Yoga Therapy for Parkinson’s Patients

Colleen Carroll started practicing yoga to counter the physical strain of decades of playing the flute. Now she teaches a specialized yoga to help stave off the devastating effects of neurological conditions: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke and epilepsy.   The comparison is not as far-fetched as it may seem, for Carroll not only used yoga to heal the pain caused by the awkward neck position, raised arms and sheer weight of the flute, but also to revive her enthusiasm for teaching the instrument.   Similarly, the twin yogic pillars’breathing techniques and postures’-have proven to be powerful tools in rebalancing and resetting the nervous system frayed by disease. ”””’ ‘I took yoga teacher training to reconnect with myself as teacher,’ says Carroll, who lives in Topanga Canyon. ‘It worked, especially the messages and psychology of the practice, and I did regain my interest in teaching the flute, but more in teaching yoga.’   She started teaching yoga in 1995, but after a decade she was eager to focus on a particular yogic tradition and was drawn to Larry Payne’s Yoga Therapy RX at Loyola Marymount University. The certificate program trains yoga teachers to be Yoga Therapists and apply classical applications of yoga for use in a clinical setting.   ’I met Larry and realized that his certification program would be a good fit to adapt yoga for people’s unique structural limitations, to help in preventing injuries, to recover from injuries and to deal with ongoing conditions,’ Carroll says. Throughout the two-year program, Carroll studied anatomy, physiology and the systems of the body with specialists in the medical field e.g., a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, along with the yoga perspective on each of these systems. ‘Structural problems are interesting, but I was more interested in the nervous system and the application of yoga therapy,’ Carroll says. ‘The breath is the main therapeutic tool to rebalance and reset the nervous system.’ From there any other affected system can be addressed.’   Since completing her training and advanced coursework, Carroll has focused much of her practice helping to assuage the symptoms of Parkinson’s, both physical (muscle rigidity, tremors, shuffling gait) and emotional (depression, anxiety and sleep disorders).   ’Parkinson’s is a confusion in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra, where dopamine is produced,’ Carroll explains. ‘Dopamine is the neuron that affects gait, balance and muscle coordination. To slow the progression of the disease, movement is essential. Breathing deeply and properly facilitates smooth muscular control.’   In fact, Carroll starts all her classes with breathing and asymmetrical movement, e.g. raise your right arm, turn your face to the left, and inhale. Let the breath surround the movement. Breathing primarily through the nose targets the nervous system.   ’The breath comes into the place in the brain where the two sides of the brain cross, so right away you’re challenging both sides of the brain to work in a balanced way,’ Carroll says. ‘Then if you employ asymmetrical movement, that too utilizes both sides of the brain.’   Carroll notes that when we walk, we do this naturally, without even thinking. The left footsteps and the right arm swings. ‘When people have neurological conditions, they need to think a little more carefully about asymmetrical exercise.’ She adds that when they concentrate on these exercises, as little as an hour, they may show no symptoms.   ’They come into my class hunched over, shuffling, tremoring and walk out with a long stride and upright.’ Carroll finds working with Parkinson’s a very satisfying practice, while well aware that there is a difference between healing and curing.   ’I am very careful with my patients,’ she says. ‘Far be it from me to know how it must be. But I know that if they wake up every day, at any stage, they can start over again with 10 deep breaths, a few yogic stretches and renewed enthusiasm.   ’I tell my patients that instead of thinking what you can’t do, do what you can. It is important to me to help people change their way of thinking to think of the endless possibilities within ourselves to improve our own health and well-being.’   Studies do show that exercise is more helpful than medication in slowing the progression of the condition and improving quality of life. ‘Parkinson’s patients take medication to combat rigidity. Yoga is a tandem process,’ Carroll says.   She knows that the other symptoms, those not observable, can be devastating.’ ‘There are a number of non-motor symptoms such as depression, sleep disturbances and digestive imbalances that yogic principles improve. ‘Neurologists agree that improvement in the non-motor affects the movement symptoms in a positive way.’   Carroll works with neurologists, chiropractors and physical therapists, and has been schooled in interfacing with the medical community.   ’Larry’s program emphasizes language that helps yoga therapists and patients communicate with doctors without being challenging,’ she says. ‘We avoid language that could create an off-putting impression of yoga.   ’My personal feeling is that neurologists have been quite open-minded about yoga therapy. They deal with people with conditions for which there is no cure and so they are willing to recommend yoga appropriately applied.’   Carroll adds, ‘Less than one percent of the population has Parkinson’s disease, but everybody knows somebody with PD.’   Carroll offers classes as well as private sessions. For more information, call (818) 887-2138 or visit www.SoundYogaStudio.com.