Famers, in the hills of south Kerry, using yoga to help take care of their mental health and physical well-being.
From the silage pit to the yoga class, hill farmers in South Kerry are adopting a holistic approach to personal well-being. Overcoming initial shyness and stigma, the farmers say the all-men's yoga sessions benefit body and mind and help combat rural isolation.
Yoga Instructor Lesley MacVean explains that yoga helps the farmers to increase their suppleness while also becoming body aware so they can correct imbalance themselves.
Busy farmer Mike O'Shea takes a break from his busy workload to attend a Wednesday yoga class. He lives on his own, so the weekly class gives him the chance to get out of the house. He prefers not to socialise in a pub but is aware that rural isolation is a big problem in South Kerry.
Half of those attending Lesley MacVean’s yoga class are farmers needing to unwind from the pressures of work. Mike O’Shea feels the physical value of yoga, particularly in his knees and back. His mental health also benefits from yoga. It allows his mind to wander, giving him the chance to switch off from the stress of the farm and his daily routine.
You’d be a new man like coming home from yoga.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 26 February 2018. The reporter is Seán Mac an tSíthigh.
