The beauty of yoga has changed my life. 

Over twenty years ago, I founded Yoga Moves MS, a nonprofit adaptive yoga organization that provides community, support and instruction for people living with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and other neuromuscular disorders.

Instructing people in this community has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. My students are my inspiration. They bring light to darkness, laughter to tears, strength to weakness, courage to fear, inspiration to despair, healing to suffering.

I feel like I am the luckiest yoga instructor on the planet. 

While I have been practicing and studying yoga for twenty years, my personal journey toward adaptive yoga began with my experience as the daughter of a woman with severe physical challenges. 

My mother had a progressive form of MS and was confined to a wheelchair for over 25 years. In those days, there were limited ways to increase her comfort. I knew there had to be better options to improve her quality of life. 

As a yoga devotee, I became a yoga teacher. I was invited to volunteer as a yoga instructor for a support group for individuals with MS at a leading neurology center. The participants responded so positively to the class, that we formed a separate yoga class just for them and others interested in adaptive yoga.

While it was too late to help my mother with adaptive yoga, I quickly realized how the yoga classes immeasurably improved my students’ sense of self-worth, capability and well-being. They found that they moved more steadily, felt energized and serene — and they had a lot of fun. This epiphany carried me headlong into further studies to help this eager and underserved group. 

Thus, Yoga Moves MS was born! Since that first class, I have seen hundreds of my students, with varying levels of physical and cognitive abilities, reap the rewards of the Yoga Moves program. Along the way, we changed the name to Yoga Moves Any Body – because any “body” can participate in our classes, which are adaptive and free. You can join us in-person at locations around Southeast Michigan, online and on-demand. I invite you and those you care for to enjoy the beauty and life changing benefits of adaptive yoga.

Namaste. 

Yoga Moves MS, a 501C3, hosts an annual Gratitude Gala to raise critical funds. This year’s Gala takes place at The MINT, on Saturday, November 15 at 6 PM. For tickets or to learn more about Yoga Moves MS: https://cbo.io/app/public/bidapp/ymms25.