Yoga of Action: Adaptive Yoga for People with Multiple Sclerosis and Similar Conditions

On the first day of my "Adaptive Yoga" class at the Lenox Community Center six years ago, the students seemed to be concerned about what they could do and what Yoga could do for them. As I led the class I recalled a teaching from the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Indian text that teaches us about Yoga. Of the three forms of Yoga discussed in this text, I began by focusing on Karma Yoga, the Yoga of Action without attachment to its outcome. By the end of the class, after only one session, the students were inspired, relaxed and more confident. From this inspiration, one of the students suggested we name our group “Yoga of Action” to represent our commitment to be engaged fully in the action and letting go of a desired outcome and offering the fruits of the action to benefit all beings everywhere.

This is not an ordinary Yoga class, but one filled with special people with specific needs. The gifts of yoga can support and help the healthy stay healthy, and also address the needs of individuals with a specific focus and shared concerns. Yoga is an eastern tradition that is based on integration and balance of all of who we are. It sees illness as a result of being separate from layers of ourselves, resulting in a disconnection from other aspects of our lives and communities.

Yoga shares Vedic philosophy and is conjoined with Ayurveda as a complete healing system. One of it’s common ideas is the integration of our 5 koshas or our 5 “bodies” or “sheaths”. They are, from the gross to the subtle, the physical body, the energetic body, the emotional body, the intuitive body, and the spiritual body. Their integration or separation defines and maps out our path to wellness or disease. The idea is that when these bodies are not fully integrated the resulted separation causes stress and the resulting imbalances lead to a lack of vitality, illness, and the diminished quality of life.

Each Yoga class is a journey through the koshas. We use Yogic tools such as breathing, movement, relaxation, and meditation to bring integration and harmony to all the levels of who we are. Current studies validate what the ancient Yogis discovered thousands of years ago: that the practice of these techniques benefits the function of all the systems of the body/mind. Their contribution to our over-all health and well-being is now being recognized by not only spiritual seekers, and naturalists, but health professionals as well. In dancing through the koshas, a student comes in touch with all of who they are, and it becomes an opportunity to resolve conflict and become integrated, bringing greater clarity and peace.

Because my mom has MS, as I studied, I would learn and create ways that Yoga could be adapted to suit her specific needs and how she could benefit from these practices. I am so excited about the results seen in my students and clients and the difference it has made in their lives.

After their first session, students were commenting about their relief from pain, and the relaxation they realized. As students continue coming to class they become even more relaxed and bright. One woman said she used the breathing technique she learned while doing her physical therapy and found a new ease of movement and noticed how she had been blocking herself. By becoming aware of her breath, another student noticed the effort and strain she was imposing upon herself, causing her a stiff neck and another student said the breathing exercise helped her deal with a stressful family situation.

At the end of the session I asked the students to “popcorn” out how they felt, and most of the responses were “peaceful”, “balanced,” “inspired,” “strong," and “relaxed”. These feelings of confidence and peace are part of the unity consciousness that is the foundation to the student’s ability to take action and for the art of health and healing to perform.

In response to their inquiries for more information and questions of how they could practice daily at home, we began tailoring a home program and I have created their resource manual called Yoga of Action; Holistic Lifestyle and Adaptive Yoga for People with MS and other Auto-immune and Neuro-muscular Disorders. I’ve continued with a case study of how Yoga and Ayurveda can help people with Multiple Sclerosis and have included that to further inspire them to live a life of balance and to know peace, no matter what they may be given.

Your Success is My Greatest Reward…

My mission at A Life of Balance is to empower people through the practice of Yoga and Ayurveda, so they can find their inner balance and ultimate joy. My vision of health and journey to wellness takes into consideration the total lifestyle and constitution of the whole person to support health and welllness by learning to live again in the most natural way possible, according to nature, to access our hightest intuition and truth, unlocking the human healing potential. Thank you for your committment to a life of balance. Your results are my deepest joy. I am grateful for the opportunity to witness your continued success, unfolding and seeing you live again with ultimate joy and ease of well being.

Lenox, MA 01240 I 413.329.2182 I Email

© 2007 ChayaYoga, An Ayurvedic Lifestyle. All Rights Reserved.
Graphic Design: BookMarc Creative