Yoga Moves MS: Party with a Purpose

Nov. 16th fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis Foundation honors local MS Clinicians and promotes the benefits of yoga for people living with MS.

Mindy Eisenberg has a passion for helping people live with Multiple Sclerosis – first her mother, and for the past 10 years, Michigan residents living with the chronic disease. That’s why she puts her heart and soul into planning an annual fundraiser to gather funds for special Yoga for MS classes so students don’t have to pay exorbitant amounts. 

This year’s event, which takes place November 16th at the Troy Marriott and honors four clinicians from local MS clinics, will gather many from the MS world – doctors, physician assistants, nurses and patients as well as their families and friends – to focus on therapeutic yoga that supports those living with MS. The fundraiser supports the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF), which provides services and education as well as underwriting therapeutic yoga classes for people with MS.

“Party With a Purpose,” the November MS fundraiser, honors Dr. William Leuchter (Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine and has been in private practice in Southfield since 1976), Dr. James Voci (Director of Neurology at Beaumont Grosse Pointe and practices at Michigan Neurology Associates on the East side), Elizabeth Cobb (Dr. Leuchter’s assistant at his Southfield practice since 1998) and Jennifer Lombardo (has worked with Dr. Voci for more than 8 years).   Three of the four honorees actively practice yoga, and all strongly believe yoga should be part of the treatment plan for those with MS.
Diane Ring, who created yoga for MS in 2005, will be presented with the Founder’s Award. Erica Coulston, President of Walk the Line to SCI Recovery, Inc., and the 2013 winner of Oakland County’s Elite 40 under 40, will be the keynote speaker. In 2001, at the age of 23, Coulston sustained a spinal cord injury, which left her paralyzed from the chest down. After attending other programs with limited physical success, Coulston co-founded Walk The Line to SCI Recovery in July 2007. This activity-based physical therapy program assists clients with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries to actively pursue recovery from their injuries.  * Please help us spread the word about this wonderful event! Tickets are available and the event is open to the public. All proceeds go to help people with MS take local yoga classes. *
EVENT DETAILS
Party with a Purpose: A Fundraiser to Benefit Yoga Moves and the MS FoundationSaturday, November 16, 2013 at 7 p.m. Troy Marriott Hotel200 W Big Beaver Road Troy, Michigan 48084
Attire:  Saturday Night Chic (jeans welcome)Tickets:= $75 (includes dinner, drink, “fishbowl “and silent auction and keynote speaker Erica Coulston)Register online at Blacktie.com link:  https://www.blacktie-southflorida.com/calendar/event-detail.cfm?id=9354For information: yogaspiritwellness@gmail.com 

About Eisenberg and the classes:Eisenberg and her co-teachers instruct four weekly therapeutic yoga classes for MS patients, reaching an average of 100 students every year in Rochester, Novi, Southfield and Bloomfield Township.  Eisenberg’s students arrive with a range of symptoms and levels of ability.  Some students are impacted by symptoms such as fatigue, while others require a cane, walker, scooter or wheelchair to move.
“I believe yoga should be available to everyone regardless of physical limitations or financial concerns,” says Eisenberg.  
“We are all waiting for the day when yoga therapy is covered by insurance.  Until then, fundraising is necessary to help defray the costs of this cost effective complement to traditional medical care.”
As a way to make that happen sooner than later, Eisenberg is participating in the instruction of a yoga therapy class offered to Wayne State University Medical Students. This is a first step in a long journey to insurance coverage for yoga therapeutics.  Research studies are increasingly demonstrating the effectiveness of yoga therapy for a range of conditions including MS, Cancer, Anxiety and Depression, Cardiac, Asthma, back care and more. 
Yoga Moves MS students say they sleep better, have fewer spasms and experience an improved range of motion when they practice yoga.  One student no longer needs a walker to get out of bed in the morning. Many students say they can manage their chronic pain better due to techniques and tools learned in yoga.
Eisenberg creates a sense of community in her therapeutic yoga classes. Students claim the discussions and class themes, such as diet and lifestyle practices, yogic philosophy and self-empowerment and relaxation techniques, are as important as the stretching and physical movement, as they can share their symptoms and struggles in a supportive and understanding setting.
A recent study showed that just six months of continuous yoga significantly reduces fatigue in people with MS. Fatigue has been known to be disabling for 80 percent of MS patients if not kept in check. Another big benefit of yoga for MS is the breathing and meditation/relaxation exercises that help reduce stress and pain. A study is currently underway at Cleveland Clinic on how yoga helps ambulation for people with MS. 
MS can introduce financial pressures on the individual living with it as well as his/her family. Many cannot afford their medications, let alone the cost to attend a yoga class for MS.  This fundraiser attracts donations which pay for the class for many patients. Many MS sufferers cannot work due to the fatigue and movement and ambulatory challenges that come with the disease, says Eisenberg.
Unlike regular yoga classes, Eisenberg’s specialty classes include co-teachers so every student gets extra attention and spotting so they feel safe in various poses. 
Mindy Eisenberg and her team of co-instructors teach four weekly adaptive yoga classes for people with MS. Yoga Moves MS classes take place, Mondays at Noon at Red Lotus Yoga (1900 S. Livernois, Rochester Hills, 48307) ,Tuesdays  at Noon at Doctors of Physical Therapy ( 21600 Novi Rd, ste D600., Novi, MI 48375), Tuesdays at 7 pm at Congregation Shaarey Zedek (27375 Bell Rd., Southfield, MI 48034),  and Thursdays at 2:15 pm Karma Yoga (3683 W. Maple, Bloomfield Twp., MI 48301).