Ilchi Lee

“MS takes away what your normal life used to be. With Dahn Yoga, I recaptured things I thought I could no longer do.” These words are from Cathy Downie, a long-term Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferer who now teaches this gentle yoga approach to people living with MS in the Phoenix area, and has inspired a video to share the practice with the worldwide MS community.

Dahn Yoga pratitioners

Sharon Everett, one of Cathy’s students, was diagnosed with secondary progressive MS seven years ago. As her condition deteriorated, she was eventually advised to get a motorized wheel chair. Before ordering the device, she heard about Cathy’s yoga classes through the MS Society of Arizona, and decided to give it a try.

MS is an inflammatory disease that interferes with the nervous system's ability to communicate information appropriately. It can manifest as sensory problems, loss of coordination and balance, weakness, spasticity, mood or cognitive impairment, or other symptoms. According to Sung Lee, M.D., "Dahn Yoga has been associated with many health benefits, including improved quality of life and self-efficacy, stress reduction, greater energy and emotional well-being. It may impact MS and other inflammatory disorders by helping create a state of improved balance in the autonomic nervous system -- more rest and digest and less fight or flight."

Dahn Yoga for MS DVD cover

Sharon came to the Dahn Yoga Center wearing leg braces, using a cane and carrying a firm pillow for back support. After a few weeks of classes, she noticed that she had more energy and felt more positive that she had in years. Her doctors were amazed by her progress. One commented that this is a prime example of ancient wisdom triumphing over modern medicine. Her family doctor was so taken by her improved condition that he has been recommending that his other patients take up Dahn Yoga. Sharon states, “Dahn Yoga has given me my life back; I’m happy, I’m healthy, [and] I just want to share this with the world.”

Cathy’s journey to becoming the first instructor of Dahn Yoga for MS began 14 years ago when she was diagnosed with the disease. She tried many different medicines and exercises to deal with her pain and suffering. Along with the drugs, she has practiced different forms of yoga over the years. This combination helped manage the pain, but gave her no hope of returning to a normal life, which often frustrated and depressed her. With the onset of menopause, her MS symptoms worsened and her number of pills increased. So she tried yet another yoga approach, this time at a Dahn Yoga Center, albeit with some unease about it being a holistic yoga method.

After a few weeks of training, Cathy realized that the more she practiced Dahn Yoga, the better she felt. Her pain lessened, energy increased, and her back became more flexible and stronger. Three months later, she started weaning herself off of daily muscle relaxers and Provigil (prescribed for increased energy and clearer thinking). As she took more classes and advanced healing workshops, she finally was able to develop the skills, especially breathing, to control her stress level and thus get back her life. As she puts it, “Dahn Yoga exercises help me go beyond my perceived limits to the next level of health.”

Because the practice helped Cathy so much, she felt motivated to share it with others as a natural way of countering MS’s debilitating physical and mental effects. Besides her full-time job as a legal secretary, she teaches yoga five times a week, with three classes specifically for MS sufferers. She says that she finally has enough energy for such a full life.

In Cathy’s yoga for MS classes, she teaches the exercises and self-massage techniques that have worked best for her. She focuses on the students’ legs while sitting on the floor or in a wheel chair – tapping the toes with heels together, flexing the heels, and rotating the ankles. She emphasizes slow and deep breathing – raising the arms on the inhalation and lowering them on the exhalation – which brings the body temperature down, and improves symptoms by reducing stress-induced overheating.

Cathy guides her students into postures that encourage their body to generate greater energy and enhance breathing. She reminds her students to learn to “watch your body,” especially when they are not in class so that they can pace themselves, relax deeply, cool down, activate their energy, and feel positive. She exhorts them to not worry about the small things challenging them, and to smile and laugh more, which produces uplifting and healing benefits.

Before hearing about her classes, most of her students with MS did not know that yoga was a real option for them. Many physicians used to talk their MS patients out of doing exercise, believing that it would make them more tired. According to the MSActiveSource.com website, the health benefits of exercise in general and yoga in particular have been documented.

Beyond the physical benefits of the modified exercises, Cathy’s students support each other with encouragement and by example. Cathy believes that the supportive atmosphere is a very important element of the success they are experiencing in the class.

Cathy reports that people with conditions similar to MS register for her classes. Those struggling with fibromyalgia and arthritis, and recovering from strokes and brain injuries are realizing the same positive outcomes as people with MS.

Cathy’s vision is to share yoga with people living with MS outside of the Phoenix area. So it was with enthusiasm that she accepted an invitation to advise the Dahn Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Dahn Yoga, on the creation of a DVD called Dahn Yoga for MS and Similar Conditions.

This 64-minute DVD guides people living with MS through a workout designed specifically to meet their needs. The program includes a variety of gentle stretching exercises, guided breath work, and simple energy training techniques. Dahn Yoga for MS and Similar Conditions can be ordered through Amazon.com; the retail price is $19.95.

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