The Winning #YAMStory!
Submitted by Mary Lynne Hayes & Buren (Pete) Price (Winners of the #yamstory)
I started coming to YAM in February 2018, because of constant pain in both hips. When I had tried yoga a few times in the past I liked that it made me more flexible with less pain. But best of all it was calming; it made me slow down and relax and breathe! I began by going to the Thursday evening Restorative Yoga classes to learn more about yoga, and because it was slower and less intense. With the lower to the ground poses that we held for longer stretches of time, my aching hips released after 4 to 6 weeks.
Meanwhile, my semi-retired father, aged 80, had to quit his job because he was having constant back pain and could not sit or stand for any length of time comfortably. He also was having balance issues, and, because he couldn’t do anything physical, he had no stamina and would easily be out of breath if he exerted himself at all.
I was pleased with the results I was getting from yoga. So, I told him he should come to yoga with me. It seemed like something he would be able to do. Restorative Yoga was low to the ground, so if he lost his balance, he wouldn’t fall far. Once in the pose, he wouldn’t have to exert himself too much. And the heat and stretching would increase his flexibility.
I was still new to yoga and liked the idea of having someone I knew come with me. My dad had never tried anything like yoga, and I knew he would be more open to it if he had someone he knew with him. We would be yoga buddies!
Beginning in April this year, we started meeting at the studio each Thursday night. The instructors took great care with my dad. They modified the poses for him and helped to place him in the poses when he was limited by pain or inflexibility. After class, I would help him put away the blocks, bolsters, and blankets he had used. Sometimes, others in the class would pick up his things, too.
When the studio added a massage component to the Restorative Yoga, my dad, who has never had a massage, expressed his appreciation for it. He frequently tells the masseuses they have magic fingers!
I have since moved on to the Monday evening Slow Flow class for more of a physical challenge. My dad is a gregarious person who has never met a stranger. He has continued to practice on Thursdays in the Restorative Yoga class when he is able. Several of the other yogis look after him, help him, and ask after him if he is ever unable to come to class. He’s slowly gaining flexibility and balance. And after every class, he says that he feels better than when he came in.
I am grateful, for myself and my father, to have found YAM. We both plan to continue our practice there for the foreseeable future.
~ Mary Lynne Hayes & Buren (Pete) Price