Yoga: Non-Negotiable
by Nicola Griffith
Two and two is four. The sun rises in the east. Yoga is good for people with MS.
About two years ago I read about all the studies that show how great yoga is, I read that the MSA was sponsoring classes for people with MS, and I decided to give it a try, the way I've tried everything else: vitamin and mineral supplements, and the ABC drugs, and changing my diet. "I'll go a couple of times," I told myself, "just so I can say I did my best. "Just so I didn't have to feel guilty about not taking care of myself.
Here's what I expected: a bunch of weirdos sitting cross-legged and humming "Om. "Here's what I found: a lovely, clean-lined studio in Greenwood with a convenient parking garage, and right by the bus stop, alive with friendly, ordinary people.
Here's how it works. There are classes in Bellevue as well as Greenwood, and one starting up in Burien in a couple of months. Call the MSA (206-633-2606) and tell them which one you want to sign up for. They'll tell you where and when to go, and how much it will cost--anywhere from free to seven dollars per class. Show up at the studio five minutes before the start of class, and the teacher will introduce herself, and introduce you to everyone else. Everyone takes off their shoes and sits on a mat. If you have a hard time moving about, the teacher will help you. When everyone is settled, she asks how people are feeling, and then adapts the lesson accordingly.
The Wednesday class in Greenwood is taught by Laura, a physical therapist who also has been practicing for years and teaching almost as long. The Monday class is taught by Catherine, a nurse who has also been studying yoga for years but has only just started teaching. They both understand MS thoroughly, and design their classes to help with things like spasticity and weakness and to improve others like cognitive ability. The students have MS and are all ages and abilities--from people you wouldn't know had any illness to those who never leave their wheelchair.
The movements are very slow and gentle, and you can do as much or as little as you need. You don't need to be able to fold into a pretzel--though I can guarantee that if you keep coming to class you will be more flexible after just two or three weeks.
The class lasts about an hour, but a lot of that time is spent lying flat on your back, just breathing. It's amazing how relaxing it can be. After class, some of us sometimes walk (or scoot, or hobble, or glide) to Tully's, which is on the same block. I always walk better after a class than before it. Last week, in fact, I left the coffee shop without my cane, I just forgot I needed it. And walking better isn't the only benefit. There's something about talking to other people with MS, without having to be in a formal support group, that just feels good.
As I've said, the class is slow and gentle--but it's not easy. Getting up twice a week and getting into class with unfailing regularity, no matter how I'm feeling, is hard, but I learned a long time ago that if something is good for me, I should just do it. It helps to make up my mind once, and then make the decision non-negotiable. I don't wake up and think, "Am I able to go to yoga today?" I wake up and think, "Oh, it's Wednesday, I'm going to yoga. "I did this when I gave up smoking in my twenties. I did it when I immigrated to this country and had to find a way to change the law in order to stay. I did it when I decided I wanted to earn my living as a novelist. I get up and I go, even when I don't want to, even when I think I can't, because it's the one thing I know that helps. Two and two is four. The sun rises in the east. Yoga is good for people with MS.
(first published in CONTACT)
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