritual welfare, through the practices of meditation and yoga, working with silence and the breath.
We offer personal support to prisoners around the UK and the Republic of Ireland through teaching, workshops, correspondence, books and newsletters – and to prison staff too. We work with people of any faith, or of none, and honour all religions.”
Website: theppt.org.uk
Teen Yoga Foundation
Young people have been hit particularly hard by mental health difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic, which makes the Teen Yoga Foundation’s work so important. It has worked in schools and offered teacher training for more than 15 years.
Its website explains that, “A lot of young people have problems with their mental health because they simply don’t know how to cope.
Yoga provides powerful ways of dealing with stress in their personal, family and social lives by teaching them simple techniques to reduce tension and increase calm in all situations… it empowers them to engage more fully in their personal lives, school and society.”
Website: teenyogafoundation.com
Special Yoga
This organisation states its intention, saying: “Over many years it has been a privilege and a blessing to share heartfelt therapeutic yoga practises with thousands of children with special and additional needs all over the world, their families, educators and paediatric professionals. We see again and again that the extraordinary power of working from the heart with Special Yoga allows us to truly reach our full potential. That potential is not only physical, but also mental, emotional, physiological, energetic and spiritual. We guide the adults around the children to be as open, compassionate and peaceful as they can because we know that ‘Your state matters’.”
As anyone who has shared their life with a child with additional needs knows, it can be an emotionally and physically demanding experience. The practice of yoga enables children, parents and carers to improve their own well-being while building strong bonds.
Special Yoga is also supporting Ukrainian refugees with emergency trauma relief programmes; its courses are available to schools, local authorities and other groups doing emergency trauma work.
Website: specialyoga.co.uk
OURMALA
According to its website, “OURMALA has been delivering specialist yoga classes for people seeking international protection in the UK, such as refugees, since 2011.”
It also offers yoga in the workplace and for the National Health Service, enabling those who support our collective well-being and health to look after themselves.
OURMALA helps people recover from trauma. As a result of its expertise it was chosen to run a pilot yoga programme for survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. Participants achieved noteworthy results, including improved sleep, reduced stress/anxiety/depression and greater happiness and confidence.
Website: ourmala.com
Do you know of a great yoga charity? Share in the comments or Tweet @YogaWithPaul