Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS) and Fly Yoga Outreach are collaborating to offer a four-week “Yoga for Recovery”’ series beginning Monday, Jan. 8. The series will meet every Monday and Thursday, with Monday sessions hosted at the Vineyard House in Vineyard Haven, and Thursday’s sessions hosted at Island Images Gallery in Oak Bluffs. Classes are open to everyone in the recovery community, with a suggested donation of $5 to $15. The series runs through Thursday, Feb. 1.
According to a press release, “Yoga for Recovery” uses a holistic approaches to support healing from addiction and substance use. The practice of yoga and meditation, according to the release, has been proven to connect the mind and body to alleviate stress, and offers a sense of belonging to those who are suffering from addiction.
The series is part of the MVCS Recovery Coach Program, which was established in 2016. It connects trained coaches with people in the recovery process to provide them with guidance and support to help prevent relapse.
Fly Yoga Outreach is an Island-based yoga school that provides yoga education, teaching scholarships, and leadership programs to the Martha’s Vineyard community. The nonprofit was founded by Island resident and yoga teacher Sherry Sidoti.
“The collaboration with Sherry and Fly Yoga Outreach programs has been a natural fit from the beginning,” Mary Korba of MCVS said. “MVCS brought recovery coaching to the Island to help heal a community in need. Sherry recognized that need, and saw the potential to join forces to help heal those on the path of addiction recovery — and the program was born.”
Monday classes will be taught by Sharon Duncan in the Hazel Teagan room of the Vineyard House at 56 Short Hill Rd., in Vineyard Haven, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Ms. Duncan is a certified yoga instructor, holistic health coach, positive psychology coach, and Reiki practitioner. Thursday classes will be taught by Angie Lyon at 57 Circuit Ave. in Oak Bluffs from 6 to 7 pm. Ms. Lyon is a certified yoga teacher and a certified recovery coach.
Registration is not required, and no prior yoga experience is needed. Yoga mats and props will be provided. For more information, call 508-693-7900, ext. 222, or email mkorba@mvcommunityservices.com for more information.
