Yoga Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis
Yoga for MySelf™ - Yoga for MS
Simple, gentle and straightforward neurosupportive yoga therapy for those with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Bloomington Indiana and surrounding areas including Indianapolis. Individualized yoga therapy is provided at your location by a C-IAYT yoga therapist whose interest in supporting those with MS comes from personal experience as well as practical, common-sense experience as a therapist specializing in multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions.
Yoga for MySelf™ - Centered Upon the Individual
Yoga therapy sessions emphasize the person as a whole, rather than simply focusing on the disease (or dis-ease, as it were). Multiple sclerosis (MS) manifests in many ways, differing from one person to the next: balance and gait impairment, visual disturbances, spasticity and joint contracture, gastrointestinal issues, depression. Stress, be it emotional, physical, or mental can cause a flare-up of symptoms (exacerbation) or an outright relapse. The unpredictability of MS progression—from a once in a lifetime CIS (clinically isolated syndrome), to a relapsing-remitting pattern over decades, or a progressive and unrelenting worsening of symptoms—creates an uneasy, nebulous outlook on the future which clients often struggle with from the day of diagnosis (and have likely been challenged with before diagnosis).
Yoga for MySelf™: Yoga for MS can be helpful in relieving paresthesia, pain due to spasticity, as well as increasing range of motion and slowing atrophy in underused muscles. Perhaps more importantly, regular sessions are helpful in decreasing fatigue and bringing better quality of life through self-care. Studies on the effects of yoga for MS show decreased fatigue, increased energy, a lessening of self-reported depression, and better balance and sense of proprioception.
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Yoga therapy appropriate for, and specifically beneficial for, those with multiple sclerosis
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Balancing of muscle groups, gentle nerve stretches, range of motion
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Yoga therapy to improve specific proprioception and balance issues common to MS
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Learning to recognize patterns of stress, tension, compensation
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Providing simple, safe yoga therapy to implement daily for self-care
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Focus on confidence and body-awareness (sitting, rising, walking, stairs)
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Using the natural, relaxed breath to decrease fatigue and chronic pain
Customized Therapy for MS
We are aware of the complex range of symptoms experienced by those with MS, stages of progression, medication side-effects, as well as the unpredictable and fluctuating nature of exacerbations. Yoga for MySelf™ provides long-term therapy based upon, and adaptive to, the nuances and variability of multiple sclerosis. I don't want to stop being who I am is a phrase we have heard more than once while working among those with MS. It is a reflection of the frustration experienced when trying to keep up with the pace of the modern world, work, and quite frequently the personal stress of juggling a family and well-intentioned friends. MS is not who you are but can become a second skin which constricts one in such a way as to challenge even the simplest effort. Gentle, sustainable yoga therapy can help diffuse the effects of MS, both physiologically and mentally / emotionally—particularly when approached in a moderate, mindful manner with the guidance of an experienced, supportive yoga therapist.
Long-term Support – Living with MS
Comprehensive Therapy Programs are supportive, long-term programs which may include yoga therapy, lifestyle therapy, specialized bodywork and passive range of motion, as well as neurosupportive / neuropalliative therapy. We encourage you to discuss these options with us.
