Wellness Street by Ruth Baker
Wellness Street:
Wellness Street was a volunteer project brought to life by Helena Suarez in July 2011 and is currently co-ordinated by Ruth Baker. The aim is to provide activity sessions (namely Pilates but also Yoga and other forms of gentle activity) to those in recovery from addiction, homelessness and mental health issues. It provides individuals/small groups with the opportunity to experience a fitness class led by a volunteer fitness professional.
Instructors often work with clients in some form of recovery, usually from a physical injury or condition. The results that gentle activity makes available to these participants - peace, alignment, strength, vitality and fun, could be highly beneficial to people in vulnerable situations.
Wellness Street has several qualified instructors delivering volunteer sessions at organisations around London. They each provide a maximum of one-hour (per session) at organisations who are already working in the sector offering their clients recovery activities. Here an instructor who has been delivery activity sessions for Wellness Street since its conception shares their experiences:
“I’ve always had an interest in using physical activity as a form of recovery and so it seemed natural to support a project like Wellness Street by volunteering. During my first month on the project I agreed to deliver a 45 minute session on a weekly basis at the head office of a housing charity. Four weeks later and no-body had turned up for the sessions. However, my enthusiasm for the project had not waned. Rather than just dismissing the idea, the key workers took action and invited me along to a house meeting at a half way home in East London. At this point I would like to be honest- I was nervous! I didn’t know what to expect or how people would react to me but after this meeting all apprehension disappeared. It gave me the chance to meet the service users, explain what a class would be like and see their responses/interest.
Since this, I have been visiting the half way home for 1 hour a week for 3 months delivery a simple mobility class to a group of participants who are ready and waiting on the dot every week! At first I kept the class short (35 minutes) but the group of attendees were keen to extend this- now each class is an hour long and consists of breathing exercises, standing stretches and basic core work (often chair based).
This class is the highlight of my week and it’s quite possibly one of the best things I’ve ever been involved in. Seeing the profound changes from the very first session up to now has been incredible. The concentration levels of the group and the calmness they have compared to the start has really compacted how beneficial the right form of physical activity can be. In my opinion- there should be more things like this, accessible to everyone, everywhere.”
Instructors taking part not only benefit from the joy of giving back to the community, but also through the experience of working with vulnerable clients, expanding their knowledge and skills in other aspects of recovery.
Wellness Street is interested in hearing from:
- instructors who would like to volunteer their time
- Anyone who would like to know more about the project
- companies/organisations who would like a class delivered by an instructor
Please contact Ruth Baker at: Ruth.baker100@btinternet.com or like our page on facebook:
It was a sunny March Saturday. I was meeting my long time friend and client, Katherine for lunch. I stood outside the restaurant and my head was spinning. I was seeing stars, and having diffic...
You might have heard about kinesiology, which means "the study of movement" and is also a form of alternative medicine. Sports Kinesiology is a combination of Western and Eastern medicine and...
My name is Sarah and I work as a Chartered Physiotherapist, a Pilates Instructor and an International Pilates Presenter. I am based at my own clinic 'The Physiotherapy Centre' which is firmly ...
Pilates For Office Workers by Neil Healey When I was on a training course, Sacroiliac Joint and Hip through Michael King’s Pilates Institute in London, the physiotherapist who was taking the ...
Pilates From the Inside Out ByTrina Altman, Pilates Tune Up™ and Yoga Tune Up® Teacher & Trainer I have always been fascinated with the “under layer”. As a child, a f...
Build your Bones and a Better Future By Rebekah Rotstein October 20th was World Osteoporosis Day, reminding us all of the need to protect our bones. Many of us in the under-50 age range th...
How to begin a beginner. “I’ve never done Pilates before. I’m afraid I’m out of shape. I’m too old. I’m too flabby. I’m too tight. I’m to...
Shoes or no shoes: How Pilates can improve your running Over the years I have been asked many times to devise Pilates programs for different sportsmen and women. Being keen runner (from mar...
The use of props to help solve with the challenges of group mat classes. If I could eavesdrop on the thoughts of a mat Pilates teacher teaching a large group it would probably sound something...
You know how there's no one more evangelical than those who were saved by the thing they initially resisted? That's me with both the pelvic floor and Pilates. I had to live in a bo...
“Is it better to lift the head up or keep it down when you are on your back?” This is the question I get asked by so many instructors who want to be doing the “...
Creating a Pilates DVD The very first workout DVD I choreographed and hosted was for MTV. While teaching a yoga class at Crunch gym, an MTV producer happened to take my clas...
Wellness Street: Wellness Street was a volunteer project brought to life by Helena Suarez in July 2011 and is currently co-ordinated by Ruth Baker. The aim is to provide activity sessions ...
Breast Cancer Rehabilitation With breast awareness campaigns worldwide, women are now aware of the importance self examination and regular breast screening. It has recently been ...
With the ever-growing popularity of Pilates exercise in many diverse settings, hands-on guidance of the Pilates client has become a controversial subject. Lamentably, it is often left by the w...
Sugar, Stress and Sleep by Jason Anderson By Jason Anderson, Managing Director Movement3 Stress and Posture are my two favourite topics, as each is linked intimately to the other! Stress come...
Posture Article for Pilates Union – the Posture of Dorian Gray By Jason Anderson, Managing Director Movement3 Over the last ten years Posture has become one of the most talke...
What is Pilates? What is Pilates? Answering this question is not easy. The complexity of the program itself combined with the variety of styles and levels of results lead to so many differ...
In the Pilates world we are being taught the hollowing but I would like to introduce to you the bracing technique as I feel this is a more effective way of engaging your core. I’m not tr...
PSOAS By Liz Koch Pulling It All Together: Psoas, Fear, & Core Strength What if protecting ourselves at a moments notice depends not on muscular gain but on a flow of ancient biological refle...
