With lockdown in full force, everyone is doing their bit to stay active – and remaining fit and strong is more important now than ever before.
There are so many fantastic fitness and healthy resources online and on social media to help people stay fit and keep moving – but it’s vital that people with disabilities aren’t being left out of that conversation.
Adaptive Yoga Live is an online service, designed specifically for the disabled community, to help combat stress during Covid-19.
The seated yoga classes are for people with physical limitations. The moves have been designed to help make yoga accessible to more people, especially those with injury, disability, limitations, or who are elderly.
The project has been created by two disabled women, Miranda McCarthy and Louise Edwards, who have both experienced the life-changing benefits of adaptive yoga first-hand. So, the pair vowed to make their classes available for those who need it most.
‘Everyone should have the opportunity to for self improvement – especially disabled people,’ Miranda tells Metro.co.uk. ‘Living with a disability on a daily basis is a difficult journey and staying active can not only help improve your physical health but your mental health.
‘Staying active helps strengthening the mind-body connection – which helps regulate your emotions and combats stress. Staying active is essential for well-being.’
The classes are launching their first live stream today, and will continue every Monday, Wednesday and Sun at 10 am 3 pm BST on the Adaptive Yoga Live website and social channels – and they are entirely free.
‘Aside from the physical and mental health benefits, pur classes are a judgement-free-zone,’ adds Miranda. ‘We are free to be disabled. We all have different physical restrictions, we all move at our own pace, and that’s OK.
‘Everyone is there to support each other. The live classes are meant to be a way of introducing adaptive yoga to disabled people who are self-isolating – as a way to help reduce stress during these difficult times.’
All of the online sessions are taught by experts in adaptive yoga, and users can register on the Adaptive Yoga LIVE website.
The whole programme has been created as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will run for six weeks. If these classes are successful, and there is demand, they can continue but they will need support to make this happen – you can support the classes by making a donation on the ompany’s GoFundMe page.
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