Yoga

I have been practicing yoga regularly for 12-years and teaching for ten. I absolutely love yoga. I have never done super hard and powerful yoga as my body isn’t able to cope with that, however, I have loved intermediate flow classes that work my muscles, and build strength and balance.

One of the types of yoga I have specialized in has been Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis. I was blessed to work with Master Yogi, Eric Small, author of Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis and honored to lead several teacher trainings for yoga teachers as well as teach private and small group yoga for people with MS for seven years. However, despite my training in this specialized yoga and my own abilities, I am not finding that it alone is doing what I need in order to get stronger. In fact, I know I am losing strength as I am no longer able to walk any distance. If I could hire a private yoga teacher 3x a week, it might be different, but my home practice or classes aren’t working for me at this time regarding building strength.

Practicing for an hour or 1.5hr flow class is not an option for me as I overheat, get numb and fatigued which results in incontinence and trouble walking. The classes I am currently taking are in the Iyengar tradition, which are fabulous, but due to me getting fatigued, losing balance and needing to rest, I’ve only been able to participate fully in the class if it’s a seated class otherwise, I’ve been at the back of the class doing my own thing, in the form of deeply nourishing, restorative poses. These feel wonderful, but are not making me stronger.

It is my hope that the short bursts of activity in CrossFit make me strong enough to get back into intermediate flow yoga classes, or complete a regular Iyengar class.

Link to Eric Small’s book: Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis