We’re all familiar with the tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease. Less obvious symptoms, but still common, are the lack of facial expression, pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and constipation.
Parkinson’s affects one in 500 people, usually over the age of 50. It does not have a cure. The disease progresses as levels of dopamine go down. Without dopamine, the brain struggles to send messages to the muscles, and so muscle spasms, rigidity, and tremors set in.
Wisdom through adversity
“The disease can overtake life completely so that the idea of a true self existing and being able to connect with that part is left far behind. Although there is desire to ease or even overcome some of the physical symptoms of the disease, there is also a need for the individual to be preserved and not lost in the disease process. Woven into yoga sessions should be the underpinning philosophy that the self dwells within and can be nurtured, recognised and present. Thus the quality of life is enhanced.” – Jean Danford
In this quote, author and yoga therapist Jean Danford alludes to the wisdom shared in the ancient teachings of yoga. Our bodies go through changes. We are born, we grow, we decline, and we die. But there is a part of us, the self, that is connected to something timeless and unchanging. If we stay present to ourselves, a disease like Parkinson’s can shine a light on who we are beyond the limitations of our bodies.
Autoimmune disruption
Multiple sclerosis is a neurological condition too, but in the case of MS the disease starts in the immune system. Onset is typically when someone is younger—in their 20s or 30s. There are relapsing and remitting phases, or progressive symptoms as the immune system attacks the protective sheath around nerve fibres of the central nervous system.
With MS, the symptoms might include numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, loss of balance and mobility, spasm, stiffness, speech problems, bowel and bladder issues, fatigue, low mood, and physical tension.
Yoga offers strength and relief
While medications are an important part of treatment, exercise helps to ease the symptoms of these neurological disorders, without any negative side effects. Yoga supports:
- muscle strength
- mobility
- balance
- pain relief
- deep breathing
- digestion
- relaxation
- energy
- presence
- mood
Jean Danford, the author of Yoga Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, is a yoga therapist based in Surrey, England. She began teaching yoga to people with these conditions in the 1980s. Her experience is deep and vast. She shares a wealth of knowledge about how to adapt yoga lessons to support people with PD and MS.
With a couple of introductory chapters covering the basics of each disease and the philosophy of yoga, the bulk of the book has detailed instructions and illustrations of poses to guide teachers and yoga therapists on how to help students with PD and MS.
Sections on mudras, breathing practices, relaxation and visualization, as well as meditations are helpful too. All the building blocks of yoga practices to support people with neurological conditions are there.
Atypical classes
The final section of Danford’s book describes a few typical classes, which are anything but typical compared to classes you’d find at the average yoga studio. Some students with PD or MS come with family members to support them through the class.
Muscles don’t always move in the ways students want. It helps to break down a movement into progressive steps, using verbal cues and gentle hands on support for body awareness. Teachers can expect to experiment with various supports and modifications.
The class scenarios go over ways that teachers can observe and support students with gentle hands on guidance and encouragement during the class, and nurture camaraderie among the students.
All about energy
Danford recommends individualized lessons, because each person has a unique set of circumstances, symptoms, comorbidities, and abilities. But often group classes are where people are at.
As a general guideline, a one hour class might have 20-30 minutes of asana (postures), followed by breathwork and relaxation. Observing the stamina of each student for every class is important because there are daily fluctuations and phases where students will be ‘on’ or ‘off.’
The aim is not to achieve an ideal posture, but to improve the flow of energy. Staying anchored in the fundamental roots of yoga, a good practice helps to remove blocks in the flow of prana, our vital life force. This is where healing takes place.
Jean Danford. Yoga Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. London: Singing Dragon, 2016.