Yoga can be a powerful tool for someone who has MS. There are so many ways to vary the practice depending on the student's mobility, flexibility and ability to move independently or with assistance.
Yoga can be energizing, relaxing and empowering. It can serve as an energy booster and can soothe harried nerves. It is a great way for the MS patient to build confidence and create clarity.
It can be done sitting in any kind of chair, a manual wheelchair or even a power chair. It can be done on the floor, or supported by props - whatever it takes. There is no one correct way to do yoga. Yoga does not have to be performed standing or sitting or lying down.
Yoga can bring back memories of sensations and movement in the body....even if one is unable to actually experience the sensation or move the body part unassisted. I like to think of it as recalling body memory. There are many ways that the body remembers and pathways can be retraced and revisited. when the mind and the body are connected there is greater clarity of mind and connection to one's inner core.
Private and group lessons offered.
I read this poem by Mary Oliver this morning and I thank her for the reminder.
Wage Peace by Mary Oliver
Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in fireman and rubble,
Breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of redwing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists and breathe out
sleeping children
and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out
maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen
And breathe out lifelong friendship intact.
Wage peace with your listening:
Hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, learn the words for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing
raspberries,
Imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and
precious.
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Don’t wait another minute.
I love teaching prenatal yoga, either privately or in a group with other pregnant women. Or sometimes I am graced by the presence of a pregnant woman in one of my general classes, that is a gift. But that 's the time that I wish I could spend more time, coaching and instructing. Some teachers will ask the student to refer to the Sandra Jordan book when the rest of the class is doing something that just wouldn't work for this student. Sometimes sadly it's just hard to give enough attention in a group setting to someone who can really use it.
Yoga is a wonderful way to prepare oneself for becoming pregnant and of course for preparing for childbirth and labor. How great it is to develop self awareness and focus. And to learn to develop a sense of calmness. Yoga will help you to strengthen the physical body, to mindfully develop awareness of parts of you that are off, out of alignment, tight. And of course, yoga helps you to gradually open areas of you that often get tight during pregnancy and after the baby is born, the shoulders, the neck, calves, legs, hips, etc. It teaches you mindfulness and self care. I so enjoy seeing the look of calm in my pregnant students and their sense of grace and confidence.
I've found that the quintessential reference for the pregnant woman who wants to do yoga is Sandra Jordan's book, Yoga for Pregnancy. The book identifies poses that are appropriate for the three trimesters and the illustrations are excellent. I recommend this book for students and teachers. I have to add that I would not include "Squatting Pose to Wall" until the last week of the pregnancy or if past the due date. My teacher Jeff Logan, c0-owner of Body and Soul in Huntington, LI, has emphasized that to me and I pass on his wise teachings to my students.
When does a student start prenatal yoga? If a person has been practicing yoga already, why not continue? However if one becomes breathless, dizzy or if it feels like you are forcing it, then rest. I usually recommend if a person is new to yoga she should check with her doctor or midwife first.
What poses are appropriate? Backbends are out, and most twists. Of course malasana (squatting) as I said earlier is not to be done to the end. Using the wall in standing poses is great.
Eventually chairs can be used so as not to put undue pressure on the groin.
Just a note, there are other books that are very good to consult as well. Two I consult often are:
The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health, by Linda Sparrowe, with yoga sequences by
Patricia Walden
Yoga, A Gem for Women by Geeta S. Iyengar
If you do yoga during your pregnancy have fun, work mindfully and take this special time to work lovingly and compassionately.
Namaste
I honor the light within you
Elaine
Working with compassion and love. Working with ease - learning to laugh - working lightly and enjoying it. It is contagious.
Enjoying every student - enjoying every class - learning to flow without too much planning and finding inspiration in the moment.
How un - planning a class is akin to self trust and trust in the universe....something larger.
Watching the connections in every thing - how it's all connected - the profundity of this practice - beyond time - beyond plan - something much deeper.
