Use it or Lose It. That is one of my mottos.
Whether you have multiple sclerosis like I do or are just aging like any other human being on the planet, you will help your body and brain remain active and functional longer if you keep them moving than if you let it stagnate and rust (for lack of a better word).
Dr. Tim Vollmer at the Rocky Mountain MS Center recently told me that studies have shown that exercise, particularly when it’s combined with mental alertness, helps the brain stave off the degeneration we expect with aging, Altzheimers, MS, etc.
Looks like my Jazzercise addiction that forces me to coordinate many parts of my body at once is doing for my brain what the workout is doing for my body.
Yoga is another workout that carries these benefits, and can be more accessible to those of us with MS who may have lost some abilities.
My MS Yoga allows you to adapt and modify the poses based on your individual needs each day. When developing the My MS Yoga program, Baron Baptiste and Dr. Frohman selected poses that address many of the issues common to multiple sclerosis patients.
I love how My MS Yoga offers three different practices and options to modify each pose depending on how you are feeling each day. These are great for anyone looking to modify yoga poses to work with their abilities or lack thereof.
When I first started practicing yoga, shortly after I was diagnosed wtih MS in 1999, I found a yoga instructor who specifically worked with debilitated patients through the Colorado National MS Society chapter (they have lots of great resources like this!). I ended up following her to her studio and practicing with her for years until she moved away.
I love yoga as a health modality because it is such an effective stress reliever physically and mentally. With regular practice, it truly brings about a sense of wellbeing.
When my kids have trouble winding down at night, doing a few yoga poses together will help them to release the tension and sink into bed. It works for me, too!
