Moms And Kids
For 16 weeks, the group of moms and
kids met in rotating homes for class
on Monday nights. "We became good
friends and did dinner afterwards," said
Temple Israel member Suzy MacDonald,
mom to Isabelle, 7, who has ADHD, and
Andie, 6. Isabelle built core strength and
increased her flexibility. "Her centering
and focus improved as weir MacDonald
added. "The girls would show me each
week what they learned. It was hard for
Isabelle, but she was a trooper.
"It was so nice [for Isabelle] to be in
someone's home with her friends. At a
public place, it would be easier to quit:"
Hack plans to recommend the class
to their elementary school PTO, hoping
to bring it to the school.
"We all came away realizing that we
live with more stress than we knew,
and how much we have to unwind:'
Hack said.
Group organizer Collins was moti-
vated by a positive yoga experience
with her son David, 9, at a young age.
"David was diagnosed with atypical
autism at 1 1 years old. Yoga was one of
the first things we did, and one of the
few things he could focus on:' she said.
"Yoga is a foundation and a tool that
will be with him for the rest of his life:'
Hack said, "It's all about the teacher;
do they get it? Do they call the child by
their name or their diagnosis?"
Debbie Cohen Thomas of Oak Park, a
yoga instructor for the group, said it was
a wonderful learning experience. "Yoga
teaches you it is possible, no matter how
difficult, to find a quiet place
Belightful Yoga owner Ballo said,
"Well-trained and patient teachers,
who are particularly mindful of the
teacher-to-student ratio, help ensure
that children with special needs get the
attention they need and feel a sense of
pride upon leaving yoga class. The best
classes will provide total well-being —
nourishment for their body and soul."
If Judaism and yoga intersect, the
meet-up place just might be the breath.
According to Miriam Millhauser Castle,
author of The Breath and Body of Inner
Torah, "through breath the soul enters
the body at birth, leaves the body at
death and is tethered to the body in
life:' Millhauser Castle makes the point
that "the Hebrew word for breath,
neshimah, and the Hebrew word for
soul, neshamah, are virtually identical,
sharing the same root.
"The letter yud, which is added
to the word neshamah to make it
neshimah, is to remind us that God, to
whom the letter yud refers, breathed
into us the very breath of our lives and
through it our souls are always con-
nected to Him:'
❑
To contact Belightful Yoga, call (248)
761-6815 or visit www.belightfulyoga.com .
LAKES URGENT CARE
When your health concerns can't wait.
We honor the memory of
our colleague and friend
Martin Ira Apple MD
We express our sympathy
to his family.
May he rest in peace
i:115Vri 1 15y
2300 Haggerty Road, Suite 1010
West Bloomfield, MI 48323
248-926-9111
INTERNAL MEDICINE
& Primary Care Specialists
_.,
Lawrence Dell MD
Kristin Krueger PA-C
James Gordon MD
Dean Burkland PA-C
Cheryl Ruble MD
Lisa Norris NP
Kas Buitkus MD
Shelley Nepa DO
Our deepest sympathy
to the family of
Martin Ira Apple MEP"T
He will be missed
2300 Haggerty Roa s uite 1010
West Bloomfield, MI 48323
248-668-0900
JN
April 25 • 2013
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