BREATHE EASIER
Free yoga and a safe, sociable space for people over 60.
BREATHE EASIER is especially for people who've experienced
or worry about age-related mistreatment,
from abuse to rip-offs and scams
supported by the
Safer in Sussex Community Fund
BREATHE EASIER
BREATHE EASIER is a Unity Centre initiative to provide a series of free sessions that include an hour of yoga followed by a social hour over tea and cake. BREATHE EASIER is for you if you’re over 60 and live in Sussex, especially if you’ve experienced – or you’re worried about – being mistreated or taken advantage of, because of your age.
Age-related mistreatment can take many forms, centred around people thinking your age makes you vulnerable. It might be scams and rip-offs, perhaps in emails or online, or in ‘real’ life. It might be feeling neglected, left out of things or abandoned. It might be about someone taking advantage of you, financially. It might be someone constantly putting you down. Or bullying. Or it might be physical harm or abuse. Or maybe something we haven’t mentioned here .
And it might be something you’ve already experienced or something you worry about as you get older.
So we’re offering these free, two hour sessions designed to help you cope and also to have a nice time, with yoga, tea and cake (or biscuits) and good company.
In some circumstances we’re also able to help with transport costs. Please see below.
Chair yoga
What’s in the sessions?
Chair yoga
The first hour is yoga, meditation and music created to help you relax and find a healing place with a sense of physical, emotional and psychological safety.
There will be chair-based yoga, some standing yoga (with the help of a stability barre if you prefer) and some floor yoga if you’re comfortable with it. There will also be meditative techniques and breathing exercises with gentle music in a wonderfully relaxing environment.
When past experiences and worries about the future can sometimes leave you feeling disconnected, the yoga, meditation and breathing can help you to feel grounded and more secure.
Social
The second hour is social: tea, cake and conversation. It’s a safe space where you can relax and enjoy socialising, chatting or quietly soaking in the atmosphere. It may be that you’d like to talk about your experiences or worries in this safe, friendly space where others know what you’re talking about, but you absolutely don’t have to. Simply relaxing and appreciating the company (and the tea and cake – or biscuits) is what it’s all about.
When are the sessions?
BREATHE EASIER is on Thursdays, 12.30–2.30pm, on these dates in 2023:
| June | July | September | October | November |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 15 June | Thu 6 July | Thu 7 Sept | Thu 12 Oct | Thu 2 Nov |
| Thu 29 June | Thu 20 July | Thu 14 Sept | Thu 19 Oct | Thu 16 Nov |
| Thu 21 Sept | Thu 23 Nov |
(There’s no session in August.)
With thanks
BREATHE EASIER is made possible by the Safer in Sussex Community Fund, kindly awarded by the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner. We thank them warmly for their support.
BREATHE EASIER is provided by Unity Lewes CIC, the not-for-profit community interest company that runs The Unity Centre. Our ability to provide subsidised and free community initiatives depends upon the generosity and goodwill of grant-awarding bodies, our donors and our members, and from our hearts we thank you all.
The Unity Centre, Lewes
Support with coming to the Centre
Help with the cost of transport to and from the Unity Centre, to attend sessions, may be available. This may include a carer where appropriate. Funding is limited, so it will largely be provided on a first come, first served basis.
When completing the application form, please tick the relevant box if help with transport costs is needed.
Access to the Centre
At The Unity Centre we’re committed to accessibility. Although our beautiful Victorian architecture has given us steps for our main entrance, we have a second entrance that we’ve made accessible and wheelchair friendly. It’s step-free and extra wide. Inside, everything’s on the ground floor, there are no steps and we have a large, accessible and wheelchair-friendly bathroom/toilet.
We also have a single disabled parking bay, right next to our accessible entrance. As we have just the one, we ask you please to call our friendly reception and reserve it, to avoid being disappointed when you arrive. Please also let us know if you’d like someone to help you when you arrive. Our phone number is 01273 778400.
If you’d like to know more about getting to the Centre, there’s additional travel information here.
How do I apply (or refer someone) to BREATH EASIER?
You can use the form below to apply in complete confidence – on your own behalf or to refer someone else with their permission. If you’d like not to give all your details here, please just provide a first name and phone number and we’ll call you back within a week (sometimes sooner).