On Tuesday mornings female refugees like Eden come to practise yoga. The sessions are run by Ourmala, a voluntary organisation that every week gives around 60 refugee women a safe space to breathe, heal and rehabilitate.
They begin by lying on the yoga mats provided, closing their eyes in the dimly lit room. Ourmala relies on volunteers like Martha Winfield, a specially trained yoga instructor who is heading the class and gently encourages the women to slowly transition into different yoga positions, and synchronising their breathing with their movements.
Emily Brett, the founder of Ourmala, works her way around the room, helping women to adopt the poses, whispering encouragement. Rest and meditation are built into the class, which ends with chanting Om, a mantra that vibrates around the room. For a few minutes a rare stillness and silence washes over their bodies, they leave the room with a chorus of thank yous, calmer and more relaxed than when they came in.
“I used to have real trouble sleeping and was on high levels of antidepressants. Yoga has helped me sleep – if you can’t sleep, it is difficult to do anything,” says Eden, who was referred to the service by the charity, Freedom from Torture, two years ago.
There are four classes held every week in locations across London; on Mondays Ourmala runs a mother and baby session. It is not uncommon for the children who accompany their mothers to have been born as a result of rape. Women at the session survive on snatches of sleep, not because of their crying babies, but because of their trauma.
“Experiences like that leave a person shredded – the horror doesn’t stop when they reach the UK; we have a refugee crisis happening here under the radar,” says Brett, who volunteered as a refugee caseworker with the British Red Cross.
Travel expenses are covered by the charity and a hot lunch, English lessons, advice and support services are offered after the yoga. Some travel for as long as three hours to make the classes and for many, it’s the first hot meal of the week and a rare chance for friendly interaction, says Brett.
“Trauma has left them dissociated from their bodies and over time yoga starts to make the body a safe and inhabitable place again. The whole integrated service we offer helps restore confidence and self-esteem, it reduces anxiety and depression and it gives the women energy and hope,” she explains.
Yoga teaches the women to control their breathing, which calms the nervous system and in turn calms the mind – a valuable skill off the mat, when at the Home Office or encountering setbacks in their day-to-day lives. “It isn’t about creating dependency; it’s empowering them to rebuild their lives and integrate.” She says that women can be hostile and distrustful at first. “It might take weeks or even months, but eventually their chins lift, they look you in the eyes and soften into the beautiful, dignified women that they are, because they feel safe and can be start to be themselves again.”
The charity’s yoga instructors receive training from Heather Mason, founder of The Minded Institute, which advocates mind-body therapy for the treatment of mental health issues.
“Refugees who have experienced trauma struggle with sleep and often have a lot of shame around their bodies, particularly those who have been raped or tortured,” she explains. “Yoga puts them back in touch with their bodies and gives them grounding.”
No comments:
Post a Comment