Yes, absolutely, the right supportive Yoga practices can help with fatigue and support recovery in CFS, ME and Long Covid. The key is finding the right type of Yoga practice and the right teacher for you.

The way to do this is to meet yourself where you are. Ask yourself or talk to your teacher to establish whether you; need rest, need to soothe your nervous system or would gentle movement be appropriate. The answer is often a combination of practices at different times in your recovery journey.

Restorative rest is a soothing rest practice to invite rest into the body and mind. This is helpful with pacing, quality rest and it also facilitates deeper sleep at night.

Very gentle restful movement and slowing the breath helps to calm and soothe the mind and reconnect mind and body to allow the available energy to flow more freely. Steadying a racing mind is vital to support recovery.

Gentle movement practices help us to move with safety at the point in our recovery that this is appropriate. Always being mindful to do a little less than you can manage to avoid PEM.

Yes, Yoga is safe for chronic fatigue, CFS, ME and Long Covid if you choose appropriate practices and an experienced teacher. I would recommend talking to an experienced teacher with knowledge of these conditions to find safe supportive practices for where you are in your recovery. Look to take restorative rest practices and nervous system soothing practices and very gentle movements until you have more stability in your nervous system and energy levels. When you have more stability; safe embodied, gentle, movement is a vital part of recovery.

By the time we crash with chronic fatigue, CFS, ME or Long Covid our body has reached its absolute stress capacity, often mentally, physically and emotionally. Our nervous system is stretched and we are stuck in fight or flight often feeling wired. Being able to come back to calm is vital for us to recover but it is very challenging to do.

There are a wealth of tools to help. I personally, have found the many restful, calming, grounding, centering practices of Yoga helped me to return to calm. Over time we want to have flexibility within the nervous system, so that we can move between all the states with ease, from stressed to engaged to relaxed to restored.

Ultimately the purpose of Yoga is to reduce suffering, not to be able to do a sun salutation or a handstand. And for those recovering from chronic fatigue, CFS, ME or Long Covid the best way to reduce suffering is to calm the nervous system.

Living with and navigating recovery from a chronic illness is incredibly hard. Even those who love us don’t always understand. Being part of an understanding community is in itself soothing to the nervous system. A reminder that we are not the only person navigating this.

Meaningful connection is vital for us as humans and being able to access this in a bite-size way that is manageable with limited energy is one of the joys of online practice. Yoga philosophy tells us that we are all connected.

Co-regulation is that feeling of being settled or calmer when we are with someone else who is settled and calm, either when we are physically together or through the sound of someone’s voice. If being together with others in person feels too much, talking with and listening to a regulated person can really help to settle us.

There is a difference between movement and exercise. The Yoga that I practice and teach, is not exercise – it is a holistic system to create balance physically, energetically, mentally and emotionally that can include moving the body.

Safe embodied movement on the mat means that it is more likely that we move in an embodied way off the mat, safe, centred within ourselves.

Yes, exercise can make chronic fatigue, CFS, ME and Long Covid worse. Movement of any type needs to sit within our capacity window. Doing more than we can manage creates instability. If, however, we practice movement or exercise within our capacity it will be helpful, especially when balanced with appropriate rest. The challenge is establishing your capacity window, as it is often changing.

This is where Yoga movement can be more adaptable. Practicing on the mat, there is always a place to rest. A practice should ideally begin with a check-in, a noticing of how you really are doing. From this quieter place, this inner wisdom it is possible to tailor the amount of movement you take.

Pacing is managing our physical, mental and emotional activity and capacity by balancing activity with rest. Everyone needs to pace but those with chronic fatigue, CFS, ME or Long Covid have less overall capacity, so there is a need to pace more carefully to avoid post exertional malaise (PEM) or crashes or getting stuck in the ‘boom and bust’ cycle.

Developing a Yoga practice can provide us with more self-awareness and more opportunity for self-reflection so we can better see how we need to pace. Yoga can allow us to be kinder to ourselves, so we prioritise rest.

Restorative rest provides us with the tools to rest deeply in between the doing. I used to practice restorative rest several times a day in the early stages of my recovery, just to have the capacity to shower, cook and be with my family. I still use it regularly, dialling it up and down as required.

The Held Collective is a monthly membership. It offers access to supportive Yoga practices. From deep rest, to nervous system nurturing to appropriate movement.

These practices are different to the live and recorded classes, designed to meet you where you are at any given time and help you to positively shift your state. They vary in length from 5 to 50 minutes. They can be taken individually or stacked to suit you.

On the first Monday of the month new practices are added and the library grows. Along with the pre-recorded practices to take when serves you, there is a monthly live gathering for connection, questions, and real time practice. This typically happens on the middle Saturday on the month at 3pm.

I know that doing anything new can feel stressful. You will be so kindly welcomed by me and our incredible and totally understanding community. I am always in awe of the bravery it takes to do something new, especially with a stretched nervous system.

Choose a comfortable and warm space, where you won’t be disturbed and gather any props you may need for the class type you are joining. I would suggest positioning your laptop or tablet on a low coffee table or stack of books, so that you can see it easily from your mat. In an ideal world I will be able to see you clearly, especially in the movement classes, but don’t worry if this is not possible.

I open the Zoom space 15 minutes before the class start time, this allows anyone who wants to, to say hello and share how things are for them at the moment. Everyone is very respectful of not over sharing, it is not group therapy. Simply an opportunity to be reminded that we are not alone on this journey.

The class starts promptly at the allotted time. I will mute everyone and record just myself guiding the class. At the conclusion of the practice, you may want to stay resting, sign off and remain in your calm yoga bubble or unmute to say goodbye – whichever suits your nervous system best. The recording will be sent out within 24 hours – often within a couple of hours but sometimes life and technology get in the way.

The recordings are hosted on Vimeo; I will send an email with a link and a password.

Props are essential for Restorative Rest Yoga. Many can be gathered from around the home. Over time, you may choose to add to your restorative rest kit box. Here is my suggestion:

A bolster – begin with a buckwheat filled round bolster
2 yoga bricks (you can use books instead, look for less slippy covers)
2 yoga blocks (you can use books instead, look for less slippy covers)
3-4 blankets – having at least one large fleece Yoga blanket is ideal 200 x 145cm

2-3 small cushions
2-4 pillows from your bed
An eye cover – either a lightweight eye mask or a lightweight scarf

Props to put on your birthday list:
A large fleece Yoga blanket (or several!) 200 x 145cm
A rectangular foam bolster
A weighted eye bag (or 2!)

I buy my props from yogamatters.com but there are many other prop companies available online.

Don’t worry if you’re too tired on the day of your class. You can join from bed and just listen. You may want to just join for the pre-class chat, knowing that you are not alone. All the classes are recorded and you will receive the recording within 24 hours. This means that you can practice the class at a time to suit you better.

The class recording will be sent out within 24 hours – often within a couple of hours of the class finishing but sometimes life and technology get in the way.

The recordings are hosted on Vimeo, I will send an email with a link and a password. The recording is available until the next class of that type, usually a week unless I am away.

If you cancel 12 hours before the start of the class, your class pass will be refunded to your account. After 12 hours, you are unable to cancel but you will get the recording if you can't make it live.

Booking for online classes closes one hour before the class starts. If you're a regular and have forgotten to book, do drop me an email or a message.

Individual class passes are valid for one month and 5-pack class passes are valid for 3 months.

With 3 classes available most weeks and all classes being recorded I am hopeful that it gives ample opportunity for use.

I am afraid that if you don't use the credits within the time frame I am unable to extend the period.

Thank you for understanding these boundaries.