Yoga Program Offers Support for Individuals with Visual Impairments

Carolyn Wightman, 78, experienced a “drastic” shift in her life following a stroke two years prior. The loss of vision in one eye necessitated her ceasing to drive and obtaining help with domestic tasks like cleaning and gardening. In February, as her remaining eye’s vision unexpectedly worsened, Ms. Wightman, a resident of East Lothian, sought assistance from Sight Scotland. Sight Scotland suggested its inaugural yoga class, specifically developed to foster physical and mental well-being for individuals with visual impairments. These 60-minute sessions are conducted entirely from a seated position and incorporate meditation, breathing exercises, and mindfulness practices, in addition to “eye yoga” to aid participants in relaxation and stress reduction. Ms. Wightman, who also contends with spinal issues, reports that the classes have enhanced her flexibility and overall well-being. She states, “I can’t do harsh exercise and I’m very limited with what I can do – I can’t do walking groups or things like that.” She further adds, “The chair yoga is very gentle but very powerful. It’s helped my fitness level.” Carolyn indicated that she had an interest in yoga prior to her stroke but found it challenging to allocate time for a class. She finds it beneficial to be among other women who share comparable daily experiences. She commented, “My sight loss has been more sudden so it’s taking me longer to adapt.” She continued, “But everyone understands each other because we’ve all got vision loss and sight impairments. “We don’t have to explain anything to anyone, like why we’re walking with a stick.” Betty Robertson and Rita Irving, both from Edinburgh, have been attending the class since April, seeking connection with others facing similar circumstances. Both women are affected by dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an ocular condition that causes central vision blurring and currently lacks a cure. Rita recounted being informed by an optician at the age of 14 that she would experience vision problems later in life, whereas Betty considered herself “lucky” to reach 75 before receiving her diagnosis. Currently, they characterize their vision as “poor” and “like looking through mist,” struggling with facial recognition, which is a frequent manifestation of the illness. Both women report that the class has assisted them “to build confidence” and “relax.” Tamas Danyi-Nagy, the group’s instructor, disclosed that he began practicing yoga seven years ago, following severe neck, shoulder, and spinal injuries. He stated, “I decided I wanted to know how the body works and how to manage my anxiety and energies around the body.” During his yoga instructor training, he commenced volunteering for Sight Scotland as a befriender, which involved visiting a blind woman and assisting her with tasks. Tamas, currently employed as a community activity worker for the charity, mentioned that a blind friend from his teenage years motivated him to engage with visually impaired individuals. Tamas recalled, “He was very dependant on others and always needed to be guided everywhere.” He added, “Everyone was very gentle with him, but I would always take him to the beach and we would do crazy things together.” He further elaborated, “We would go to the cinema and I would audio-describe to him what was happening on the screen.” Reflecting on yoga’s role in his own recovery from injuries, Tamas recognized a desire to introduce this practice to the blind community to foster mindfulness. He explained, “If I had back pain, I would go on to YouTube and search ‘yoga for back pain’, then watch a video and copy what I’m seeing, while my very good friend wouldn’t have that option. “That’s when I decided that this knowledge needs to be accessible for everyone, not just people who see.” With just over a year of yoga instruction experience, Tamas meticulously crafted the classes to incorporate diverse movements, including exercises for the shoulders, arms, neck, back, and legs, alongside eye exercises intended to alleviate tension and enhance peripheral vision. Prior to initiating the blind yoga class, he had been unfamiliar with this specific practice, which he asserts reinforces the link between the eye and the nervous system. The exercises involve varying light and dark conditions and different degrees of focus. Tamas’s research revealed that as visual impairment progresses, individuals tend to exercise their eyes less, often focusing on objects up close and using larger screens. He elaborated: “When you see perfectly, you’re naturally drawn to things around you – people, a tree, a plane in the sky, a bird – so your focus and peripheral vision changes all the time.” He continued, “People who are visually impaired sometimes see very narrow parts of an area or not at all, which makes it more difficult to move the muscles in the eye. “It’s so important for people with visual impairments to make a conscious effort to strengthen the eye muscles and make the eyes as healthy as possible.” The charity intends to expand the class to additional locations and persist in its efforts to assist visually impaired individuals in regaining independence and fostering community cohesion. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. 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