Introduction

Sheffield Yoga for ME/CFS runs remedial yoga classes for people with ME/CFS. This is a serious debilitating chronic illness and people are often ill and disabled for many years. The consequences of this are profound in terms of loss of income and social isolation. In many cases, very few activities, social or otherwise, are possible for people because of the severity of their illness.

The classes are carefully organised to meet the needs of people with this illness and provide important social, emotional and physical support for members of the group. The provision of yoga classes specifically for people with ME/CFS is not available elsewhere in Sheffield and ordinary yoga classes are unsuitable for most people with ME/CFS.

The yoga classes are taught by specialist remedial yoga teachers who, in their adaptation, gear their teaching towards gentle, often lying postures, breathing and relaxation. There are two styles of remedial yoga available; Hatha yoga and Iyengar yoga. The varied approaches, different venues and class times open the classes to a number of people with ME/CFS. The premises for the yoga are quiet and warm. There is parking next to the buildings and the venues have disabled access. The Iyengar yoga classes are held in a specialist yoga centre, where all necessary equipment is provided.

A profound consequence of the illness is loss of earnings, and in order to help those in financial need an optional minimal fee is charged.

Many people with ME/CFS are too ill to drive or use public transport and the provision of taxis makes the classes more accessible to a greater number of people. This is an important use of the group’s funding.

The group provides regular bulletins by post, information on the website (www.sheffieldyogaforme.org.uk) and resources such as yoga books/CDs/tapes which are available from a postal library. These resources are available to all those on the mailing list. Previous surveys have consistently shown that this aspect of our service is highly valued by the large majority of members.

Sheffield Yoga for ME/CFS is a registered charity. (Registered Charity Number: 1117464) The majority of trustees who organize the classes have ME/CFS but there are also several able-bodied volunteers who do an invaluable job.

The Survey

As in previous years, Sheffield Yoga for ME/CFS has carried out a formal monitoring exercise. This is in addition to the ongoing verbal feedback we get from our members. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that our priority aims are:

• Providing a service that meets our members’ needs.


• Identifying improvements to the service.


• Checking that the group is achieving the outcomes hoped for.

During October 2008, a short questionnaire was distributed to all on the group’s mailing list. This was different from previous years, when a questionnaire was distributed only to those people who had recently attended classes. Two hundred and fifty forms were distributed and ninety four were returned.

Questions were a result of outcomes that have been previously identified and also a reflection of verbal feedback during the previous year. They included questions about the yoga venues, timing and teachers. Feedback about the free transport provided by the group was also requested. Finally, respondents were asked about their yoga practice at home and the health benefits of this practice.

People were asked to say whether they usually attended yoga once or more a week, once or more a month, every few months, rarely or never. The results, presented in these five categories are presented as a table lower down the page.

It is impossible to include all the comments on the results forms but here are some which reflect the overall tone.