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Not quite sure whether you're ready to try yoga?...
We regularly receive wonderful letters and emails from our students in support of
Simple Abundance Yoga's mission within the community.
These serve as inspiration and affirmation of the path that Wendy and I share together with SAY.
Because so many of our students deal with medical or health challenges,
and because many of the people who contact us ask whether yoga may be able to help them with their personal challenges,
we have included below some of the comments provided by our students that were open to sharing how yoga has benefitted them.
We hope that you are inspired by these words as much as we were insipred by these students.
The first thoughts below are shared by our own wendy
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Teresa |
Carolyn |
Joanne |
Chris |
Dave |
Wendy shares her thoughts on Yoga & Multiple Sclerosis :
"When looking up the disease, Multiple Sclerosis, you will find that it is an autoimmune disease that causes multiple scarring of the myelin sheaths covering the nerves of the body. This will be followed by numerous medications that can be taken to alleviate some of the symptoms, trading off for numerous side-effects. It is more difficult to find a listing of the symptoms of the disease because, like other autoimmune diseases, MS is very personal, and manifests itself in different ways in different people. For most, however, extreme fatigue, a loss of balance control, multiple parathesias (tingling or numbing sensations), and muscle weakness or spasms are pretty common symptoms.
Thankfully, over the past several years, many physicians have seen the benefits of practicing yoga in helping with the symptoms and management of many diseases. In the case of MS, I personally have seen a dramatic change in my life due to a regular yoga practice. While I do still have symptoms every single day, I now feel that I have better control over these symptoms, rather than them controlling me. By focusing on my breathing and the slow, mindful movement of my body in yoga, I am able to focus outside of my symptoms to what is working right in my body again. It has been a blessing beyond words.
What I hear again and again from new students is, “I’m not flexible enough to do yoga” or “I have no balance” or “I’m too old to do yoga”. It would be very easy for me, and all of our other regular students, to see our physical challenges as excuses. Thankfully, we took that first step into a yoga class and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Our classes are comforting, welcoming, and accepting. You will never know what it is truly like until you try it. Why not take that first step toward wellness today?"
Teresa shares her thoughts on Yoga as a new student :
“As a new yoga student, I can only wonder what took me so long to give it a try.
No matter what is going on in my life or how I am feeling before class, I always leave in a better place.
For me practicing yoga benefits every part of me.
After class I find that I am more centered inwardly and looking out from that peaceful place in my spirit,
happiness is bubbling through my soul, and my body is more comfortable to live in.
I am learning to return to this place of contentment throughout my day and
look forward to the benefits of an extended practice.
I am grateful for Wendy and Lamont's gentle and caring approach to teaching and
for Simple Abundance Yoga and the other students I have met there.
If you've ever wondered if yoga is for you, I encourage you to come and give it a try too.
Carolyn shares her thoughts on Yoga & back issues :
“I have benefitted from both Wendy’s and Lamont’s classes.
Because of serious back problems I initially attended Wendy’s therapeutic classes at their prior studio.
With the help of yoga I have been able to avoid back surgery and no longer take pain medication.
I am now enjoying Lamont’s classes.
They are relaxing and restorative.
I really appreciate Lamont’s gentle, concerned approach.
He begins by asking about problems that individual students may be having.
He then addresses these issues in class.
As we go into the various poses,
he continually reminds us to listen to our bodies so that we can decide how deeply we should go into a pose,
or if we should even go into that pose.
There is no competition as each person is focused entirely on his/her own practice.
Although I am unaware of other students during practice, I enjoy their fellowship before and after class.
I always feel at peace as I leave the studio.
Thanks Wendy and Lamont for sharing your vision of yoga with us.”
Joanne shares her thoughts on Yoga & Fibromyalgia :
“I have faithfully attended Wendy and Lamont's yoga classes since the initial opening of Simple Abundance in 2006.
I had asked my doctor to please not give me a 'formal' diagnosis of fibromyalgia,
as I prefer to try to take a positive approach to this debilitating condition.
Yoga, when practiced under the gentle, intuitive, and caring guidance of Wendy and Lamont,
has been a wonderful help with pain relief, joint inflammation, and stiffness.
I am encouraged, as are all SAY students, to honor my body during each yoga practice.
There are no judgements, no expectations of me.
The practice itself is amazingly helpful to me, in terms of pain reduction, improving flexibility,
and also in helping me to maintain a peaceful and positive attitude.
Stress is a trigger for my symptoms, and yoga in the caring,
peaceful environment that is Simple Abundance Yoga is extremely relaxing, and always therapeutic, on all levels.
SAY is a safe, healing place for me.”
Chris shares how yoga has helped with my fibromyalgia :
"Before fibromyalgia, I was in my mid 30’s, weighed around 123 lbs. and had a BMI of 18%.
I worked out at least 5-6 days a week, weights, cardio, aerobics, step aerobics, etc.
After fibro, emptying my dishwasher can put me on the couch for two hours,
I hurt constantly and the medicine diminished my metabolism to negative proportions.
I simply could not maintain even a fraction of the activity that was just my norm.
The ironic thing about fibro is that you MUST maintain some degree of exercise to keep the muscle pain,
spasms and tightness minimized.
The hard part has been trying to find that balance between too little or too much exercise.
If you don’t have that perfect balance the pain and symptoms are worsened.
In addition to the problems mentioned,
the medications utilized to just help me function and get out of the house for work,
also diminished my metabolism function.
So while I still maintained a reasonable diet, I just kept gaining weight.
In the last 6.5 years, I’ve gained nearly 35 lbs.
During an acupuncture session, it was suggested that I try yoga.
This wonderful new studio had just opened up, Simple Abundance Yoga.
Armed with the name and location, I showed up the next morning.
From that point forward, I attended 3-4 classes a week until a broken foot sidelined me last spring.
What was truly amazing was that I’d found this wonderful place where success was measured by my abilities
and participation in that class – period.
I found something that concentrated on restoring my breath and stretching and rebuilding my muscle tone.
As I attended classes and learned new poses and flow routines, I felt strong,
empowered and capable for the first time in YEARS.
It felt so good to improve my balance and strength.
... and all this rambling doesn’t even address the psychological benefits of finding success and
some relief from the constant pain.
The muscles may tighten right back up, but for the 1-1 ½ hours I had a reprieve.
Although I haven’t been able to get back into my routine of walking,
water aerobics and yoga since the foot problems,
I feel like I’m still reaping the benefits from that 18 months of regular yoga practice.
I believe that yoga will help people with fibro find that “fine line” between too little and too much exercise.
I believe it will give people with fibro a respite from the daily struggles and
a little bit of peace in each time they step onto their mat.”
Dave shares his story on Yoga & Parkinson’s Disease :
“I remember well when Wendy first visited our Parkinson’s Support Group to demonstrate therapeutic yoga. At her invitation, I put down my cane, held onto the table, and tried unsuccessfully to balance on one leg.
With that failed effort in mind, I signed up for the Therapeutic Yoga class. I no longer need my cane. I can now balance on one leg and even hold my hands together extended over my head (this is a pose called a “tree”).
Therapeutic Yoga exercises are low-stress movements designed to improve balance, coordination, and muscle control. In other words, this is exactly what we with Parkinson’s Disease need.
I appreciate Wendy’s willingness to conduct this class. From her own experiences, she has insight into our needs. She gently encourages us to move beyond the limits imposed upon us by our disabilities. A familiar expression in the class is “know your body; listen to it.”
To all of you who are considering the Yoga class: I heartily encourage you to sign up and try it. You will, I am sure, be delighted with the results and be quite pleased with Wendy’s leadership. “
Yoga & Stub :
Stub shares...
“Text"
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