Impact of Yoga on Neuromuscular Diseases (NMD)
Moving and exercising our body daily is extremely important specially if we have an NMD. Any amount of exercise that one can do is good enough. Personally, I have found doing few minutes of gentle yoga daily to make a significant impact on my flexibility and range of motion. I believe, most people with NMD such as muscular dystrophy can do some type of yoga such as chair yoga or adaptive yoga to improve their physical and mental health.
According to my dear friend and certified yoga instructor Milauni Nagar "In the west, we think of yoga as a form of workout! But Yoga is much more than that, It's an experience of fully living in the beauty of the present moment. Yoga is an Abhayasa (a Sanskrit term meaning consistent practice), that includes yoga asanas or postures, breathing exercises that strings the breath back to its original rhythm and a practice of meditation to still the mind. But above all yoga is a way of life, to live a life of greater awareness & continuous growth. "
Whichever NMD (Neuro Muscular Disease) one may have, there are some yoga postures that one do. Even starting with 10-15 minutes of yoga postures can do a world of good to our overall physical and mental health. Couple of years back, I developed intense knee pain which didn't allow me sit for my daily meditations. Couple of sessions with my yoga instructor and the pain went away and has not returned since. I can now comfortably sit on the floor and do my breathing practice and meditation.
According to Scott Holsten, a physical therapist at the MDA Care Center at Carolinas Medical Center and registered Yoga Alliance teacher. "Neuromuscular disorders cause weaknesses resulting in muscle and structural imbalances in the body. These imbalances can limit optimal functional movement and even produce pain. The alignment-centered poses of yoga, which stretch and strengthen specific body parts, can be physically beneficial. This can include stretching tight calves to improve ankle flexibility for better standing, stretching hip flexors that become tight from sitting more frequently to manage back pain and possibly strengthening trunk muscles weakened from lack of use due to sitting in a wheelchair"
Before starting any yoga practice, I suggest talking to your doctor or the local MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) chapter about the type of yoga that is best suited in your situation. Look for a certified yoga instructor Who understands neuro muscular diseases (NMD) and has experience working with muscular dystrophy patients.
If you still not sure about the many amazing benefits of yoga for NMD specially Muscular Dystrophy, I invite you to read this beautiful article on MDA website about a 28 year old adaptive yoga instructor. Her name is Chelsea Singer and she has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) since she was 11. It's an amazingly inspiring story of someone who not only changed her life with yoga but is now making a positive impact in other people's life as well.