Global Outreach
Breath and Movement Therapy for Syrian Refugee Children, Lebanon
Yoga therapy is being used increasingly to support the recovery of people affected by acute stress or trauma from calamity or conflict.
Peter has provided training to AMURT’s staff in Lebanon to support their work with Syrian refugee children.
On a recent trip to Lebanon, the children told Peter that the breathing exercises make them feel “calm” and “relaxed.”
Simple techniques, like feeling an object or hand on their stomachs, teach children healthy deep breathing which aids recovery from hyperactivity, aggression and other common symptoms of trauma
Yoga for Youth Health in Kenya
Twice a year, Peter travels to Kenya to provide yoga training to peer educators in AMURT Kenya’s Youth Health Program, which aims to reduce the risk behaviors that trigger non-communicable diseases amongst youth aged 10-24 in the Kibera informal settlement of Nairobi. Specifically, the program targets five risky behaviors: tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, risky sexual behaviors, physical inactivity and poor eating habits.
The peer educators have enjoyed not only the benefits of stretching and strengthening the body through yoga poses, but also the mental health aspect of yoga through diverse mind training exercises. Such is their enthusiasm for yoga, that they have shared the practices with many of their peers.
Peter Sage in a review meeting with youth leaders of the Youth Health Program, Kenya
Yoga Therapy for Rohingya Refugee Children, Bangladesh
Peter has been assisting AMURT’s psychosocial support program for children living in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh by training the psychologists, social workers and teachers in therapeutic yoga methods.
Many children have been adversely affected by the crisis. Some were traumatized, especially when the social upheaval was still fresh in their minds; others are affected by the camp environment, which breeds a sense of insecurity and the specter of an uncertain future.
During a recent evaluation, when the children were asked how they manage anger, they immediately demonstrated the “ha” breath, a dynamic breathing exercise with accompanied arm movements. Moreover, when asked how they relax, many of them lay down in the yoga relaxation pose. It was clear that they have internalized these useful yoga techniques.
Yoga therapy workshop for the teachers in AMURT-supported temporary learning centers in Bangladesh. The session was a celebration of the joy of body movement and breath awareness.