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So nine years ago I took up yoga. Best thing I ever did.

Why do I go to yoga? I never done yoga before dementia. I admired people who done yoga, I  always thought they looked very elegant and it sounded very worthwhile but I was too busy  getting on with life, taking care of my dad who had dementia and going out to work. And doing  the mundane family things that one does. Then I got dementia and suddenly life took a different  meaning on to me and I needed to do things that were going to be good for my health. I listened  to the government and they said exercise was good for you. 

So nine years ago I took up yoga, best thing I ever did. I done it for the exercise but oh my  goodness me, I got so much more from it. And when I started to have balance issues and to  start falling and going toward the sides. We were concentrating on core work and that helped  my balance issues. My yoga teacher was very aware of my dementia because I told them, as indeed were my yoga buddies, and they were very keen in helping me and assisting me, all that they could. So over the years we’ve been working very, very consciously on my balance issues and I believe that it’s been a tremendous help to me.  

And then when I started to develop respiratory problems, yoga came to the fore again. My yoga teacher, along with the class – we started doing Ujjayi breath work and opening up heart and lung movements, which helped keep my lungs wide open, and it, I don’t know, it was exercises for my lungs. It was fantastic. And so were my yoga buddies. They’ve all put up with my coughing and my wheezing over the last two or three years. They’ve been concerned – as your pals are. They been very helpful with various suggestions, which I’ve dutifully tried. But most importantly I feel part of a yoga family. 

I love going to my yoga: it helps in so many different levels for me. I’m fortunate my yoga buddies welcomed me. They very rarely used the big D word: Dementia. It’s all about what works, what we need, what we need to do today. But most importantly, we claim our mat, we be all we can be that day. We are grateful for that day. It’s just a whole new way of life for me.

An audio version of this blog is available at: https://soundcloud.com/dementia-diaries/agnes-4-nottingham-uni