September is National Yoga Month! Yoga is a gentler form of exercise that focuses on stretching and breathing. Many different types of yoga are available including practices designed for people who may have limited mobility, or flexibility. Most traditional poses can be performed sitting on a chair, or laying on a bed, rather than on the floor. Interested in learning more about yoga and MS? Here are some of MSAA’s free resources to get you started.
Yoga and MS Webcast
Check out MSAA’s latest video, Yoga and MS: Start Where You Are, featuring yoga therapist Kimberly Castello. Learn about how breathing and different seated yoga movements can reduce stress, and also increase your energy, mobility, and strength in this archived webcast. In addition, you can download the slides to practice at home!
Yoga Books
MSAA’s free Lending Library offers books on a range of topics related to life with multiple sclerosis. These are just some of the books you can rent for free about yoga:
- Yoga and MS, by Loren M. Fishman, MD and Eric L. Small – This practical guide describes how yoga works, contains starter poses, and also includes photographs and descriptions of each exercise.
- The Book of Exercise and Yoga for Those with Multiple Sclerosis: Using Movement and Meditation to Improve Balance and Manage Symptoms of Pain and Fatigue, by Lori Newell, MA – This book covers a wide variety of movement therapies such as range-of-motion exercises, low-to-no impact aerobics, strength training, and yoga specifically for people with MS.
- Adaptive Yoga Moves Any Body, by Mindy Eisenberg, MHSA – This user-friendly guide for people with MS covers basic yoga principles, breathing and posture, warm up, and adaptive poses.
As always, be sure to check with your physician before you begin a new workout routine. Good luck starting out with yoga and namaste!
