YoGlasgow! – Prescribing Yoga for Health

"The people who come to the classes have created a community environment....the social aspects are just as important as the exercise."

YoGlasgow! has established a network of community chair yoga clubs in community centres across the north-east of Glasgow. Their aim is to improve physical and mental health and to bring people living with a range of long term health conditions such as arthritis and joint pain, Parkinsons, stroke recovery, lung conditions as well as depression and loneliness together. Mick and Caroline from YoGlasgow! shared that it started as sessions, but it has developed into much more, “the people who come to the classes have created a community environment, friendships have formed and the social aspects are just as important as the exercise.”

Mick is clear that it can never be suitable for absolutely everyone but they are trying to remove as many barriers as possible, making their clubs accessible to as many people as they can; they choose venues that are accessible for people using wheelchairs or mobility aids and the classes are either free or charged at a small fee, participants are consulted to ensure the language they use is accessible and that people feel comfortable and safe during the classes, everyone is encouraged to join at their own pace and do as much as they feel comfortable with and they don’t assume level of ability – participants do what they can because for some people, being at the class is enough.

The missing link for them now is getting the word out about their services. They put up adverts on lampposts, but find they mostly gain new members from word of mouth and through the connections they have with community partners. The Community Links Worker Programme has been a crucial partner, with many practitioners recommending the classes to the people they work with. The Link Worker Programme (LWP) aims to meet people’s individual needs and supports people to live well in their communities. This vital link highlights the mutual benefits of partnership working, “we want more people to know that we exist, so to have Community Link Workers, Community Nurses and physiotherapists recommending us, or bringing people along, that is essential to the success of our services.”

The ultimate aim would be to have everyone in Scotland doing chair yoga and they would ideally like to be in more areas across the country. Mick shares, “the reality is we are talking about people who are isolated, lonely and unsure where to turn for support. We know that our clubs are the highlight of some people’s week, it is their lifeline, and we want to provide that for as many people as we can.” But this is prohibited by significant funding challenges. Without a stable source of funding they are unable to plan long term and commit to regular class schedules which undermines their ability to offer consistent support to the community.

Mick and Caroline’s plan for the future of YoGlasgow! is to see it embedded within the NHS. This would create a sustainable foundation that would allow them to branch out into the community. If their services were part of a formal healthcare pathway, supported by referrals from within the NHS, they could reach a wider audience that could continue beyond hospital settings into the community.

You can find out more about the work of YoGlasgow via this link.

You can read all Connected Communities case studies here: https://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/blog/case_studies/?projects=connected-communities