Yoga at Primrose
From the outside yoga might seem straightforwardly like a form of exercise but closer inspection suggests that it might tap into something deeper and links directly with common therapeutic methods.
Primrose is delighted to welcome Mark to the team as our new volunteer yoga teacher who has been helping our clients to reconnect with their bodies through breathing and motion. We had the opportunity to sit down with Mark to discuss his practice and how he approaches yoga with beginners…
“I try to approach these classes in exactly the same way as any other yoga class. We explore meditation, movement, breath awareness, and practices that help people turn their attention inward and reconnect with their bodies. Everything I offer is adapted and adaptable to whoever attends. The most important part of the practice is simply being present. There’s no expectation to achieve anything or to be particularly flexible. If someone spends the entire session sitting and breathing, that’s absolutely perfect. The aim is to step away from the noise of everyday life and take some time for yourself.
Many people arrive feeling anxious, nervous, or unsure of themselves. I hope they leave understanding that yoga isn’t about performance, competition, or achieving perfect poses. In fact, it’s often about letting go of those expectations altogether. I want people to develop a deeper sense of kindness, compassion, and acceptance towards themselves. You don’t need to touch your toes, stand on your head, or do any of the things you might see on social media. None of that is important. What matters is showing up as you are. I hope people leave feeling that yoga is truly for everyone and that their practice can be exactly what they need it to be.”
So what actually is Yoga?
Yoga began in India several thousand years ago as a philosophical and meditative practice for steadying the mind. The word itself is usually translated as “union” or “yoking”: the joining of body, breath and mind into a single thing rather than three separate ones pulling in different directions.
The earliest threads appear in the Vedas and Upanishads, Indian texts composed somewhere between three and two and a half thousand years ago. What they describe is not exercise. It is a set of methods for working with the mind — its restlessness, its habit of running ahead into the future or back into the past, and the possibility of settling it. Around two thousand years ago, a compiler known as Patanjali gathered these ideas into the Yoga Sutras, still the closest thing the tradition has to a founding text. The practice continued to evolve, and during the medieval period the hatha traditions emerged, taking the body seriously as a route to the mind. From around the late nineteenth century onwards, Indian teachers began presenting yoga to a wider world, absorbing elements of the gymnastics and physical culture circulating at the time, eventually becoming the practice we see today. Nevertheless, yoga retains its focus on fitting to the person, personal connection, and unity, making it ideally suited for both the athletic types and those of us less mobile.
Mark reflects: “While I enjoy seeing progress, what I value most is the sense of community. In yoga, community is known as Sangha, and it’s such an important part of the practice. The patients have reinforced my belief that, at our core, we’re all the same. They’re a wonderful group of people who welcomed me warmly from the moment I arrived, and I’m grateful to be part of that community.
My time at Primrose has strengthened my belief that there’s far more that unites us than divides us. The people I’ve met have reminded me that we’re all simply doing our best with what we have. Their kindness, openness, and resilience have been incredibly inspiring, and the experience has shown me just how powerful connection, compassion, and human presence can be.”
So how does this connect with therapy?
Beyond physical therapy, yoga’s focus on self-awareness, being-present and self-acceptance are also foundational themes found in several kinds of therapeutic counselling, including Person Centred Therapy. Sharing similarities with yoga’s physical side, drama therapy and some existential modalities place strong emphasis on presence and skilful coping – tapping into how we can also learn by doing and experience, rather than analysis. In a similar way, these therapies are often about self-discovery and learning to reconnect with one’s self, as emphasised in yoga. Breathing exercises are another strong link with therapy where box breathing and similar exercises have been supported in clinical trials as a non-invasive stress reduction technique for helping to manage episodes of anxiety and panic attacks when used in combination with clinical support.
As Patanjali defined yoga all those centuries ago: “the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind”.
Recognising these parallels, it’s easy to see why yoga appears in so many health settings and is accepted by the NHS as a safe form of activity and even offers it through social prescribing schemes.
A massive thank you to Mark for supporting Primrose Hospice and enabling us to help our community. Yoga is now available through Primrose’s Living Well programme to all service users. If you or someone you know could benefit from our support, visit our referrals page to find out how we can help.
Written by Josh.
