‘A Little Sanctuary Of Peace’ For Carers

 “I’m so grateful for the space POWER Yin has created. It’s been a gentle yet powerful tool in the midst of my busy life. Looking forward to more nourishing sessions and that wonderful sense of community you encourage.” Vee McMath, Neurodiversity Practitioner and Carer

It’s estimated that there are nearly six million unpaid carers in the UK, caring for friends or family members due to disability, illness or age and frailty. With this responsibility comes an impact on physical, emotional, financial and mental wellbeing, with carers needs often coming at the bottom of a long list of priorities when caring for someone else.

West Sussex Carer Support is a brilliant charity that provides advice and support for unpaid carers in West Sussex. I spoke to them at the end of last year when I was looking for some support for my family (my daughter has a disability and I’m a registered carer) and they asked about my work – bananas!

The conversation turned into a wonderful brainstorm about how we could offer what we do to unpaid carers in West Sussex, knowing that there were a group of people needing to take time for their physical and mental wellbeing, often unable to get out to attend sessions, due to their caring roles.

Our brainstorm materialised into a three month trial of delivering POWER Yin Online every fortnight from January to March to carers in West Sussex – completely free for carers to sign up to, and supported by West Sussex Carer Support funding and our own banana currency (supported by you!).

POWER Yin experiences involve Tai Chi, relaxation and meditation and are a beautiful mix of gentle physical movement, seated or standing, alongside visualisations inspired by the natural world and thoughtful words to calm the mind.

The uptake for the sessions was amazing – each session was booked out within minutes of being added to the WSCS website. And the feedback from the carers themselves has been a real privilege to receive.

One lady described ‘a feeling of peace, relaxation and emotion that I have not felt in a long time’.

Many described being able to log in, without the worry of leaving the person they were caring for, yet being transported to a different place in their mind was a unique experience that left them feeling physically and mentally uplifted and more equipped to continue their caring role. Some described it as simply a ‘little sanctuary of peace’.

Vee McMath, Neurodiversity Practitioner and Carer, quoted briefly above is quoted in full below, with permission:

“I just wanted to extend my sincere thanks for the POWER Yin session. As a full time worker and carer to a young man with severe mental impairment, it can be incredibly difficult to find time – or even space – to leave the house.

I wasn’t expecting to feel so uplifted during the session with Becky, but it really made the world of difference.

For the first time in a long while, I slept peacefully without racing thoughts keeping me awake. It was exactly what I needed.

Your sessions are worth their weight in gold. These sessions bring much-needed calm in a world that often feels relentlessly fast-paced. We could all benefit from a little more stillness and balance in our lives”.

What made Vee’s unprompted testimonial even more special was that she included a photo of a banana with the words, ‘make a difference’.

As a result of the success of this trial, we’ve been asked to continue to deliver fortnightly POWER Yin experiences throughout the rest of 2025. It’s a beautiful example of banana currency in action and demonstrates how vital it is that people have accessible mental and physical health support. In this case, financial accessibility as well as being able to attend online. POWER Yin also requires no particular physical ability or experience and so it is totally inclusive for anyone who wants to be one of the bunch.

We are so proud of this collaboration and hope we can expand POWER Yin Online to other charities around the UK – if you know of anyone who might be interested, please get in touch.

Also, if you are, or you know someone who is, a carer in West Sussex, they can register for POWER Yin online via the West Sussex Carer Support website, or get in touch and ask us how.