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Yoga for Parkinson’s

Classes at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health help stretch muscles and self-esteem

By Jill Ross
   WHILE most research into Parkinson’s disease is carried out in leading academic centers and clinics, some interesting therapeutic results are being reported in an entirely different kind of laboratory — the community yoga studio.
   ”It’s strengthening, energizing and calming,” instructor Carolyn Stephens says of yoga’s benefits. Ms. Stephens will lead the “Yoga for Parkinson’s” class this fall at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health in Skillman.
   For those with Parkinson’s, the ancient practice of yoga has become a gentle weapon in their fight against a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that eventually freezes their bodies.
   ”Yoga is ideally suited to people with Parkinson’s,” says Michele Raymond, executive director of The Parkinson Council, located in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. “Each class is designed to increase flexibility, stamina and strength while decreasing levels of anxiety and improving balance.”
   The Parkinson Council, which is the Delaware Valley chapter of the National Parkinson Council, sponsors the yoga classes for Parkinson’s at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health (and several others around the Philadelphia area). A mini four-week course will be held Sundays, Nov. 2 through 23.
   The classes are taught by certified yoga instructors, like Ms. Stephens, who has a background in science and health education, and also does pharmaceutical consulting. For the upcoming program, she will teach a modified traditional Soma Yoga, which uses movement, posture and breathing. “It’s a very gentle, very loving, tolerating program,” she says.
   No one will be expected to do something he or she can’t do. And supportive props, such as chairs, the wall or blocks, are allowed. “It’s a great starting point to begin working on flexibility and strength,” Ms. Stephens says. “We work into it gradually. You’re not expected to touch your toes, because you may not be able to.”
   Every Parkinson’s participant must have their neurologist’s OK before beginning the program. Those who come to classes range from people in the early stages of Parkinson’s, when the most outward sign is body twitches, to more advanced stages, when walking is rigid and difficult.
   ”With Parkinson’s, you have a lot of visible symptoms,” says Ms. Stephens. “And that can be a psychological issue for many who have the disease.”
   As a result, they may be embarrassed or unwilling to go to a regular beginner yoga class, she adds. In a class of their own, “they gain a better acceptance of twitches, shakes, and have a sense of humor about it as they move.”
   Still, despite all of its mind-and-body benefits, yoga is no substitute for the medications that treat symptoms of Parkinson’s. And health insurance doesn’t cover yoga classes for Parkinson’s.
   But the National Parkinson Foundation officially recognizes the benefits of yoga for the disease. So along with grants for medical research, it also provides grants to community yoga centers.
   One of the Parkinson Council’s “pilot programs” was a yoga class taught across the New Jersey line at the Swarthmore (Pa.) Community Center. The teacher, Panna Flower, is a certified yoga instructor and massage therapist who teaches “gentle yoga” for people with Parkinson’s and other diseases.
   Indeed, there is softness — an easing in — to her Parkinson’s classes. She and her students might start with stretching by lifting their hands up and pretending to touch the ceiling. They sit closely on a bench and lift their arms up, swaying to the right, then the left.
   There are real yoga poses, ones done lying on a mat, like the supine spinal twist, where knees go in one direction and the head in another. They do a standing ragdoll, bending forward, but not reaching, just as much of a stretch as a rigid body might allow.
   There are a lot of breathing exercises, since breathing can stiffen with Parkinson’s. And a voice can get small and hard to hear. The class lines up on two sides, with one side taking deep breaths in and yelling, “good morning,” and the other side doing the same.
   Then there are other movements meant to lift spirits as well as stretch stiff muscles, like a slow fox trot or the can-can. “A sense of being successful is a huge antidote to having Parkinson’s,” Ms. Flower says.
   Because her students are rather wobbly, she asks that they bring along a buddy to class (as does the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health). If that buddy is a spouse or companion, he or she can help practice at home. She also sends class participants off with a homework assignment: to keep their eyes open for something wonderful in their lives.
   Brian Atkins, 71, of Media, Pa., is one of Ms. Flower’s students. A newcomer to yoga, he has been living with Parkinson’s for six years. He learned about yoga about four years ago through a support group he attends.
   Mr. Atkins says he started the class because he heard it could help with balance. “I used to trip over sidewalks, uneven sidewalk slabs, and fall head first,” he says.
   For two hours, twice a week, Mr. Atkins works in his yoga class at stretching to help his uncooperating legs cooperate. When he leaves, he feels better. “My muscles feel stretched when I go,” he says.
   Beside the physical benefits, Mr. Atkins says he goes to yoga because, quite simply, “it’s uplifting” and gives him a sense of fulfillment.
   His wife, Valerie, who goes to class with him, notes that his balance is better, though she attributes that to medication. Yet she credits yoga for its therapeutic effect.
   ”We’re all in the same boat. That’s therapeutic, too. It gives us strength, like things are going to be OK,” she says. “The greatest thing is, it calms him and helps him realize what he’s capable of and respecting his limitations.
   ”Whatever he’s experiencing in yoga — relaxation techniques, deep breathing — all of it has an effect on his physical abilities,” she adds. “That makes sense for me.”
   What people like Mr. Atkins are experiencing in yoga studios hasn’t gone unnoticed by Parkinson’s researchers. Several studies have validated that gentle yoga may help with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, especially with depression, anxiety and fatigue. In one study, conducted by an assistant professor in the department of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical Center, participants in a pilot program reported increased energy, reduced stress, improved sleep and a reduction in stiffness.
   ”It gives them the message that it’s me versus the Parkinson’s and I have a lot of weapons to fight this fight,” Ms. Flower says.
Yoga for Parkinson’s will be held at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health, Montgomery Professional Center, 50 Vreeland Drive, Suite 506, Skillman, beginning Nov. 2, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. To register, call the Parkinson Council at 610-668-4292.