Skip to main content
  • Accessibility
  • Headlines
  • Coronavirus-News
  • Get-Hooked
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Parasports
  • Ask Bhavna
  • NHBrandView
  • Independent Living
  • Lifestyle
  • NH Videos
×
Newz Hook – Changing Attitudes towards Disability Logo
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • Inclusive
  • NH Voice
  • Login
COVID-19 Notification by Government in Accessible Format

Accessibility Tools

Text Size:

Contrast Scheme:

  • C
  • C

Reset

  • Home
  • Accessibility
  • Online yoga classes for blind people boost mental, physical fitness during pandemic

Online yoga classes for blind people boost mental, physical fitness during pandemic

A person partially visible sitting on a yoga mat facing a laptop
Accessibility June 23, 2021
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Yoga has amazing physical and mental health benefits for everyone. For visually impaired people, yoga is especially helpful as it builds core strength, reducing the possibility of falls. Online yoga classes for blind people are becoming more popular especially now when people with vision impairments are stuck at home due to the pandemic.

Alok Kaushik, a 46-year-old London-based IT professional, lost his vision in his mid-30s due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). He was somewhat familiar with yoga, but this was limited to the pranayama, which is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. Kaushik never imagined he could do the rigorous asanas given his vision impairment.

That changed when he discovered the Prana Yoga Therapy Centre’s online yoga classes for blind people. These online classes are the brainchild of Dr Priti Sharma, an Ayurveda practitioner. Like Kaushik, Sharma is also blind due to RP.

“In the current circumstances I needed someone who could teach yoga online, and since Dr. Sharma is visually impaired herself, what needs to be done to teach a blind person did not need any explanation”, says Kaushik, who is now able to do rigorous yoga asanas like surya namaskar. “I had never done them before and never thought that I could do either”, he adds.

Tips to make online yoga classes for the blind effective

Dr Sharma started teaching yoga over 30 years ago. She studied yoga therapy along with her degree in Ayurveda and went on to start a yoga centre with her husband. When the world shifted online after the lockdown, so did the centre’s yoga classes.

Dr Priti Sharma conducting a yoga class at the cenntre.

Everything shifted online and we thought why not try teaching yoga to the blind online as well through Zoom. I taught the yoga instructors in my team how to work with visually impaired people and we started online yoga classes for the blind in February 2021. – Dr Priti Sharma, Medical yoga therapist

In yoga, arriving at right posture is essential. Dr Sharma trained her yoga instructors on how to give clear, precise verbal cues to the blind students learning yoga online. Keen observation skills on the trainers’ part are also essential as they have to watch the students on the video call session to give further instructions if required.

So far, 30 blind people have signed up for the online yoga classes from India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To make it sustainable, Dr. Sharma has chosen experienced yoga teachers undergoing therapy-level courses and equipped them with skills to teach blind people yoga online.

Dr Khushboo Damani, a homeopath, is among the trainers teaching online yoga to blind students.

“I had never met any blind person apart from Dr. Priti”, says Dr Damani, “so my understanding of the needs of visually impaired people was limited”. But her experience of conducting online yoga classes for visually impaired people has been smooth. “My student was enthusiastic, and by the eight class, she was able to do the surya namaskar perfectly. All my blind students function independently – they set up the camera, log in on Zoom, position the camera – all on their own”.

Yoga’s life-changing impact on the blind

Aparna Murthy, a visually impaired banker, had some concerns when she signed up for the online yoga classes for the blind.

“I was going through some mental and physical issues, and we anyway have apprehensions given our disability”, says Murthy who is 30 years old and lives in Delhi. “Also, as a woman, I had some worries about being on video. But all the yoga trainers working with blind students have been sensitised and work with conviction. There are follow up calls from trainers to find out what we are going through”.

Ajay Minocha, a credit risk professional in Mumbai, was among the first visually impaired students to sign up for the online yoga classes for visually impaired people. “I have a hectic job and often put in 12 hours at work. I had gained weight and suffered frequent headaches. After the online yoga classes, my body is more agile, and I concentrate more at work”.

Alok Kaushik - Online yoga student.

For Kaushik too, the benefits are significant. “I used to have lower back problem and unusual sensitivity in my hands and feet. That has significantly improved along with my physical strength and stamina. More importantly, joining these yoga sessions have made me regular with my practice, which used to be a challenge for me”.

They say yoga is for everyone. For visually impaired people, yoga could be especially helpful given most of them do get the support needed to go for regular walks or access a gym.

To know more about the Prana Yoga Therapy Centre, visit their Facebook page here. You can also email the centre at pranayogatc@gmail.com

Watch in Sign Language

Also Read:

  • Disability Yoga – Check out these online classes for disabled people

Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today

We need your continued support to enable us work towards Changing Attitudes towards Disability. Help us in our attempt to share the voices of people with disabilities that enable them to participate in the society on an equal footing!

Contribute to Newz Hook

NH Videos

Healing pain through art - Dr. Anubha Mahajan, Founder Chronic Pain India

Contribue to Newz Hook |Disability news. Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today.

Newsletter

 Subscribe to our Newsletter

Want to feature disability stories or share disability news with the disabled community? Write to:

editor@newzhook.com

Newz Hook - Accessible News

Download App Now!

Videos

View More

Get-hooked

Understanding - Sensory Processing Disorder

Get-hooked

Understanding Central Pain Syndrome

Accessibility

Unique COVID-19 awareness video combines Odissi dance moves with sign language

Accessibility

Carmaker Ford designs clear, reusable N95 masks for people with hearing impairments

Newz Hook Logo

About Newz Hook

Newz Hook | Disability News - media site focusing on Disability Stories and Changing Attitudes towards Disability globally. We highlight disability news, offer inclusive solutions and create accessible collaborations. Our focus is to have Inclusion Champions from across the globe who will share disability stories and news.
Lets come together to change attitudes towards disability!

Newz Hook is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Follow us on:

Related Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner with Newz Hook
  • Embed Newz Hook Timeline
  • Affiliate disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contribute to Newz Hook

Our Awards

Zero Project Award Winner 2018
Back To Top
© 2019 All Right Reserved. Inclusive News India Private Limited.

Ask Bhavna

All fields are mandatory unless specified as optional.