The Bristol Yoga Roots Project was set up to offer socially inclusive yoga to under-represented populations in Bristol and support the yoga community in Bristol to think more about inclusivity and related topics*. BYRP are hosting a range of fundraising activities this summer to support trauma-informed yoga classes for people who are refugees and asylum seekers in Bristol. The first activity is by BYRP director Hazel Bugler, who is competing in the Bristol Triathlon on Sunday 12th June, GO ON HAZEL!

We are currently running weekly classes with Aid Box Community, who provide practical aid and community to the hundreds of local people that have been forcibly displaced in Bristol. We have also offered classes with Refugee Women of Bristol and Bristol Refugee Rights that we would love to get back to running again! These classes have been unfunded or only partially funded and to make them sustainable we need to raise some funds.

Many of our students have experienced human rights violations, complex trauma, displacement, challenges navigating the new systems they find themselves in and ongoing uncertainty about their futures. Regular yoga spaces with our trauma-informed teachers are one way for people to start to improve their physical and psychological wellbeing, as well as being welcomed into a friendly and empowering space.

Research shows that consistent classes lead to better outcomes and that there is a dose-response between number of yoga sessions and alleviation of signs of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Making these classes sustainable can and does make a real difference to people's lives!

Feedback so far has demonstrated people are not only finding reduced stress levels and more comfort in their physical bodies, but also more connection to each other and a sense of belonging to a community. Yoga is medicine!

"I could connect to my body, the breath felt gentle and relaxing, it was good to have this time for me"

"That was so relaxing I fell asleep! That’s hard for me, to sleep. Thank you. I feel quite emotional!"

"I loved it! I feel really loose in my body, like there is more space"

"“I know it can be not best for the space, but thank you for letting my daughter be here, it means I can make it - and she was loving it too!”"

If we hit our target we can ensure that these much needed classes are covered for the next year and beyond, and support BYRP to set up new classes too.

Plus surely Hazel's herculean efforts deserve a little celebration! Any donation you can offer is warmly received. If you can't spare any financial support at the moment it would mean the world to us if you could share this fundraiser. Every little really does help here! We promise to show you Hazel's progress photos too!

With love,

The BYRP team xXx

*We do this is four key ways: 1) running yoga classes with organisations that are engaged with communities that may benefit from yoga but who may be unlikely to be represented in yoga studios; 2) creating a network of yoga teachers to learn from and lean into each other, for example through reflective practice spaces and meet ups; 3) providing learning opportunities and teaching around relevant topics, for example through our skills sharing and training events; and 4) raising the profile of issues such as inclusivity, accessibility, anti-racism and de-colonisation in yoga spaces, for example through our events and direct liaison with studios and teacher trainers.