Former congresswoman Gabrielle (Gabby) Giffords is no slacker. A couple of years ago she was a rising star in congress and then she and many others were shot by a madman at a rally in her home state of Arizona. Even though she has struggled to recover from her brain injury she and her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, have launched a ambitious PAC and campaign, Americans for Responsible Solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership.
In a recent ABC News Diane Sawyer interview Gabby talks about her journey toward recovery. In the poignant interview she notes physical therapy, speech therapy and yoga are part of that journey. This is in the spirit of our work here; appropriately modified postures and mindful movement are a complement to therapy. A practice of mindful yoga is nourishing to heart, mind and body regardless of the state of things; brain injury, post-surgery, training for a marathon, difficult mood, active family life and more.
My thanks to Gabby Giffords for her example of courage in the face of the immense personal challenges of the past two years. All-the-best in her personal and public challenges with her new campaign. Perhaps she can encourage us no matter what we face. Perhaps our mindful movement practice can be a helpful way of nourishing our life even in the challenging times.
You can read more about Gabby’s journey in Melanie Eversley’s USA Today article.
Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for medical visits. Marie will work with you for four weeks in a row to help you learn to care for yourself and to help keep your back stronger, more pliable, more durable and more pain free. Properly adapted therapeutic yoga practice has been shown effective in helping folks with low back pain in a number of medical studies. Read articles from these medical journals: Annals of Internal Medicine, Pain, Spine.
