This is why I volunteer and work for Yoga Outreach.
Yoga Outreach operates in prisons, addiction recovery centres and mental health facilities – places where residents are often coping with traumatic mental health challenges. Most of the residents have never had access to something like yoga before.According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH),
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People with a mental illness are twice as likely to have a substance use problem compared to the general population.
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Similarly, people with substance use problems are up to 3 times more likely to have a mental illness.
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Canadians in the lowest income group are 3 to 4 times more likely than those in the highest income group to report poor to fair mental health.
Now imagine that someone with untreated mental illness has access to a weekly yoga class.
It’s just yoga. But I know from experience – and you may know also – that yoga class is where you learn to accept and rest. How do we know that yoga and meditation help?- Because we’ve had the cash to pay for a class
- Because someone in our social circle suggested it
- Because it’s available in our neighbourhood
- Because it’s what people in our social/economic/ethnic/industry group do when they feel stressed out.