Free Your Instinct is a growing charity that delivers parkour for mental health. The charity's skilled and dedicated coaches deliver courses in partnership with local mental health and NHS mental health services such as Children and Adolecent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Adult Community Services, and At Risk Young People.

Parkour is an increasingly popular sport involving running, jumping, and climbing to move through the, typically, urban environment. Offering all the benefits typically associated with physical activity, our own impact reporting further demonstrates decreases in feeling “anxious” “tense” and “tired”, and increases in feeling “happy” “healthy” “motivated” “stimulated” and “relaxed”. 

Classes are tailored to all needs and abilities, focusing on the development of mental health skills such as:

• Overcoming obstacles
• Problem Solving
• Managing Fear
• Play
• Resiliance
• Rest

Through our classes we aim to promote mental and physical wellbeing, and truely enrich the lives of our participants through parkour

“Learning 'how to do' Parkour has been incredible. By the end of the sessions I felt more confident in myself, as I knew I was physically capable of a lot of things I never imagined I'd be able to do! I also felt really comfortable with the other group members and it was nice to make new friendships with people I knew had similar experiences to me (i.e. MH [mental health]) and would understand if I was having a bad day. It was a brilliant distraction for when I was feeling down too. Both [instructors] facilitated the groups so well and made everyone feel really comfortable"  Female Bristol Pilot Participant

“It's one of the most inclusive interventions I have come across. There are so many barriers for people with a mental health diagnosis becoming more active and accessing community sessions. Parkour seemed to eliminate all of these. Firstly due to the funding sessions were free, second each session is tailored to any ability.

We had sessions with people who were previously total inactive with very low fitness levels, next to people who trained several times a week laughing and enjoying the same tasks and activities. We had people in sessions who were currently experience psychosis and able to engage and leave the session smiling and feeling more positive. We also have people who do not currently want to engage in anything other than parkour (including their clinical team!)

The coaches are warm, understanding, motivating and compassionate. Everyone seems to leave the session smiling and not realising that they have just completed over an hour of physical activity and (having taken part in some of the sessions myself) pretty intense exercise at that!”  Hannah, NHS ELFT

Understanding the barriers many people face when participating in physical activity we strive to remove these barriers and ensure we are able to support as many people as possible. With your generous support we are able to continue to offer our classes free to participants. Thank you for your donations andchoosing to fundraise for Free Your Instinct.