Why a specialist MS Yoga class when ordinary classes are available at my leisure centre?
Most yoga classes spend a great deal of the time standing up, bending
forward, back and twisting. A person diagnosed with MS will notice a change in their balance and will not be
able to reap the benefits of relaxing into a posture due to the fear
of falling. Although some teachers will take the time to try to
find out about MS if you join their class many will
not understand the many hidden symptoms.
In some classes the movements change too quickly for someone with
MS. People are encouraged to move from posture (asana) to posture
rapidly and this is good for people with few health problems but
can be quite stressful if your body is less cooperative.
In my method of teaching we relax every muscle between each
move in order to avoid the build up of tension that can lock
into those muscles. We do many small moves and can take a full
session slowly building up to a full yogic posture. All my sessions
are either conducted on the floor or seated so there is no risk of
falling or losing balance. If you are aching for three days after
exercise, your muscles have therefore been tense for the same length of time
...tension in a muscle is wasting precious energy! You cannot
afford that if one of your main symptoms is fatigue.
It is vitally important that you tell any teacher about your condition
even if you are reluctant to admit to it - their insurance will not
cover you if you fail to mention a known health problem.
A good teacher will take time to ask you about your condition but it
is easy to fail to mention some of the things you live with on a
daily basis. Altered sensation, poor coordination, pins and
needles, double vision, sudden fatigue, vertigo and many other
bits nobody ever mentions are all hidden from view. I have met many,
many people who will immediately mention a bad back and a weak leg
but have to be coerced into admitting to all the other bits and I
know what I am looking for. Most teachers would have no idea!!
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