For an excellent example of how local initiatives can improve and enrich our diverse communities, please watch ‘Supple Balance’, a short documentary about a yoga programme for older adults over 55 from various cultural backgrounds in East London.
A local yoga studio, Tripspace, provides weekly yoga sessions in four different East London community centres and its studio in Haggerston. The programme brings yoga to people who otherwise wouldn’t access it in a studio. The sessions encourage an active lifestyle and focus on building strength, balance, and mobility.
The centres participating in the programme are The Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation, the North London Muslim Community Centre, the Hackney Cypriot Association, and the Hackney Chinese Community Centre.
The film explores what well-being and community mean to the participants. Their responses couldn’t be more varied. However, the one thing that stands out very clearly is the message that the most important reason for these older adults to attend classes is to be in the company of others.
To ensure enough opportunities for social interactions, the centres open their doors early for tea, chats, and board games and invite participants to stay on for a shared lunch after the class.
It has been a great pleasure to film in these centres and get to know the participants and the many people involved in making these services available to everyone who wants to join in.
Dive into the different cultural worlds on our doorstep and help celebrate important community initiatives by checking out the short documentary (QR code in the images).
This project was made possible thanks to Healthier Hackney funding granted by Hackney Council and Arts Council England.
