Every week about 200 people are diagnosed with Multiple Schlerosis. Of the 2.5 million people with MS worldwide, 400,000 are Americans - including Suzanne Stephens who teaches yoga in Queen Anne to help her through the ride of ups and downs that comes with MS.
When Stephens was diagnosed with MS in 2003 she had never practiced yoga but thought it would help reduce the stress of her diagnosis.
"And then I just liked it so much. My body, my mind, my spirit all just felt better. I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what it was," Stephens said, "but I started reading more about it. I didn't plan on teaching but as I learned more and more I couldn't shut up about it."
Stephens now teaches yoga at Red Square at 1911 10th Avenue West, including a Yoga Empowered class on Mondays and a Yoga Empowered for MS class on Thursdays, which is approved by the MS Society.
The MS yoga class is an extension of Stephen's training in therapeutic yoga - which focuses on yoga's healing benefits that can be used off the mat, as well as the physical practice of poses.
"Basically what yoga does and the reason I've incorporated it into my life and feel so strongly about it is," Stephens said, "because it helps me feel better as a whole, which empowers me and makes me feel like I can do these things. Not that there's not anything wrong with me but despite that I can still be the best version of myself."
But getting to a place where Stephens could teach yoga was a personal struggle too because her MS symptoms sometimes kept her from making it to yoga class. So, Stephens started teaching herself.
"Within the first couple of years of having MS I wasn't feeling well sometimes so I got books so I could practice at home as well," Stephens said. "And I ended up practicing at home a lot and went to classes every once in awhile. But within months it was something I wanted to keep doing because it did seem to help me on many different levels."
Much of the yoga Stephens practices and teaches is a form of viniyoga - associated more closely with therapeutic yoga which focuses on breathing exercises, meditations and rituals that can be practiced off the mat.
"I started using breathing exercises and meditations to help me through treatment and stressful situations of living with MS," Stephens said.
Practicing yoga has helped Stephen combat symptoms of cognitive disabilities and reduce muscle cramping, spasms and pain.
"It definitely helps increase my sustainability," Stephens said. For Stephens, who has relapsing MS - meaning she will have an episode where a new symptom will develop and over time subside, but not go away - yoga has helped her develop an awareness of her body's limits, whether she wants to listen to it or not.
With yoga, Stephens said, she can proactively work with her MS by calming the body and the nervous system while not overdoing it - an important factor for people with MS.
"The most difficult thing for me is the ups and downs, not knowing how I'm going to feel or where how the disease will progress," Stephens said, "and then accepting that and not letting that keep me from doing the things I want to do."
To read more about Stephens' yoga classes and experience go to her Web site, yogaempoweredhome.blogspot.com and redsquareyoga.com.
[[In-content Ad]]
