Teaching the growing number of people turning up to his yoga studio with fatigue and burnout has inspired Tamihana Paurini to commit to a 365-day mental health social campaign, to help people dealing the mental impacts of the Global Pandemic, and raise awareness for Whirlwind, an organisation which helps men positively embrace their mental health.
Tamihana is co-owner of Ensoul Yoga Studio on the Kāpiti Coast. Dealing with depression for 20 years, he says even on the best days; it can be a struggle to cope – and 2020 has been a difficult year.
“During Lockdown, most of us had enforced downtime or a slower pace of life, and this led to a huge number of people turning to yoga to help deal with the stress. What we see now, as life changes gear, is general fatigue/burnout and anxiety – driven by the fear of unknown. I think many people are so drained and exhausted they aren’t in a space to care for themselves in the same way,” says Tamihana.
Tamihana PauriniEvery day, for the next 365 days, Tamihana will share a daily online update, to show people how he copes with his depression and help raise funds for the mental health organisation Whirlwind, whose goal is to to enable men to positively embrace their mental health through the sharing of stories..
“As the world responds to the pandemic, and our communities cope with the lack of funding for regional mental health services, we need people to put their hand up and help in whatever way they can. By putting myself out there for the next year, I hope to show what people with depression go through, feel and experience each day”, says Tamihana.
Ensoul has also released a free 30-Day Restore series, to help people incorporate yoga into their life, in daily bite-sized chunks. The physical poses are simple, gentle and help rinse out the tension.
“In 30 days, you can create a habit of self-care and experience the amazing benefits. When done regularly, yoga helps people find love and acceptance for themselves and in turn, others. The world needs more of this right now. I want people to see and know they are not alone and show there’s hope things can and do get better,” says Tamihana.
You can donate to Whirlwind here and find Ensoul’s 30-day Restore Series here.
