At some point in your MS journey you will be asked, gently, often by a well-intentioned friend or family member, if you’ve “tried yoga?” And from what I see when I scroll the MS support groups on social media, it’s not always welcome advice. Reactions range from basic eye roll emojis to more slightly defensive comments, often about mobility and a perceived inability to participate in what we think yoga is.
Set that thought aside for a moment while I reveal I’m a NYC-trained yoga teacher with 25 years personal yoga practice. And I should disclose I had been practicing and teaching yoga for many years before being diagnosed, which gives me a unique, inside-out perspective on MS and yoga.
Honestly, yoga is what you need it to be! Structurally, it’s an elegantly-designed energy management system that adapts to all bodies. It offers timeless wisdom to help us work through life’s challenges, like when we learned we had MS. I found yoga soon after 9/11, when the heaviness in the city was palpable. At first, my practice was just a comforting, healing balm. After class, I instantly felt better, lighter. But with consistency, the time spent on my yoga mat became more nurturing and exploratory in nature. It moved past the “shapes” my body could or could not do and became my most reliable companion, and it still is. Warm, familiar, and kind, yoga always welcomes you back even when you stray.
The breathwork itself, known as pranayama, can be practiced as a standalone activity and does miracles for a stressed or anxious mind (and helps me tremendously in the MRI). When we combine the breath with simple movements—a mix of stretching and strengthening that can be customized for everybody—it becomes a delightful method for reaching inside ourselves to see what’s up. If our ability to move the body is restricted, yoga offers a vast array of powerful visualizations and meditation techniques to move the mind. Don’t dismiss it, especially yoga nidra meditation, it truly delivers!
While at an appointment early in my diagnosis, my neurologist was scanning my most recent MRI results at record speed. I was watching for those big white spots and when I saw one, I stopped her and asked how it mapped to the body. She paused and replied “leg balance and coordination.” I said, “I don’t understand, my balance is ok.” With a soft nod of approval she said, "that's your yoga.” She then went on to explain the concept of neuroplasticity (in simplest terms) and basically how yoga was helping my brain make new pathways to work around the damaged areas.
We’ve all heard the positive outcomes of yoga are plentiful, there’s literally an avalanche of scientific data. For example, yoga postures build leg strength, which is a predictor of brain health as we age. Research indicates that yoga facilitates the brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections. Regular practice is associated with increased gray matter volume in brain regions responsible for memory, emotional regulation, and attention. Need I go on?
As you can tell, I'm extremely grateful for this gift of yoga. I had no idea when I started doing it, how important it would become. So, I don’t want to be pushy, and I understand if this question makes you bristle, but… have you tried yoga? The first step is to let go of expectations and let it in