Yoga and Stroke Recovery

A student in a class of stroke survivors answered honestly when I asked how everyone was feeling.

“Good days and bad,” he said. “Bad ones can get pretty bad.” He explained that certain unexpected losses occurred after his stroke.

I listened.

I encouraged.

I responded in a way I thought was empathetic. In the middle of saying that despite my left-side stroke deficits and right-side Parkinson’s losses, I still —

“Wow,” he interrupted.

I was about to say that I still have —

“You really got nailed!”

No, no, I continued. I still have my insides, I said.

“Total whammy.”

I realized at that very moment how very fortunate I am that despite running out of sides,  I still do have my inside. Some strokes leave a person physically capable while wreaking havoc on thought processes, personalities.

But yoga can still help. It engages. It allows. It brings focus, awareness, breath. Balance can be regained. And there’s a new study published in the journal “Stroke” that supports the physical and psychological benefits of yoga for stroke recovery.

Wow.