YOGA PROJECT DELIVERS BENEFITS AS GET OUT GET ACTIVE PROGRAMME EXPANDS

Participants attending yoga sessions in Wolverhampton as part of the Get Out Get Active (GOGA) programme are singing the praises of the project.

After Active Black Country received additional funding from Activity Alliance, the initiative was extended until March, building on Phase 2 of the programme to deliver further impact.

Led by local yoga teacher Debo Sahota, weekly yoga sessions at Eastfield Community Centre (pictured) are aimed at increasing the range of inclusive opportunities for disabled and non-disabled people to enjoy being active together.

Debo, who is also a GP exercise instructor, says: “The main aim is to get people out of the house, to meet other people and do a little bit of movement, that’s what we are looking for. We want to get them active and be more connected to their communities. It’s a social activity and good for people’s mental health. We can do seated yoga too.”

The activity aligns with our Creating an Active Black Country strategy – notably that the programme is ‘inclusive, attainable and supports stronger, better connected, resilient communities’. The sessions are open to all ages and abilities, including families, men and children.

Positive feedback

Two regular attendees, Lucy and Surrinder, say they are enjoying the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of the FREE Sunday yoga sessions.

Lucy started going to Park Yoga in Wolverhampton last year, becoming part of “a vibrant group of about 30 who attended”. When the sessions concluded in September, Debo took on the task of extending the activities at Eastfield Community Centre thanks to the partnership with Activity Alliance – and Lucy has reaped the rewards.

“I think it really helps people with musculoskeletal conditions. I have a form of arthritis and need regular exercise which I prefer doing with a group. It lifts my spirits and I get to do all of the difficult stuff like the downward dog position,” she says.

“We do breathing exercises, which help with lowering anxiety and relaxation. Before we go we do some mindful meditation, which boosts how you feel when leaving. “Debo is really energetic, kind and compassionate. She’s great.”

Surinder says the yoga sessions are “brilliant”. “It’s the perfect yoga class for me, I’m nearly 70. I started yoga last summer and I used to have pain in my back. Now I feel so much better,” she says.

“I was suffering for a long time and had been to the physio but it wasn’t gone. But when I started yoga classes in the park and then at Eastfield Community Centre it really helped.”

As part of the GOGA programme expansion through February and March, Active Black Country’s Get Out Get Active Coordinator Bethune Smith is engaging with faith groups and other community organisations to activate initiatives in Wolverhampton, as well as in Dudley and Walsall.

In Sandwell, our Community Connector Arshad Siddat is also activating GOGA initiatives, working with the Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities to deliver a number of activities including hiking, cycling, and gentle exercise classes for older people.

GOGA expansion

The new wave of GOGA projects follows the impact of a partnership with Activity Alliance in co-designing Get Out Get Active Phase 2 in Wolverhampton where Active Black Country was a locality lead. ABC surpassed the programme targets of 600 participants, engaging and activating almost 1,000 Wolverhampton residents, through a combination of traditional delivery and a workforce-centred social prescribing approach.

“We are using the learning from this previous phase to ensure physical activity opportunities are inclusive, attainable and support stronger and better-connected Black Country communities,” said Jodi Adams, Strategic Lead for Active Communities at Active Black Country.

“Faith leaders can play a critical part in an emerging physical activity workforce, utilising their roles as trusted community sources of information to cascade positive messages about activity to those who would benefit from hearing it.

“It is great to see the work in Wolverhampton recognised and the residents of the other Black Country authorities (Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall) offered the same opportunity.

“By broadening our engagement with communities across the Black Country, we can support many more disabled and non-disabled residents in being active to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.”