New Hope for Parkinson’s Patients
Yoga workouts slowed — but didn’t stop — Mom’s disease. New research adds fresh clinical tools that may end it altogether
I’m in my favorite place: Perched atop my purple yoga mat. As I begin my practice, breathing in and breathing out, my mind turns to my mother-in-law, whom I call Mom.
Mom is no longer with us. She passed away from Parkinson’s Disease two years ago. My yoga mat was her yoga mat, her place of hope and rejuvenation. I feel her presence here.
One of the kindest and happiest souls I’ve ever known, Mom brought her exuberant face and ever-present smile to every birthday party, every potluck, every church gathering. She wasn’t highly educated, but she had common sense in spades. And she brought that strength to everything she did, including her exercise routine.
But then everything began to fall apart.
Powering up
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive, incurable disease that’s characterized by tremors and extreme muscle stiffness. PD patients say rigid sensations in their arms and legs make them feel like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz or C-3PO in Star Wars. One sufferer described feeling like “space is closing in on me like a coffin.”
