health & wellness Yoga Moves MS Stellar nurses, adaptive yoga are the focus of fundraiser. Lynne Meredith Golodner Special to the Jewish News M indy Eisenberg has spent her life helping people live with multiple sclerosis — first her mother, and now Michigan residents living with the chronic dis- ease. Eisenberg's expertise is yoga that helps keep people with MS nimble, flexible and without the muscle tight- ness so common with the disease. Eisenberg is hosting a Nov. 10 fun- draiser, "Yoga Moves MS: Party with a Purpose to highlight the extraor- dinary efforts of four area nurses. The fundraiser raises money for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF), which funds Eisenberg's adaptive yoga classes. West Bloomfield resident Leah Klein has had MS for nearly 30 years. Attending Eisenberg's adaptive yoga classes has helped her strengthen and maintain flexibility, and "the attention to breathing helps me relax and stop focusing on my problems," she says. "Mindy stresses the importance of loving your body. Yoga has shown me where my strengths are and helped me figure out ways to work around mobil- ity problems:" The event honors four special nurses who are experts in treating MS: Mickey Cochran, RN, MSCN, of Detroit Medical Center; Suzanne Croll, RN, MSCN, of Henry Ford Hospital; Kathy Bennett, RN, MSCN, at University of Michigan Health System; and Margie Leonard, RN, MSCN, at Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders (MIND) Center. "Sometimes your path is set for you:' says Eisenberg, who started working with individuals with MS eight years ago. "When I was a child and teenager, I didn't know how to help my mother. I'm so thrilled to be able to help MS patients now in a very meaningful way." Eisenberg teaches four weekly thera- peutic yoga classes for MS patients, reaching an average of 100 students every year. Eisenberg's students arrive with a range of symptoms, from a movement disorder to full-fledged Multiple Sclerosis. The poses and les- sons of yoga help keep her students nimble and stave off muscle tightness. Southfield resident Deborah Silverstein sees a difference in her back pain. "I owe the reduction in pain, the increase in mobility and the West Bloomfield 6623 Orchard Lake Rd. 248.626.5451 Be a source of hope. Help find a cure for bipolar disorder. The liehrt Cfftceter Sheller fi,eseerch• Fund. atthe litaiverh) hItchhjen. Depression. Center Support the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund at the University of Michigan Depression Center. Get involved: PrechterFund.org/hope 1-877-UM-GENES "We envision a future when everyone with a mental illness will recover." New Freedom Commission on Mental Health 1756510 68 October 25 • 2012 Leah Klein and Peggy Johnson stretch their hamstrings and calves. decrease in visits to my chiropractor all to my practice of yoga with Mindy," Silverstein says. Eisenberg creates a sense of com- munity in her therapeutic yoga classes. Students claim the discussions and class themes, such as diet and life- style practices, yogic philosophy and self-empowerment and relaxation techniques, are as important as the stretching and physical movement, as they can share their symptoms and struggles in a supportive and under- standing setting. A recent study showed that just six months of continuous yoga signifi- cantly reduces fatigue in people with MS. Fatigue has been known to be dis- abling for 80 percent of MS patients, if not kept in check. Another big benefit of yoga for those with MS is the breathing and medita- tion/relaxation exercises that help reduce stress and pain. Also, MS can create financial pressures on individ- uals as well as their families. Many cannot afford medications, let alone the cost of a yoga class, so this fund- raiser will gather donations to pay for the class for many patients. Unlike regular yoga classes, Eisenberg's specialty classes include co-teachers, so every student gets extra attention and spotting so they feel safe in various poses, including standing, in a chair and on the ground. E For a list of adaptive yoga classes for MS patients, email yogaspiritwellness@gmail. corn. "Party with a Purpose" is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Somerset Inn, 2601 Big Beaver Road, Troy. Register online at http://www.msfocus.org/view-page. aspx?id=860. Lynne Meredith Golodner is a publicist and writer who owns Your People LLC in Southfield.