Yoga Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis 

Individualized, neurosupportive yoga therapy for women with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Bloomington Indiana and surrounding areas including Indianapolis. Therapy is provided at your location by a C-IAYT yoga therapist whose interest in supporting those with MS comes from personal experience as well as over twenty years of experience as a therapist specializing in multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions. 

​

Yoga for MySelf™ provides long-term therapy based upon, and adaptive to, the nuances and variability of multiple sclerosis. "I don't want to stop being who I am" is a phrase we have heard frequently from our clients with MS. It is a reflection of the frustration experienced when trying to keep up with the pace of the modern world, work, and quite frequently the personal stress of juggling a family and well-intentioned friends. MS is not who you are but can become a second skin which constricts one in such a way as to challenge even the simplest effort.

 

Yoga therapy can help diffuse the effects of MS, both physiologically and mentally / emotionally—particularly when approached in a moderate, mindful manner. Therapy sessions emphasize the person as a whole, rather than simply focusing on the disease (or dis-ease, as it were). Studies on the effects of yoga for MS show decreased fatigue, increased energy, a lessening of self-reported depression, and better balance and sense of proprioception. Perhaps more importantly, regular sessions are helpful in decreasing fatigue and bringing better quality of life through self-care.

​

• Yoga therapy appropriate for, and specifically beneficial for, those with multiple sclerosis

• Yoga therapy to improve proprioception and balance issues common to MS

• Learning to recognize patterns of stress, tension, compensation

• Focus on confidence and body-awareness (sitting, rising, walking, stairs)​

• Addressing chronic pain and sleep difficulties 

• Providing simple, safe yoga therapy to implement daily for self-care—whether at the physical / physiological level or for mental and emotional wellbeing

​

Living with MS: Longterm Therapy & Support

 

Multiple sclerosis manifests in many ways, differing from one person to the next: balance and gait impairment, visual disturbances, spasticity and joint contracture, gastrointestinal issues, depression. Stress, be it emotional, physical, or mental can cause a flare-up of symptoms (exacerbation) or an outright relapse. The unpredictability of MS progression—from a once in a lifetime CIS (clinically isolated syndrome), to a relapsing-remitting pattern over decades, or a progressive and unrelenting worsening of symptoms—creates an uneasy, nebulous outlook on the future which clients often struggle with from the day of diagnosis (and have likely been challenged with before diagnosis). Comprehensive Therapy and Lifestyle Therapy are supportive, long-term options which may include yoga therapy, nutritional guidance, specialized bodywork and passive range of motion, as well as neuropalliative therapy. We encourage you to discuss these options with us.  

​