Yoga Info and Class Schedule

 

Why do yoga? "The primary benefits are flexibility and feeling stronger after a class" says Ingrid Lewison, who was diagnosed with MS in May 1993 and started doing yoga in 1994. "I'd been doing hydrotherapy for 15 months, had been to a workshop on integrating the

mind, body and spirit, and had done massage therapy for several years. When I started yoga it seemed to just pull everything together." Lewison points out that MS has made it difficult to stand and balance her body. Practicing yoga has helped her feel more stable on her feet so that she doesn't have to think so much about balance when she moves about. "My body changed a lot, starting with massage, and all of the therapies seem to integrate and expand the benefits of all," Lewison concludes. "I always feel encouraged and relaxed after my yoga class and I recommend it to all of my friends who are in good health as well."

Class Schedule

Bellevue Yoga Class meets Thursdays, 11am - 12 pm at the Highland Community Center on BelRed Rd., Bellevue.  

Please note: Classes may be canceled or changed for Holidays. Please call us to check.

The fee is $8 per session and there is a sliding scale fee based on income for people with MS. Sessions are ongoing, so please signup for the next as soon as possible. 

 

Yoga: Non-Negotiable

by Nicola Griffith

Two and two is four. The sun rises in the east. Yoga is good for people with MS.

About two years ago I read about all the studies that show how great yoga is, I read that the MSA was sponsoring classes for people with MS, and I decided to give it a try, the way I've tried everything else: vitamin and mineral supplements, and the ABC drugs, and changing my diet. "I'll go a couple of times," I told myself, "just so I can say I did my best. "Just so I didn't have to feel guilty about not taking care of myself.

Here's what I expected: a bunch of weirdos sitting cross-legged and humming "Om." Here's what I found: a lovely, clean-lined studio alive with friendly, ordinary people.

Here's how it works. Call the MSA (206-633-2606) and tell them you want to sign up for yoga class. They'll tell you where and when to go, and how much it will cost. Show up at the studio five minutes before the start of class, and the teacher will introduce herself, and introduce you to everyone else. Everyone takes off their shoes and sits on a mat. If you have a hard time moving about, the teacher will help you. When everyone is settled, she asks how people are feeling, and then adapts the lesson accordingly.

The instructors understand MS thoroughly, and design their classes to help with things like spasticity and weakness and to improve others like cognitive ability. The students have MS and are all ages and abilities--from people you wouldn't know had any illness to those who never leave their wheelchair.

The movements are very slow and gentle, and you can do as much or as little as you need. You don't need to be able to fold into a pretzel--though I can guarantee that if you keep coming to class you will be more flexible after just two or three weeks.

The class lasts about an hour, but a lot of that time is spent lying flat on your back, just breathing. It's amazing how relaxing it can be. I always walk better after a class than before it. Last week, in fact, I left the coffee shop without my cane, I just forgot I needed it. And walking better isn't the only benefit. There's something about talking to other people with MS, without having to be in a formal support group, that just feels good.

As I've said, the class is slow and gentle--but it's not easy. Getting up and getting into class with unfailing regularity, no matter how I'm feeling, is hard, but I learned a long time ago that if something is good for me, I should just do it. It helps to make up my mind once, and then make the decision non-negotiable. I don't wake up and think, "Am I able to go to yoga today?" I wake up and think, "Oh, it's Wednesday, I'm going to yoga. "I did this when I gave up smoking in my twenties. I did it when I immigrated to this country and had to find a way to change the law in order to stay. I did it when I decided I wanted to earn my living as a novelist. I get up and I go, even when I don't want to, even when I think I can't, because it's the one thing I know that helps. Two and two is four. The sun rises in the east. Yoga is good for people with MS.

(first published in CONTACT)

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION Please call the M.S. Assoc. at 206-633-2606 or E-mail us at msakc@msakc.org