Mara: ‘I have had the pleasure to interview Sheryl who teaches the Thursday lunchtime class at 1pm on the HY online timetable.’

‘You trained with the legendary Tara Fraser. When did you train as a yoga teacher and why?

Sheryl: I had practised Yoga for several decades with a variety of Teachers, including you, Mara, when you just qualified as a Yoga teacher!  I taught family members along the way but never thought of doing this seriously until I attended an after work class with a colleague. It was not a great class, as agreed by my colleague and she suggested I could do better. I then began to think that might be a possibility. I completed my Foundation course with Tara in 2005 and then decided to stay with Tara for the BWY Teacher training which began in 2007. The course was quite a lot to take on with a full time/full on NHS post which included an on call service- I was often completing deadlines for essays at midnight and we had to begin setting up a regular class to teach quite early on in the course. Juggling all this with family life- looking back I don’t know how I fitted it all in.

Mara: ‘As a mental health nurse and a yoga teacher, how have your many years of experience working in mental health informed your yoga teaching?

Sheryl: I think the 2 disciplines go hand in hand. My BWY training was in depth and covered pretty much everything. I remember we had an assignment to do a presentation to the rest of the group-for me, this, and teaching my peers, was the part I most dreaded. I think I was the last person to do the presentation and most of the body parts that were suggested topics for the presentation had been presented. I did a presentation on Anxiety which is very common in Yoga classes, particularly for new students. This was well received by Tara as I think, up to that point, the presentations were very much focussed on the physical body.

On completing the training, I then began to really learn from my students.

Having worked in mainly community mental health settings for 30 years, my skills and experience was extensive. Once I got over my own anxiety about being in front of a group of students to teach Yoga, I realised I had plenty in my toolbox to deal with almost anything that was presented to me. I think most people may join a class due to physical difficulties-back issues etc, I’ve found many students to be struggling with anxiety/depression. I feel that being a Nurse is kind of in my bones and it came quite easily to draw these students more into the class. I would sometimes teach a class with a focus on anxiety rather than on a physical problem which encouraged students to think a bit more deeply about their practice.

 

Mara: You have been involved in NHS piloted schemes with yoga. Please tell us more about your involvement and the outcomes.’

Sheryl: This is clearly a great passion of mine.

I began a pilot scheme about 6 years ago. I approached the Traumatic  Stress clinic in the NHS Trust where I worked for many years. I began to voluntarily teach Yoga to a group of women referred to me by the clinic, suffering with PTSD, at St Pancras hospital.

This was initially for 6 months. I was helped by a Psychology Assistant who would collect the necessary data and outcome measures as well as help set up the venue. The class was very successful; the clients’ feedback was extremely positive and the outcomes were very encouraging.

We initially piloted the trauma-informed yoga classes with female victims of sexual trauma, a group that particularly tends to experience high levels of bodily flashbacks. The women in the pilot group reported that the classes had been ‘transformational’ in beginning to repair the relationship with their own bodies and being ‘able to breathe again’ following trauma. After this successful pilot we expanded access to the group to all of the clinic’s clients, which included victims of childhood sexual abuse, torture, domestic violence, FGM, human trafficking, forced prostitution and assault. The groups were evaluated using outcome data and service user feedback. Results from these suggest consistently positive feedback on the class, including improved physical and mental health; improved posture, flexibility, concentration, and sleep; and increased feelings of confidence, self-esteem and self-compassion. Importantly, in providing an opportunity to meet others in a safe and supportive environment, the yoga classes also contributed to reduce social isolation and improving social support. Qualitative feedback from participants suggests the classes have been “…grounding and life changing.”

Yoga had become part of their “treatment”. Prior to Lockdown, I was teaching 2 classes a week, the 2nd one being a Chair Yoga class. Referrals were from the same service, for those less able bodied.

I also saw my role in helping clients to develop their own Yoga practice to enable them to reduce their symptoms, relax more regularly and to develop healthy routines.

There is now a large body of evidence supporting Yoga for clients with PTSD/Anxiety/Depression (Van Der Kolk, Emerson). I would recommend Van Der Kolk’s book “The Body Keeps the Score” which is now available in paperback.

 

Mara: You have also worked with stroke patients. Please tell us how the yoga has benefitted these patients and what your recommendations are for stroke patients.’

Sheryl: The students I taught recovering from a Stroke were able to attend classes. I think the main benefits were a growing confidence in their bodies once more. They were incredibly brave and strong in their determination which was admirable and they were new to Yoga which was helpful as they didn’t have any comparison to what poses looked or felt like for them prior to the stroke. To witness the return of strength/balance was an absolute joy.

It was important to work at a slow pace and literally alongside the student as coordination is usually a challenge and there may be a pause between an instruction and (their) practice.  Dizziness can be a problem, so remembering to always prop up the head when lying. If they can’t mobilise enough to stand easily, then the asanas can be modified from a lying position using the wall or practising with a chair as balance is another challenge.

Being as inclusive as possible within a class setting is really important, same as all of us, they benefitted hugely from being part of a group and Yoga may be the only group in their life at that time. One of my “Stroke” students said the Yoga class was the only place she felt she could relax.

Again, we come to the emotional trauma which brings up a lot of anxiety and fear as well as loss, so simple Pranayama (breathing into both sides of the body) and Meditation were really important. Keeping it as simple as possible was key and they were more likely to self practice.

Mara: We are all well too aware that the recent ongoing pandemic has eroded our mental health. In your opinion, how can yoga practices like Asana, breathing and mindfulness be used successfully to build resilience?

 

Sheryl:  There is a lot of fear and panic around which prevents thinking and results in irrational behaviours. This is another public health crisis in itself and referrals to mental health services are (again) stretching NHS resources. We are social animals and need to connect with each other. As we know the current disconnection has lead to many people suffering with mental health issues.

Practising all aspects of Yoga helps us to endure difficult times. We gain strength from Asana practice which in turn strengthens our mental and emotional health, feeling that connection with body, mind and soul. It helps us to deal with the negative impact of this pandemic and is good for relieving stress, anxiety and promoting better sleep. With practice, we feel more in control of our body and mind and that physical and mental discipline keeps us in better health and helps us manage stress and anxiety. There’s now stacks of evidence to support this as well.  Of course, we Yogis already know all this from the ancient teachings of Patanjali, The Gita, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika etc.

 

Mara : Finally, let’s hear from one of the stroke students that Sheryl has helped:

One of the most reassuring things I found about Sheryl was that, having taken the step to attend a class, her care and attentiveness made me feel ‘positive’ and energised, but in a calm way.

With her support and gentle encouragement, I continued to attend classes; gradually becoming aware of my improved balance and overall positivity.

This, in turn, helped to bolster my confidence and address my fluctuating self-image.

Sheryl’s individual teaching approach, her extensive physiological and spiritual knowledge, and more than anything else, her ability to ‘understand’ and work alongside her students, is second to none.

I read an article recently about ‘ Neuroplasticity’ – I wasn’t entirely sure what it was…

‘The ability of the brain to reorganise itself and form new connections’

Looking back, that’s precisely what Sheryl’s yoga classes helped me to do.’

Mara Musso, Co-Founder & Yoga Teacher