Yoga Archives - Page 10 of 16

July 20, 2011

Yoga for the Cancer Patient: A Physical and Spiritual Alternative

Guest blog by: Jillian McKee Knowing what cancer does to the human body is one thing, regardless of the area of the body it’s affecting. It is, however, impossible to know how cancer will affect an individual’s mind and spirit. Because of this, it is so important for the cancer patient to determine the best path in maintaining a healthy emotional and spiritual life while in treatment. Supportive family and friends are essential but not enough to do this. The patient needs to do if for himself or herself. Yoga is one option that can help. Cancer is not just a diagnosis but also a lifestyle adjustment. Yoga is one option for the cancer patient to incorporate into that new lifestyle. It renews not just the body, but mind and spirit as well. Yoga is most certainly not a substitute for medical care but can make the treatments a bit […]

July 27, 2011

Roller Coaster Meditation

Studies show that meditation can significantly reduce the severity of Parkinson’s symptoms. I’ve been trying to incorporate more mediation into my day, bring my mind to a place of stillness. The amusement park is not where I’d have started. Then again… There I was, waiting in line for the Yankee Cannon Ball — the vintage, must-ride, 1930s wooden roller coaster at Canobie Lake Park. A teen girl from the trio in front of me commented on a dog across the way. “I love animals,” she told me. “All animals.” She crossed her arms, “except sharks. I do not like sharks.” She shuddered. I nodded as her friend spoke up. “It’s whales I don’t like. They’re gonna take over the world. Seriously.” “That’s why I’m moving to Arizona,” said the third. “Billy and I have it all planned out. We wanna go where there’s no one else around. And no one […]

August 1, 2011

Parkinson’s Disease Myth #1

Parkinson’s is a disease of the elderly. If this myth were a reality, my pharmacy shopping basket would not include a Mirapex prescription alongside tampons and No. 2 pencils. If this myth were a reality, there would be more gray hair among the students in my yoga classes. Conversations would be filled with tales of retirement rather than of the challenges of balancing career and family with a chronic disease. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Roughly 10 – 20 percent of those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease are under age 50, and about half of those are diagnosed before age 40.” If this reality were to become as prevalent as the myth, there would be more people willing to participate in studies. Or more who wish to learn about the phases and process of research trials. Here’s hoping that a cure becomes reality. Maybe it’ll even happen before I’m old enough to be a […]

August 11, 2011

Parkinson’s Poetry

I am honored that guest blogger Diane Durkee is sharing this: A WALK TO MY GARDEN I see the stairs and I must go down. Where will they take me? What lies ahead? I fear the unknown. What will I find? What will I see? I know I must go down. One step at a time. There is no turning back From this long downward climb. I’ve arrived at the bottom With closed eyes and clasped hands Am I ready to face my challenges? The future – the past – it’s buried in the sands. I feel a touch, a warm loving touch. A soft voice whispers and I hear “Open your eyes go forward and believe. Continue on your path for there is nothing to fear.” I open my eyes and begin to look! There before me are the flowers and birds, butterflies and bees Beauty surrounds me and […]

August 28, 2011

Modifying Child’s Pose

One of the more restful of yoga positions, Balasana, or Child’s Pose, taps into an inner peacefulness. In Balasana, the spine elongates and the shoulder blades broaden, sending messages throughout the nervous system that relay an overall calming. I can recall a great number of times checking on my son when he was younger. There in his crib, he epitomized child’s pose. With bent knees supporting his upper body, his tailbone touched down between both heels, an arm stretched along each side, and he breathed that full, rhythmic breath of a sleeping child. Someone with a movement disorder, however, may find this position not only challenging but counter productive. Bent knees can trigger involuntary dorsal flexion in the feet for someone recovering from a stroke. Pressure on the feet of a person living with Parkinson’s or dystonia can result in painful cramping in the toes or plantar area. That said, those […]

September 22, 2011

PD Attitude of Gratitude

My gratitude list continues: Autumn leaves: Especially the feisty ones, rimmed in crimson and yellow but holding onto veins of green. They display their nature – our nature – to resist change at the same time surrendering to it. NEPD Ride Volunteers: The New England PD Ride in support of the MJF Foundation proved to be a smooth 50 miles for Team Mama. The route was lined with good cheer, good food, great attitudes. The teams of volunteers providing much heart and help to the Team Fox riders and were probably responsible for the pristine weather. All in all, a delightful day of riding for a cure. Thank you. Elementary School Friends: As my son begins fourth grade, I recall a few friendships solidifying when I walked the halls of St. Christopher’s. I have the priveledge of gathering with two of the dearest of those friends for a whole […]

October 3, 2011

Yabba Dabba Yoga

Yoga, the violin, Fred Flintstone and PD, all in my guest blog at the American Parkinson Disease Association/Massachusetts Chapter site: http://www.apdama.org/site2.0/blog.php

October 16, 2011

Early Thanksgiving

I stepped in to Lakshmi Voelker’s Chair Yoga teacher training class and Thanksgiving came to mind. A specific Thanksgiving, one I shared with a long-lost cousin. Both happened at a similar time of year, when New England shifts from the colors of a sunset to the threat of frost. Both involved months of emails and phone conversations before deciding to get together. The only real difference was the pie. My cousin and I reconnected in the late ’90s, reviving our long-distance friendship from childhood. We hadn’t seen one another in twenty-five years and were overdue for a visit. Since her Florida autumn remained balmy, we opted for a Southern Thanksgiving. I boarded a plane in flip-flops, my carry-on item a still-warm apple pie. Wedged into the middle seat, up in the air somewhere between home and this unknown place, the ease of our past conversations led to trepidation. What if […]

October 20, 2011

Yama This

Mimicry represents a form of flattery, or so I’ve heard. When I discover my writings cut and pasted into other yoga web sites, ‘flattered’ isn’t how I feel. Irritated, yes. Annoyed that pieces — sometimes verbatim, sometimes slightly reworded — appear out of context and with no reference to the resources in the original. It delights me to share the benefits that yoga brings to others, like me, with movement disorders. I’m honored to work with fellow teachers so they can best meet the needs specific to our ways of moving. When the word is grabbed rather than shared, though, my heart sinks a little. Its from being disappointed because the benefits of yoga for Parkinson’s seem secondary to benefitting one’s own studio, web site, class offerings. But, on last check, the yamas – our yogic ways of being – do not list flattery, irritation, annoyance or disappointment among them. […]

October 31, 2011

Shall We Dance

At the Young Onset Parkinson’s Northeast Conference, I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. Years. Decades. I danced. After my childhood stroke, with literally half a leg to stand on, I crossed Dancer off my list of possible careers, hobbies and even casual past-times. But that didn’t keep me off stage in high school. Tall and not-so-graceful, the musical director cast me as an Amazon in “The King & I.” In my role, I stood cross-armed and at attention, guarding the entryway in each scene involving the king. Though I appeared more often than the wives — perhaps more often than Anna — in my role, I spoke no lines and certainly did not dance. I ventured onto the dance floor in college and at weddings. Two-stepping, waltzing, or lining up to do the Macarena called for so much concentration to get the footing right, to stay […]