Embrace Your Destiny: Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Physical Therapy

My prize has always been walking. When I could no longer walk with ease without falling, that's when I had to find out what was wrong. First thing my neurologist had me doing after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis was to see a physical therapist. That was fourteen years ago. At that time, my right ankle seemed to be frozen. My joints were creaky and out of alignment. My balance was really bad. Walking on grass was out of the question. 


I've noticed a big difference in ease of walking in the last six months. I don't have to concentrate on posture, relaxing or flexing my ankle so I don't tap my toe. So, I asked daughter Liz to give me her perspective on improvement in my walking, she described me as choppy and robot-like at the beginning of this journey. She could see in my posture, face and movement the concentration walking took. Sh noticed my tense fingers and shoulders being rigid. She says that now, my limbs move fluidly and I look more relaxed, balanced and solid. I believe what I've been doing different over the past four year is what has finally made the difference. 

When I started this journey, I was so new to the whole idea of MS that I didn't have any idea of the possibilities. Now looking back, I would do several things way differently. First, I would have asked for continuous physical therapy. Second, I would have at least tried doing Bikram Hot Yoga with Liz earlier. I dismissed the very idea because it involved heat. That was stupid and cowardly.

Selfie of Liz and me

Getting Started

It was about ten years later that I got curious enough to explore the Bikram Yoga practice with Liz. From the beginning of her regular practice I could tell when she was practicing regularly. She looked great, felt great, and would be even tempered. She encouraged me to try it when she was home for a brief period. I thought what have I got to lose? That was four years ago. The whole family took on this adventure one Saturday morning in June 2014 at Hot Yoga Asheville. Donnie and I had been doing yoga at the YMCA in Hendersonville so other than the heat, we wondered how different it could be. We found out. It was all good! I indeed could tolerate the heat. Yes, I was weak when it was over and it took the rest of the day to fully recover my strength, but wow did I ever feel great.

Why I Like Hot 26

1. I love the philosophy. Just do the best you can do.  All the teachers say if you give 100% effort, you get 100% benefit! What a freeing idea! 

2. I like meeting people like me. We all want to look better, but after we do that we stay and practice regularly because of the health benefits. 

3. I like getting 90 minutes of comprehensive exercise in one class. I get balance, strength training, stretching and meditation.  

4. I like knowing I will get the same 26 postures done in the same order everyday. This gives me a reference point to see improvement. 

It's been four years since I took my first hot yoga class. I started with a goal of doing three to four classes a week. As I began noticing little improvements, I decided to ramp up attendance and track improvements. After 2 years with six months of daily practice, goodbye headaches! Gas, bloating and constipation, gone! Numbness in fingers, rare. No more carpel tunnel and having to wear a brace at night. 

HELLO  great energy, toned body, and generally feeling good! Thank you for improving body alignment, flexibility and balance. While I can't say that yoga is totally responsible for all these remarkable changes, I can say that without doing yoga, I'm quite sure none of that would have happened. While these great changes are amazing, my prize has been the walking. Let me tell you what yoga did to facilitate the walking improvements.  

How Yoga Facilitated Walking

For starters, Hot 26 is structured with a sequence of breathing exercises and postures that I'm convinced set the stage for walking improvement. The four warm-up postures work the spine in all four directions and then warm up the legs and all big joints and muscle groups. After that, the focus is on focus. The tool is balancing on one leg. By the end of this segment, the mind is engaged in the meditative piece of this yoga practice. I believe balance and meditation are critical to my overall walking improvement. 

The rest of the standing series is all about building strength. Falling was a frequent occurrence early in my practice. The floor is cushy so no harm was ever done. I have to get set and balanced before doing the posture and that's okay. The teachers say getting into and out of the postures is just as important as final expression. In fact, they say final expression is always changing because you are different everyday and over time the body can go to new places. The strength I needed in my legs and core in order to walk better all got started with this yoga. 

Floor Bow ends Spine Series

The final series of poses are done on the floor. The yoga gurus says this is when the yoga begins. I must say, I love the floor series. The first portion on the floor  works on all parts of the back. These poses are really hard but so worth doing. Not only is my back stronger and more mobile, I believe the central nervous system gets a reset as well. The other postures on the floor nurture the organs and all the systems of the body.

My prize and reward from going to yoga everyday is first of all feeling great from the inside out. When I eat right and take care of myself in every other way, I also have good energy. The energy allows me to do all the fun things I want to do like blog and read and cook.

Secondly, my walking is better and improving everyday. I can't remember the last time I fell. My walking shoes don't need replacing every six months. Maybe most important, I don't think about each step I take all the time. There probably will always be times when my legs are fatigued, or when stress dominates. Then I do think about walking carefully. I feel more confident! I feel empowered and like I'm getting my life back.

For me, the cost/ benefit analysis goes in favor of Hot 26.  I am confident that Hot 26 was the start of all good things for me. I thank Adi Westerman all the great teachers at Hot Yoga Asheville for the excellent instruction and encouragement they give me and all students. I plan to keep practicing this yoga as long as I can.