Free yoga sessions to help tackle rise in anxiety

Twelve weeks of free yoga classes offering exercise, breathing techniques, relaxation and social support for people with anxiety will be held on Saturday afternoons at Whiston Parish Hall.

The sessions will be part of a pilot research study funded by the National Lottery's Community Fund and conducted by the research team from British Wheel of Yoga Qualifications .

BWYQ chair Laura Bissell said: “Generalised Anxiety Disorder is a long-term condition that causes people to feel anxious and worried about a lot of things, rather than one specific thing.

“There’s been an increase in GAD since Covid.

“We think that specific yoga techniques will help people to self-manage their anxiety levels.

“The results we obtain from this small pilot study will hopefully allow us to obtain a much larger grant so that we can conduct a randomised controlled trial in the future.”

Chartered psychologist and UKCP registered psychotherapist Anne-Marie Visser will be the project’s mental health consultant from BWYQ’s The Society of Yoga Practitioners and the TSYP yoga therapist teaching the sessions is Susan McHale.

Susan added: “People with overcrowded, busy minds can learn simple breath-integrated movements and relaxation techniques, which will allow them to ground themselves and become more

resilient.

“There will also be time to have a cup of tea, take a walk by the brook as well as make new friends.”

For more information and to register your interest in being a participant, please email [email protected].