Yoga for New Mainers with Gateway Community Services & Maine Medical Center: February Partner Spotlight

We are so excited to announce that our Yoga for New Mainers class is up and running again, thanks to our partnership with Gateway Community Services Maine! The class offers a trauma-informed space for women immigrants, and Gateway Community Services Maine (GCSM) surfaced recently as a perfect partner, due to its vital work with the New Mainer community. 

“I look forward to Monday to go to yoga. I enjoy it so much. I have friends and a sense of belonging,” said one New Mainer student.

GCSM’s vision is to “help make Maine an inclusive and meaningful home for all – a place where communities are connected, and all people thrive.” “Having this safe space and designated time to slow down and invest in one’s well being is a resource that we have been wanting to develop for some time,” said Kate Fahey, director of programs at GCSM, who heard recently from leaders of the Afghan Community of Maine that women were requesting yoga classes as a space for care and connection. “It was requested directly from the community and has been brought to life thanks to this partnership with Sea Change and Maine Medical Center.”

The Yoga for New Mainers class is the result of our initial collaboration with Maine Medical Center Resident Katie Rizzolo. A dedicated yogi, Dr. Rizzolo was excited about the idea of using yoga as a healing modality for her patients  who had recently immigrated to Maine showing similar symptoms like chronic fatigue, pain, and depression. She approached Sea Change Yoga about providing a teacher trained in trauma-informed yoga, and worked with the Portland YMCA to secure a low-cost space to host the class. The class for women originally launched in 2018, and was taught by Susannah Sanfillipo. Dr. Rizzolo and her colleagues referred their patients to the class, and raised funds to coordinate transportation to the Y, eliminating this common barrier to resources. Throughout the class, the common feedback provided from qualitative analysis was reduction in social isolation and alleviation of physical  pain.

“It helped me to lessen my stress, and when I was in class, I saw other people and it made me enjoy the time when I was at class,” said a student.

“The Yoga class helped me feel better. Moving my body in those ways helped me relax more. It [...] always made my headaches go away,” explained another student. 

The class moved to online in early 2020, but the online format proved challenging for many students to access because of limited internet and device access and lack of childcare. When the YMCA remained closed for indoor, in-person programs, we began looking for a new location to safely hold classes in person once again. 

Maine Medical Center's Institute for Teaching Excellence continues to be an active partner in providing funding and support, and we're thrilled to have Gateway Community Services Maine as a new collaborative partner for this important program. 

Sea Change also brought yoga classes to GCSM’s staff at a much-needed time. Kate Fahey shares, “In addition to this great partnership, Sea Change has gifted the GCSM team with some yoga classes for our staff. After 2 long grueling years of working in the shadow of COVID-19, this generous offer was shared with our incredibly dedicated and hard-working team – folks who have been stretched and stressed like so many of us have been during this time. Sharing tools of deep breathing, stress management and self-care is a true gift that keeps on giving.”

The Yoga for New Mainers class is held on Mondays from 5-6pm at Gateway Community Services on Forest Ave. in Portland, and offers opportunities for gentle movement, mindfulness practices, and community building.