SEPTEMBER IS YOGA MONTH
Local Yoga Healers Abound by Meredith Montgomery
A
s medical centers across the U.S. such as Cleveland Clinic and the University of Arizona Medical Center are incorporating yoga therapy into treatment plans, a pool of qualified yoga therapists are making this complementary care option available to Lower Alabama residents. Daphne resident and co-owner of Kula Yoga Community Julie Wilkins had extensive spine fusion surgery for scoliosis 30 years ago. Working as an occupational therapist for 10 years before beginning her journey as a yoga instructor, Wilkins relies on the merging of her rehabilitation background with therapeutic yoga techniques to “keep my body and mind mobile, stable and happy,” she says. With a belief that traditional medicine often overlooks the mental and emotional stress that accompanies a physical diagnosis, Wilkins says, “You can’t separate the mind from the body. A good yoga therapist can evaluate a client on all levels—physically, emotionally and spiritually—to establish a holistic therapy program that is personal and unique to each individual.” “I never encourage people to stay away from the doctor, but medicine has side effects and surgery is very traumatic 26
Mobile / Baldwin Edition
to the body—it can be a discouraging experience, not an empowering one,” says Fairhope yoga teacher and massage therapist Billie Reinhart, who teaches a free class to multiple sclerosis patients every week. Even when there is damage to bones, tissue or joints, good alignment with mindful movement can be very relieving. Reinhart has witnessed the effectiveness of yoga therapy in the management of hernias, hip replacements, bladder control and herniated discs. “I love to see mind-blown eyes or softened faces after the clearing of extreme discomfort,” she says. Fairhope-based yoga therapist Cynthia Galas says, “Medicine provided by a physician can help us maintain balance and manage symptoms, but yoga therapy is a true investment in healing that allows a patient to take an active role in their own healing process.” She also points out that a patient’s relationship with their physician is different from that
with their yoga therapist. “In a medical environment, patients may tense up and don’t always engage with the practitioner’s undivided attention. When working with a therapist, clients tend to feel more relaxed, conversing casually and moving naturally. This makes it easier to more fully nurture them holistically.” Reinhart recalls, “One of my students recently said, ‘I trust you, but most importantly, my body trusts you,’ and this allows her to accomplish so much more on her mat to reach her full potential.” Laura Jones is an Integrative Yoga Therapy teacher at Mobile’s Alabama Healing Arts, and says, “In yoga therapy, we practice connecting to and becoming aware of ourselves as a whole person through the many layers that make up our being. It slows us down enough to feel and notice what truly is going on with ourselves.” In addition to an individualized physical practice, an effective yoga therapy program is customized with breathing exer-
You can’t separate the mind from the body. A good yoga therapist can evaluate a client on all levels—physically, emotionally and spiritually—to establish a holistic therapy program that is personal and unique to each individual.
www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com
~Julie Wilkins