Our attendees (all women) were aged late 20s to mid 60s from Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, Algeria and Nigeria. Naomi tells us about her experience teaching the class:

“The Whale Arts offers comfortable mats for use and has a welcoming and cosy atmosphere. The space itself is warm, inviting, and spacious, with a strong sense of community and vibrant activity. On average, four women participate in the weekly classes, though the group sometimes grows to six. One memorable session included a mother who brought her baby son. He quietly observed from his buggy, fascinated by the activity, while she was able to fully engage in her yoga practice with us.

 

This group meets every Monday morning for a 90-minute session, fostering a warm, friendly, and supportive environment. The women who attend share a strong sense of companionship and care for one another. Many experience various aches, pains, and medical conditions, and they find that yoga helps alleviate their discomfort and ease their symptoms, making it a valuable part of their weekly routine.

 

We tend to start the class with everyone sitting on a wooden chair, in a large circle so everyone can see what I’m demonstrating, and they can also see each other. After preliminary meditation, breathwork and warm up/joint mobilisation we come down onto the mat.

 

The women enjoy practicing sitting in a cross-legged position on the mat. We do a few seated postures and some more breathing exercises.  At this point depending on the energy of the women on the day we will either stand up for some standing postures, maybe a Triangle, moving Warrior 2, Mountain pose, High Mountain, Side Stretches, Standing Balance.

 

We spend some time lying in a supine position on the mats, making sure that everyone has enough space to stretch out. I usually lead everyone through some leg and arm stretches, some supine twists and some tucked up legs poses. We often bring in a self-massage, either shoulders and neck or face, or hands. I also lead the class through a body scan or relaxing visualisation or guided relaxation.

 

I believe everyone appreciates the calming quiet of the room, so I usually opt not to play any music. The peaceful atmosphere adds to the sense of relaxation and allows participants to focus fully on their practice and the environment around them.

 

The women in the group are mothers and grandmothers, many of whom are still working. They often express feeling like they are always on call for their families, which is why they choose not to turn off their mobile phones during class, wanting to always remain reachable. At the end of each session, we take a moment to rearrange the room together, and there’s always time for a friendly chat about who plans to attend the following week’s class.

 

On a Monday after the yoga there is a lovely open air food bank with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Some of the women collect food from this service after class”.

The final session was held this week and started with teas and coffees as the weather was grey and rainy and everyone had come by foot or bus. Social connection is also important for so many aspects of physical and mental health and a chance for a wee chat and cuppa can make a huge difference. Often chatting to people who have similar conditions and sharing stories and meeting new people can help with mood and anxiety symptoms.

We organised these sessions in partnership and with the help of Fatima Omer, Mental Health Project Coordinator, SCOREscotland. Fatima shares her experiences of the classes with us: