What is Dru Yoga?
Dru Yoga is based upon flowing movements, directed breathing and visualisation.
After movements to warm up the body and bring you into the present moment, it comprises of a sequence of gentle, flowing yoga movements, followed by different postures to strengthen particular areas of the body.
Ending with a guided relaxation enables a peaceful state of mind before leaving class and moving on with the rest of the day.
The benefits of Dru Yoga
- Improves resilience to stress
- Enhances emotional wellbeing
- Improves sleep
- Improves balance and posture
- Increases flexibility and strength
- Manages aches and pains
- Increases energy levels
- Maintains a healthy back
Scientific evidence
Local authority
A randomised controlled trial involving 75 government workers published in Occupational Medicine in 2012, showed that Dru Yoga significantly reduced both stress and back pain at work – two of the key factors leading to sickness absence.
After an eight-week programme, Dru Yoga group scores (when compared with a control group) were significantly lower for perceived stress, back pain, sadness and hostility, and significantly higher for feeling self-assured, attentive and serene. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23012344)
National Health Service
A randomised controlled trial with 150 NHS employees published in Occupational Medicine in December 2017, showed that an eight-week Dru Yoga Programme resulted in less back pain and fewer sickness absence days.
During the study, the Dru Yoga group took two sickness absence days due to back pain and musculoskeletal conditions, compared with forty-three days taken by the control group. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29202204)
