Yoga for People with Disabilities & Chronic Conditions

 

YOGA FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES & CHRONIC CONDITIONS
Nest Yoga, Oakland (Public)

3976 Piedmont Ave., Oakland 
Thursdays from 2:00-3:30 pm 
$15 single, $50 series of 4 (sliding scale available)
Teacher: JoAnn Lyons
Assistant: Aileen Kim 

This asana class is for anyone with a physical disability. Students who have some yoga experience as well as those new to the practice are welcome. We will practice meditation, breathing, and yoga asana with the use of props. If you are severely limited in your movements, you may want to bring a friend or attendant to assist you to enhance your experience. 

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YOGA FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES & CHRONIC NEEDS
Nest Yoga, Oakland (Public)

3976  Piedmont Ave., Oakland
Saturdays from 2:45-4:15 pm
$15 single, $50 series of 4 (sliding scale available)
Teacher: JoAnn Lyons
Assistants: Rushina Patel & Firat Yener

In this class, you will learn to adapt popular yoga asanas for your individual needs, work with the breath for healing and calming, and adjust your yoga practice to where you are in the moment.  There will be gentle movement, floor work, and supported standing poses as well as restorative poses. This class is for you...
- If you are recovering from an accident or illness
- If you have carpal tunnel syndrome
- If you have a mild case of MS or CP
- If you live with chronic pain
- If you have arthritis, fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- All of the above, or other chronic conditions 

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YOGA FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES - CLASSES ARE NOW VIRTUAL
Clausen House (Classes are for participants only.)

650 Grand Ave., Oakland
Wednesdays from 10:00-11:15 am
Teacher: Lin Maxwell
Assistant: Elle Vayers-Johnson

A class incorporating chair yoga. Clausen House classes are offered to participants of the Wellness Program and participation is at the discretion of the management

 

TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR STUDENTS

 

I was a little discouraged on Sat. am (nothing terrible -- I just had to do a hard thing).  About 6:00 Sat. evening, I noticed I was feeling better.  I think it was the yoga effect! Karen C.

[My} thoughts on why I liked our yoga class. I asked myself why I can rest at home, but still feel so much more relaxed after five minutes in yoga. I think the supportive tools remove pressure points and make one feel like he/she is floating in the womb. It is a very energy-inducing and relaxing process. It may sound a little strange, but it works for me. Mary S.

Thank you for your wonderful class and your generosity and devotion to a group of people with limited options and a need for all the help they can get . . .

Joel B.

After a couple years of chronic pain from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome I started to get better but every time I tried to exercise (or take a regular yoga class) I would have a flare up and be in pain again. Someone suggested restorative yoga and I found JoAnn's Thursday class for people with disabilities.   I was astonished at the workout I got and no more flareups. But that isn't all. The class has helped me move closer to the life I desire - a life of being present, conscious and happy. Patricia E.

The community that inevitably develops in any class . . . keeps bringing me back. Even if every person has a different disability or challenge, the environment is mutually supportive and many of us look forward to that time of the week when we get together. Patrice W.

[The classes] help me learn more about my body, the way I move it, the way I hold it, the way I should shift it to have a better alignment to be safer, healthier and stronger. I am more aware of my body, what works for me and how to use props to get myself into postures I never thought I could. I also like learning how to engage the specific muscles and organs. Kim G.

Shared companionship and compassion before, during or after every class, making it very unique and gratifying. As someone with a low-level spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia, I appreciate the knowledge and sensitivity of my teachers at PYS.  Ramona A.

The classes I have attended at Piedmont Yoga, especially those for disabled and/or people with special needs have been the best I've attended anywhere.  It's a little hard to explain why but I'll give it a try.  First, I feel so safe at your Yoga classes.  The amount of personal, individual attention each participant receives is extraordinary in my experience.  I truly appreciate it.  Also, I learn things about my body that I would not discover if I was not working with people as experienced as you are.  I never feel that I will be asked or encouraged to do something that would hurt me.  I learn what the different Yoga poses are and what benefits they provide.  I am inspired by the number of truly qualified people who volunteer to assist you in these classes.  Largely, though, it's kind of an intangible thing.  I just feel more comfortable and "at home" in the environment at Piedmont Yoga than I have at any other Yoga studio. Marty S.

I'm 35 years old and I have moderate athetoid cerebral palsy, which means that I have poor muscle coordination.  This lack of coordination primarily affects my balance and my speech. . . I navigate the outside world using a power wheelchair.  I have been taking JoAnn's class at Piedmont Yoga Studio . . . and the classes are often among my favorite activities of any given week.  I usually feel stretched out and relaxed. Most weeks, I take away a sense of accomplishment after mastering some tricky new position.  I think my favorite aspect of the class is it's supportive, non-judgmental nature.  In short, the class has a very cool vibe!  Melissa C.

Thanks for a really eye-opening workshop.  I hadn't considered working with students who have severe disabilities, but actually seeing your students in action gave me a whole new perspective on what is possible.

Perry G.

Thank you so much for doing this at an affordable rate . . . ♥

Joan C.

I just wanted to thank you for letting me be a part of your Yoga for Disabilities class. It was truly amazing to see the capabilities of people of all different abilities when it comes to yoga!.. I just wanted you to know how thankful I am to have had this experience. It was truly eye-opening what experience, determination, and the power of yoga can accomplish. Jenny L.

I learned many things from this training. My understanding and ability to speak about disabilities without fear of saying the wrong thing has changed. I have a clearer perspective about the variety of diseases and conditions that are out there as well as the many ways those conditions affect people. Exactly like the military people with PTSD or TBI that I teach, there is no one way to do this or to understand a person. As a yoga teacher I need to see each person individually and act according to their particular needs on that day. This training reinforced that idea for me.

Charlie H.