by Tasmiah Shephard
Deep in story. I am the one in black, notice expression of mum in blue
ASHIC (A Shelter for Helpless Ill Children) Foundation in Bangladesh is a non-government organisation aimed at providing support to kids in poverty with cancer. Amongst their services is the provision of a shelter to accommodate the children (and a parent) who have traveled to Dhaka for outpatient hospital treatment Board and meals are free of charge. The children here suffer a range of different cancers but the majority are blood borne including lymphoma and leukemia.
A long-time dream of mine has been to make sure charity work in Bangladesh (my country of origin) was an important part of my children’s lives. So! From the 14th of Dec to the 30th of Dec 2012, my two daughters (Arabella (15), Isabella (12), my niece, Rianna (13) and I travelled from Australia to Dhaka to do just that! Thanks to a cousin, we were introduced to ASHIC and went along each afternoon to offer the kids educational activities, an opportunity to have fun, laugh and do some Storytime Yoga!
Balancing cat
For my Storytime Yoga Community Project, I taught yoga to the kids at ASHIC shelter each afternoon we attended. Despite their struggles (immediate and long-term), the kids were delightful, hung out each afternoon for our arrival and provided, they were well enough, remained engaged the entire time we were there.
- Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim population and I was dealing with families from a lower socioeconomic group. Given these two factors, yoga can often be seen as ‘un-Islamic’.
- While the kids were not bedridden, most were undernourished and receiving treatment (chemotherapy , mainly) in the mornings, so energy levels were not always as they should. Some would be happy one day, the next day we would find them nauseous and struggling to be up.
- Though, my parents are from Bangladesh, I was born and brought up abroad, hence this was the first time I have taught yoga in Bengali (my first language is English) and the first time I have taught yoga wearing a sari! Had visions of not finding the right words and my sari unraveling in the middle of class.
The old woman on the hill begging for a sip of water in "Diamonds, Rubies and Pearls"
My aims were the following:
- Make the components of each session as personally relevant as possible. For example, relate practicing awareness of breath to easing pain or discomfort they experience day to day.
- To keep the asana gentle yet have a therapeutic effect, mentally and physically.
- Make the sessions short (20-25 mins)
- Communicate from a non-religious context (eg. I salaamed (rest in peace in Arabic)them at the end as opposed to a Namaste)
- To be as fun and lively as possible – after all, laughter has priceless therapeutic value.
Number of sessions provided: 6, the intention was to teach for the entire 2 week period but political issues in the country at the time prevented us from travelling to ASHIC as we wanted on some days.
Language of instruction: All sessions were taught in Bengali
Each session consisted of:
Breathing practice:
I discussed the relevance of breathing particularly when they were in pain, feeling unwell and/or sad or angry.
We practiced different breathing techniques from simply slowing down the breath and increasing awareness to bumble bee breath (tried other animal sounds for fun too)
Short warm up
First few sessions consisted only of seated poses
and we gradually progressed to include standing poses.
The old woman on the hill begging for a sip of water in "Diamonds, Rubies and Pearls"
The story
This had to be the highlight! Kids were entranced and soaked up each story like a sponge. I have to admit, the mothers, likewise, listened intently in total silence. Each story was wrapped up by the question as to what they learned from our tale.
Retelling the story through asana
When teaching yoga with story at home in Perth, Australia, I often sense some reluctance in the kids to get themselves up and moving again after listening to the story. In contrast, these kids (despite their energy levels) were far more enthusiastic to retell through their bodies.
Happily relaxed
Relaxation
I believe this was the very first time, these children were allowed the luxury to relax. I took along a teeny speaker and iPod and played them some relaxing music. I have never seen a group of kids so still, so released, so longing for more.
My assessment of the whole experience
To bring Storytime Yoga to children is nothing less than a ‘high’ regardless of where you are in the world, economic status or age of the kids. For that matter, the parents, regardless of their literacy level, state of mind, level of nutrition, exhaustion, were clearly transported by story to a place of inner peace.
These kids at ASHIC shelter deal with a double dose of hardship – their parents are barely making ends meet and have to scrape funds for up to 5 years of treatment that comes with no guarantees. And, they are living with a life threatening condition that robs them of the delight of childhood. To have had the opportunity to bring Storytime to these kids (accompanied by my own daughters and niece) leaves me with my eyes welling up.
My daughter, Isabella, with one of our favourite little ones in vrksasana. He wouldn't miss a class regardless of how he was feeling. When his mother asked him what part of him fills up when we come to visit each afternoon, he pointed to his heart.
A mother stopped me before I left one afternoon telling me, “What you do with our kids when you come, is far more than any of the therapy they receive’ (bear in mind, majority of these parents are from rural Bangladesh and have little, if any education and just see it as it is).
One of my young yogis said “I feel lighter here” (pointing to his heart centre)
Another said, regarding another session, “I feel shanti “(peace in Bengali too!)
Bangladeshi culture is patriarchal. Women from rural Bangladesh are quiet achievers. Rarely do children see their mothers jumping around like a monkey. So, seeing someone in a sari, leaping around, falling over in a balancing pose, or taking on the vo
ice of a bucket who felt inadequate as he leaked water, was like watching the circus. Storytime Yoga therefore, allowed me to offer a whole body experience for the parents and the kids and more importantly, allowed all the kids to participate at some level despite how they were feeling.
My gorgeous assistants: from left, daughters Arabella, Isabella and niece, Rianna at Dhaka Airport on our way back home.
What would I have done differently?
- I would have taught more sessions and slowly extended each one.
- I would have liked to look into individual needs and adapt the asana, (and even the stories) accordingly.
- I should have given the kids a chance to share their thoughts and feelings.
Any other suggestions from Storytime Yoga trainees/ teachers, very welcome….
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