Our 10 Week Mindfulness Based Yoga Course
 

Noela Yoga is 10 week course, which features two and a half hour sessions once a week, homework (including journaling), weekly meditations on a CD, which consolidates learning and promotes daily practices. 14 participants can attend can enrol on the course, including service useres and staff together.  Each participant will complete a pre and post evaluation before the course and at the end of the course, to capture the impact of their journey. This process is extremely important to monitor the participant’s progression, provide an insight into future developments of the course, and inform the organisation and CJS, on any positive impact.

 

As this course embraces continuous improvement and learning, ‘Noela Yoga MBY’ is a unique programme in its own right.  Unlike any other Mindfulness Based Yoga course, ‘Noela Yoga’ touches on the heart of the key principles, which create a rehabilitative climate in custody and the community. The course draws on Noel’s experience as a life sentence prisoner.  Noel’s extensive understanding of mental health and substance misuse, and skills he acquired throughout his yoga and mindfulness practice, has led him to become a qualified yoga teacher.

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The aim of this proposal is to be able to share the knowledge of this ancient technique, through the practice of Mindfulness Based Yoga (MBY). The course will be delivered by two experienced yoga teachers.  By the end of the course, each participant would have developed the foundations of their own practice, which is tailored to the individual so that they can use MBY in a meaningful way, throughout life.

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Benefits of the Course

The objectives of Noela Yoga are to promote a rehabilitative climate, reduce harm, and build safer communities, improve physical and mental health, provide tools to develop life skills, support a sense of belonging and provide tools to help manage emotions and relieve stress and anxiety.

 

Brief overview of the course

A brief overview of the course is provided below, to fully appreciate the content of this Course, accompanied by learning outcomes. 

 

Week-1

Coming back to the Body and Breath

• What is MBY and its benefits

• Yoga Postures and the correct way to perform them

• Improving sleep

• Breath awareness and meditation

• Identifying positive thoughts

• CD Meditation-Coming back to the body and breath

• Meditation and relaxation
   

Learning outcomes

• Have a greater knowledge of Mindfulness and Yogic philosophy.

• Gain skills in how to be present in the moment and turn their attention inwards. 

• Develop body and breath awareness.

• Learn basic Yoga postures, posture names and how to perform them correctly while using the breath. 

• Learn what affects our sleep and how to improve it. v Identify positive thoughts and emotions
   

Week-2

Self-Study

• What are habits and how do we release them

• Empowerment visualisation

• Identifying mental health

• Dealing with depression, fears and anxiety

• Self-study

• Yoga Postures, working with the breath and relaxation
   

Learning outcomes

• Recognising different forms of mental health and how to deal with it when or if it occurs. 

• What are habits and how to release them. 

• Letting go. 

• Empowerment, identifying strengths and weaknesses through visualisation. 

• Study of the self and what it means from a Yogic perspective. 

• Yoga poses and the correct way to perform them.

• Working with the breath and Mindfulness awareness.

 

Week-3

Personal Growth

• Personal growth and how to create a rehab culture

• Positive affirmations

• Yoga postures,  breathing and relaxation

• Benefits of breath, Meditation

• Using a focus pointed Meditation

• Mindfulness movement, moving freely

• CD Meditation-Energy Dance
   

Learning outcomes

• How to create a rehabilitative culture through the Principles of Growth.

• Reinforcing their affirmations by adopting the Principles of Growth. 

• The benefits of Mindfulness Meditation, finding a one pointed focus.

• What Mindfulness Movement is.

• Incorporating Intuitive Movement.

•  Yoga postures and the correct way to perform them.

 

Week-4

Dealing with Time and the Wandering Mind

• Dealing with the wandering mind

• Habit breakers

• Positive affirmations

• Dealing with time

• Acceptance

• Yoga postures, breath work, Meditation and relaxation

• CD Meditation-Moving through time
   

Learning outcomes 

• Greater understanding in dealing with the wandering mind.

• Gain tools to be able to ground themselves in the present moment. 

• Identify when they are ruminating and how to handle it when it occurs.

• What time means to them, not getting caught up in the past or future concerns.

• Breaking bad habits and using good ones to learn and develop skills.

• Finding acceptance in their lives.

• Applying Yoga poses, with the breath, introduction to Ujjayi breathing through Meditation
   

Week-5

Non-Violence, Loving and Kindness

• Positive affirmations

• Non-violence

• Doing a good deed for someone else

• Yoga postures, breath, Meditation and relaxation

• CD Meditation-Loving and Kindness

 

Learning Outcomes

• Today’s session is more about developing the physical aspect of a Yoga practice, working with the breath and movements together.

•  Looking at non-violence within the practice and how that can be incorporated into daily life.

•  We shall be looking at treating our self and others with love and kindness.
   

Week-6

Exploring Difficulties

• Positive affirmation

• What is self-harm

• Difference between tension and relaxation

• Habit breakers

• Identifying negative thoughts

• Yoga postures, breath, Meditation and relaxation

• CD Meditation-Exploring Difficulties

Learning Outcomes 

• Participants will have a greater knowledge of what self-harm is, what causes it and how they can identity their triggers and manage themselves.

• What causes tension and how to let it go.

• They will have discussed and practiced exploring difficulties through Meditation.

•  Identifying negative thoughts and how to deal with them if they occur.

Week-7

Living in the Present

• Positive affirmations

• Living in the present

• Acceptance of self and how we grow

• Principle of growth tree

• Yoga posture, breath, Meditation and relaxation

• CD Meditation-Empowerment
   

Learning Outcomes

• Better understanding of living in the present moment, acceptance of themselves and their situation.

• They will have developed team building skills.

• Working with the Principles of Growth through creative visualisation.

• Yoga Asanas and the correct way of performing them.

• Looking at what empowers them through positive self-talk.

Week-8

Movement Awareness

• Positive affirmations

• Developing self-practice

• Meditation and relaxation

• CD Meditation-Movement Awareness
   

Learning Outcomes

• Participants are at the stages now where they are developing their own practice that suits them.

• By the end of this session they will have made a start in how to plan out a safe practice, moving mindfully with the breath.

• They will have been introduced to using sounds within their meditation and feeling the benefits
   

Week-9

Developing Self-Practice

• Positive affirmation

• Working in silence, silent Yoga, breath, Meditation and relaxation

• Developing self-practice

• CD Meditation-Rainbow
   

Learning Outcomes

• Today participants learnt to work in silence with the breath, they would have taken away with them the value of silence and finding that quietness and stillness within the breath.

• Continue developing their own practice that they can take away with them, identifying their limitations and working within their own capabilities. 

• Gaining confidence working in a team.

• They will have practiced creative visualisation through Meditation.

 

Week-10

Yoga Nidra

• Empowering self and others

• Developing self-practice

• CD Meditation-Yoga Nidra
   

Learning Outcomes

• The final session of the course focuses on reflecting on the whole course.

• Participants would have developed their own practice by now which they can choose to carry on in their lives.

• Gaining the benefits of working with the breath and deep relaxation through Yoga Nidra

Conclusion

Noela Yoga MBY is a recognised form of physical and mental wellbeing. MBY can coincide with other existing programmes, as it will not only help participants deal with issues that may arise over the course of the programme but help them establish a positive identity for the future.  With the issues of mental health and offending rates rising, this would be a great time to introduce something new to the peoples lives. Organisations are fast becoming a strong supporter of mindfulness and yoga due to a robust academic rationale which highlights the benefits of such work.  Whilst the course is only 10 weeks long, it aims to provide a sustainable way of practice that builds understanding, knowledge, strength and unity, but ultimately, personal growth. 

 

Noela Yoga has previously supported wellbeing with prisoners and people on probation by allowing the delegates to truly connect with themselves and have a greater appreciation and acceptance for where they are at within their lives. Applying the skills learned through Noela Yoga has proven to significantly improve relationships, mental and physical wellbeing, reduce self-harm and substance misuse and equip learners with the skill sets they need to attain personal growth and establish positive identities for the future.

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Noela Yoga proposes to deliver full day training to a maximum of 14 delegates face to face or online, rolled out to as many training sessions as required. Training will include modules that will help Build Powerful Relationships in Practice, Magnifying the Power of Practice, Professionalism and The Growth Practitioner.