Australian Yoga Journal — July 2017

98

july 2017

yogajournal.com.au

PHOTO: ROBERT KOVACEVIC

AYJ INTERVIEW

in ir ti n

SYDNEY-BASED YOGA TEACHER and

physiotherapist Fiona Condie, aged 50,

was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s

disease, making it necessary for her

to cut back her work hours. But one

thing she has decided to keep up is her

commitment to volunteer yoga teaching

at the Asylum Seekers Centre in

Newtown, Sydney, a not-for-profit

support centre for people who have fled

traumatic circumstances overseas and

are seeking asylum in Australia. Fiona

says she leads a privileged life and now

her goal is to give back. If she can

enrich someone else’s life through her

sharing of yoga, Fiona will feel like she

has succeeded.

How did you first come to yoga?

When I was 12, in the 1970s, my mum

decided to get into yoga and held some

classes in her home, and I joined in.

Much later, around the age of 24, I was

doing my masters in physiotherapy and

getting quite stressed, when a friend

invited me to a yoga class. I went along

and was hooked. From that moment on

I stayed with that school; it was Peter

Thomson’s school in Glebe. Eventually,

I thought, I’ve been using yoga in my

practice as a physio, why don’t I get a

formal training? About two years ago I

was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, mostly

affecting my left side. That’s been a

trauma in my life and that’s why I

stopped doing physio at the clinic and

moved to yoga, because it’s less hands-

on for me. Physically I’m trying to

lessen the load a little bit. Overdoing

things is big, but you have to keep

moving. I’ve had to go through some

ups and downs, and I was in denial at

first. Then I just decided to take each

day as it comes. Each day I need to do

Giving back

Yoga teacher and physiotherapist Fiona Condie

has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s

disease. Despite her personal battle, Fiona

is passionate about helping asylum seekers

overcome their fears and challenges through the

teachings of yoga. Interview by Tamsin Angus-Leppan

some kind of movement work, some

kind of awareness work, and now I’m

trying to keep my body well without

being obsessed.

How did you come to teach yoga at

the Asylum Seekers Centre?

As a physio practice, we were thinking

about doing some volunteer work. I

started working at the Asylum Seekers

Centre every second week as a physio

and then I decided there needed to be a

yoga class there as well. Initially I was

nervous because I wasn’t sure of all the

trauma the asylum seekers have

experienced and what impact that would

have had on them. I always do some

gentle breathing work, but not too

strong in case they get anxious, and I do

some relaxation at the end which they

always seem to enjoy. Some people

respond well to breathing but it makes

other people freak out. If I am able to do

breath work, I focus on the breath out

rather than in, because I find the out

breath is the most useful in terms of

letting go and releasing the system, and

then letting the breath in come naturally

rather than letting it be a big deal.

What do you get out of teaching

yoga at the Asylum Seekers Centre?

It makes me a bit more busy, but it’s

nice to get out of your own shell ... your

own small world. I get a lot of courage

from working with asylum seekers.

There must be a lot going on inside but

they don’t show it and they seem lovely,

friendly people. Who knows what’s

happened to them. I try to be

continuous for them, and I want to keep

teaching at the Asylum Seekers Centre

as long as I can. I’ve been doing it for

about a year and a half. They really look

forward to it and a few have asked me

for some yoga they can do at home. The

people coming to that class either

haven’t got a visa to work or haven’t

found work, so they are in some way

waiting. I had a lady in a one-on-one

class and she was in tears at the end;

she’d been denied a visa and was

explaining where she would have to go

back to. They are very interested in me

and my life and they are quite caring ...

my feeling is it’s their nature to be so.

It’s always a good feeling to give. I’ve

had a very privileged life, an easy life,

and it’s nice to give back. For more

information about the Asylum Seekers

Centre: https://asylumseekerscentre.

org.au