Thanks to the support of The Tucker Foundation in 2022 we ran a variety of yoga and meditation classes with QPASTT (Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma). Our specialist teachers share the practices of yoga and meditation with various groups organised by QPASTT to promote health and wellbeing of people who have sought safety from persecution, torture and war related trauma. In these groups and classes, everyone is welcome regardless of their ethnicity, culture, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation, language or religious beliefs. We provided yoga for African Women’s and Ukrainian women’s groups as well as multi cultural yoga classes.
We received a 2023 CommBank Staff Foundation Community Grant to help continue this vital work we do in the community. Thank you to the staff at CommBank who participate in Workplace Giving as this grant wouldn’t be possible without you and we can continue providing these vital classes to the special groups.
After three years teaching yoga online to rural Queenslanders we finally got to visit in person. Thanks to Health and Wellbeing Queensland, The Yoga Partnership team hit the road in June, 2023 for 11 days, visiting rural communities across Queensland. We taught 54 classes across St George, Thallon, Surat, Roma, Injune, Emerald, Blackwater and Biloela. A range of come and try classes, yoga in aged care facilities, hospitals, Libraries, Kindy and schools, Council offices, for mental health support groups, Netball clubs and so much more. We had participants join us who were 2 and participants who were 92.
In partnership with BHC, we are proud to be offering a Body and Mind Program for their social and affordable housing residents. This program supports individuals on low incomes who may have experienced homelessness or significant disadvantage and are living in affordable housing. The classes teach skills to identify stress and triggers, learn techniques to help ease that stress and build community. Everyone has the right to practice self-care and financial status should not limit that right.
We are activating The Redcliffe Art Gallery, where people can enjoy the benefits of yoga as you observe and experience the exhibition Her beauty and her terror with Debbie Jackson. In the exhibition Her beauty and her terror, contemporary artists explore the Australian landscape in its extremities, subtleties, and forms to consider our connection to it. Deb is a proud Gungarri woman and yoga teacher with a degree in Indigenous Community management and Development.
In partnership with MS Qld, we have activated Queensland parks offering free accessible all ability yoga as part of World MS Awareness Day in 2021 and 2022. These classes have helped to raise awareness of MS and bring community together to show support for those diagnosed with the condition.
Thanks to a grant through FRRR, we put a local resident through yoga teacher training, and they can now offer face to face classes in Begonia. We provided support to select training and offer ongoing mentorship. The Begonia Sports Club, also used the grant to install high speed internet to the Club to provide ongoing access to online yoga classes.
