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Teaching yoga to a class of rest home residents in their eighties and nineties – many of whom get around on walkers – might seem a daunting challenge.
Indeed, teacher Marion Chasteau says it’s highly unusual to offer yoga to those living in residential care, but when she was asked if she would run a class at the Amberlea Home & Hospital in Algies Bay, she said “yes”.
Marion says elderly residents may have enjoyed great “quantity of life” but it’s important to also think about their “quality of life.”
“It’s pioneering work, but I am learning as I go along. The challenges have really motivated me to see what I could do,” she says.
Classes started almost a year ago and initially students did the exercises entirely sitting in chairs. More recently, many have begun to do some of them standing, holding on to a chair for support if necessary.
Sessions typically begin on a long balcony facing the sea, where residents close their eyes and soak up the sun.
After this sunbath, they move inside for further exercises that focus on the neck, spine, limbs, shoulder joints, heart and exercises that strengthen the legs.
Marion says greater leg strength is linked to better cognitive function, improves stability and lessens the chance of falls.
During the exercises, students are reminded to concentrate on their breathing, which Marion describes as the link between body and mind.
She says deep breathing has powerful benefits, including for digestion and the peripheral nervous system.
Student Dorothy Haining, 92, arrived at Amberlea about two years ago after breaking her arm in a fall.Following the accident, she found she could no longer dress herself.
She started coming to the yoga classes since they started and says she “loves it”.
Dorothy says when she is feeling a little low, she likes to get outside go for a walk and get some fresh air.
The yoga has given her more confidence in moving around independently and has improved her balance.
Marion says students are encouraged to practice the yoga routines during the week and students often report that they help them walk better, sleep better and feel better.
She adds that the classes are not always serious. Sometimes there are sing-a-longs, dancing and an exchange of ideas that enrich life. On one wall, there is a collection of inspirational quotes, such as
“You don’t have to be young to be fabulous!”
Each session ends with breath awareness and a guided relaxation.
There is room for more interested seniors to join the yoga class and they don’t have to be Amberlea residents.
Info: Amberlea on 425 5017
