YR Expands Our PD Network to Brooklyn, NY
In July, YogaReach (YR) founder Char Grossman and team member Michael Ingram brought our successful Mindful Movement for PD Professional Workshop to Brooklyn. The team began the 3-day event by thanking David Leventhal, Program Director of Dance for PD®. Leventhal helped YR obtain training space at the renowned Mark Morris Dance Center and recruited his Dance for PD® clients to participate in our program.
In our workshop, we believe it’s important to know the basics, like the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and the magic of neuroplasticity. By uniting thought and action, Char and Michael showed participants how to reinforce clients’ weakened skills and gain new skills they previously thought impossible. With these techniques, our students often feel reinvigorated, confident and hopeful.
Throughout the workshop, Char shared positive techniques and movement modifications that benefit individuals diagnosed with PD and other neurological issues. These included methods to improve clients’ focus, awareness, postural balance, muscle tone, energy flow, self-esteem, mindful relaxation, and inspiration. Staying true to the YogaReach culture, Char and Michael emphasized the importance of building a relaxed and encouraging environment that fosters mindfulness and socialization while decreasing stress levels.
Pooling Resources into Our Workshops: The YR Way
YogaReach adds a unique twist to our workshops by incorporating local resources and talent unique to the hosting city. As we continue building this special community, we are growing a vital support network of advocates and experts experienced with PD.
Thanks to Annette Nielsen of the Horticultural Society of New York and a generous donation from Whole Foods Market, we were able to learn about healthy eating and nutrition for people with Parkinson’s disease. Lauren Paglisotti, Community Engagement Officer with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJF), presented information about PD trials. By spreading the world about medical trials with our clients, MJF hopes we can find better treatments and a cure.
Our workshop also featured fifteen class members of Dance for PD® and their carepartners, who joined us for a free adaptive yoga class. This professional demonstration allowed Char and Michael to show how YR incorporates daily living skills, safe modifications, and ways clients may build their awareness of movement, choice in action, and their mind-body connection. Being a therapeutic yoga organization, we included mindfulness practices that foster clients’ social and emotional well-being.
Wrapping it Up
As our workshop concluded, the YR team reiterated the effective skills of an adaptive yoga instructor. In addition to understanding the philosophy and hallmarks of yoga, we believe it’s important to deliver an accessible-to-all comfortable environment that addresses clients’ mental, physical and spiritual needs.
The weekend ended with love and new friends. To keep everyone’s new skills fresh, participants Debbie and Joe Flamini created a photo album for their workshop colleagues. We appreciated the opportunity to offer this workshop with the input of our skilled participants and Brooklyn resources. We always learn together.
Continue to embrace the power within and build your skills with YogaReach! We can’t wait to see you at our next workshop! If you’d like to host a workshop, please contact Char Grossman at yogareach@gmail.com.
