How yoga helped transform mine and my children’s lives while dealing with my illness

We’ve heard it all before: a healthy lifestyle is a balance of diet and exercise or whatever it is they say at PE and PSHE lessons. Sure, there are after-school clubs and extracurricular sports but what you may not know is that yoga could be the fitness answer. It can be done in the comfort of your living room whilst also having so many physical and mental benefits. It’s true – yoga is no longer just an old mum’s game.

Yoga has so many perks that make it an ideal choice for a young carer when wanting to better your personal well-being. According to hopkindsmedicine.org, yoga can help you sleep better, stimulate energised and brighter moods, and manage stress. In fact, the exercise can promote better general self-care which is essential when balancing so many duties alongside studying.

Despite all these amazing facts yoga barely seems to be talked about or practised by young people. As a firm believer in everything spiritual and mindful, Essex-based yoga teacher, Alexandra Reece-Ford is determined to change this.

Alexandra began her personal yoga journey when she was diagnosed with two chronic conditions and she has since used the practice to transform her life entirely. She remains an activist on all socials and runs a blog where people can buy pre-recorded sessions or book online one to one’s with her.

“Life is hard and bad things happen but we choose our path, we choose our reactions and this is where I bring techniques into your everyday life to heal from trauma, struggles and to allow you to regain your strength and balance from the inside out,.” says Alexandra.

Since suffering from endometriosis and a pituitary brain tumour, her children took on caring roles for her which they have managed over the years using the tools Alexandra has implemented into their lives.

“As a young carer, you need to take time out to rest and reflect on how incredible of a person you are with so much responsibility. Yoga will help to reduce overwhelming feelings of anxiety through testing times and enable you to build your self-esteem to manage stressful situations and give a connection to yourselves and social interaction. It allows you to express yourselves in a safe and calm manner and creates an understanding within for your mental health and overall wellbeing,” explains Reece-Ford.

“Be open-minded, interpret yoga for yourselves - use it as a dance through your bodies and not feel scared of what you feel yoga might be. Know you can do anything and don’t worry- just go with it and see where it takes you, be creative with your minds and bodies,” advises the yoga advocate.

There is no limit to how much or how little yoga you do. It could be something you put aside every half hour before you go to bed or something you squeeze in between homework breaks for five minutes. As Alexandra says: “To know you are doing it for even a few minutes a day can make a huge difference in how you feel.”