Cerebral Palsy

Yoga Discussion Structural Yoga Therapy
#1

Dear Mukunda,

I wondered if you had experience in working with people who have Cerebral Palsy. I have always had an interest in this area as both my parents have it, and always wondered if there was an energetic way to bypass the brain damage that causes the symptoms.

More immediatly, I wonder about a relaxation technique for those people who suffer from athetoid Cerebral Palsy, which is the type charaterised by low muscle control, constant movement and uncontrolled jerky movements. My father is in the hospital recovering from recent neck surgery (they fused his cervical vertabrae which had degenerated due to the constant motion of his neck). I tried to work with him to get his breath deeper and into his belly, out of his upper chest, and he would have moments when he could accomplish that, but then he would have some sort of short spasm that my mother said he has always had at nite. Then he would tense up and be in pain again.

My experience with the many adults that I know who are disabled is that they are so far removed from their bodies, I wonder if they can (and should?) make a connection with it. My parents and their friends are all in their 60’s and many of them were experimented on, and treated very carelessly by doctors as children (not to make judgements about the doctors- more to point out the preception of the treatment by the disabled people themselves.)

Namaste
Bonnie

#2

Hi Bonnie,
I am a physical therapist who has worked a lot with children with athetoid cerebral palsy. Yoga can be very beneficial for people with CP, especially those with athetoid CP. People with this type of CP frequently use their mind to “quiet” their body in order to increase the control of their muscles. It may be that trying to take a deep breath actually created a stretch reflex causing the spasm. While it is important to focus on the breathing, I would advise not to concentrate as much on getting a deep breath as I would on breathing evenly.
I do not know what the mobility issues of your parents are, but if they are able to do any floor yoga poses, they could be very beneficial. People with athetoid CP generally do not have flexibility issues, but rather stability issues. Any poses in which all 4 limbs are in contact with the floor (for example Cat/Cow or Chakravakasana), Plank or Dandasana) will help them increase their proximal stability while allowing distal stability by the contact with the floor. If they are able to stand, then many of the standing poses would be appropriate, again with more focus on holding the poses for stability. I hope this helps, I am anxious to hear what Mukunda will advise.

#3

Thank you so much for your response. I am happy to hear work is successfully being done with children. My father is quite immobile now due to the surgery, but they have just moved him to rehab in the hospital, where they will be having him walk around. I do wonder if they will be working with him in a way that is appropriate, and beneficial for his condition. Perhaps I can contact you again to hear your thoughts on his regimin.

Interesting what you wrote about deepening the breath possibly causing a spasm.

Do you have experience working with yoga with older people who have CP? My mother is a spastic CP (they frequently joke its a mixed marriage) and I wonder if in that case people can use their mind to activate those muscles that they havent had access to before.

Thanks!
Bonnie

#4

Hi Bonnie,

While most of my experience has been with children, I have worked with adults with CP. In my experience, it is really difficult for those with CP to use their mind to activate muscles opposite those that are spastic. I have heard of some success using rhythm and music therapy to access another part of the brain, that is not damaged. I don’t know if your Mom is able to walk, but I have had good results from having clients listen to rhythmical music while walking. Feel free to email me with any questions you have.

#5

the challenge is to persist and do your best to not react as if he were your father. Patanjali Yoga sutras says success comes from persistence and detachment, read YS II, 12 a very important sutra. My JFS video can be most helpful as it was designed with hospital bound patients in mind, showing how to do the Joint Freeing Series even lying in bed, or in wheel chair and contrast if you regain normal mobility enough to sit on the floor. Concentrate on giving that with persistence as this most valuable program definitely increases the strength of the immune system due to its ability to increase the individual?s ability to retain their pranic life force. That is the secret of my success in helping clients. I have learned many ways of reading this prana and its five subdosha forms. By being able to do this I can immediately assess the effectiveness of my recommendations.

  Concentrate on breathing also as that is your best bet. As was mentioned in an earlier response to the yogaforums, work with evenness of breathing.  Follow the Yoga Sutra guidelines for pranayama and you are always correct regardless of the challenges.  See YS II, 49-53.  When one does truly follow the sutra the result is that prana increases.  With that comes an increase in healing energies of whatever prana is deficient that becomes increased.  Over time with our training I will show you how to access prana using some assistance from Ayurvedic guidelines in my upcoming book, Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy.  If you have training in Yoga Nidra that guided progressive relaxation of the koshas (dimensions of self) can be most beneficial too.  A nice tape is available from Richard Miller at www.nondual.com Blessings and let us keep him in our prayers.  By the way Ananda Ashram (devotees of Paramahansa Yogananda who wrote the wonderful classic Autobiography of a Yogi) sends healing prayers via [email]prayers@ananda.org[/email] a nice service, open to all.  Just give basics name, age location, need/struggle.

 That said, I would also work on your own fears, especially those of death.  By seeing a client as yourself (even if it is your father ) you can discover where your fears and limitations are.  One should face all fears as soon as it becomes clear that you are afraid.  That is the sign of a Yogini, they see what is to be done and realize that all fear is a ?paper tiger?.  The illusion of fear is quite real however.  I recommend a book by my guru ? Does Death Really Exist?, Swami Muktananda, SYDA publisher.  It helps us to get proper perspective on this issue that we must all face at sometime.  

Just this evening when doing my nightly reading of the Concise Yoga Vasistha (translation by Swami Venkatesananda), I came across this passage that might be of help for you.  The sage Vasistha  is addressing a crow named Bhusunda who had attained Self-realization and had at that point lived for a thousand years.  Vasistha says ? how is it that your body has not been consumed by death?

   Bhusunda replied, ? Death does not wish to kill one who does not have the attraction and aversion (see Yoga Sutras II, 3-8 for more on these kleshas of raga and dvesa), or false notions and mental habits.  Death does not wish to kill one who does not suffer from mental illness, who does not entertain desires and hopes which give rise to anxieties and worry, who is not poisoned by greed, whose body and mind are not burnt by the fire of anger and hate, who is not churned and ground by the mill of lust, who is firmly established in the pure awareness of God, the absolute and whose mind is not distracted like a monkey.  He whose mind and heart are established in supreme is not touched by the blinding evils born of lust and hate. 

  Even from the contemplation of the Self, which is infinite consciousness banishes sorrow, terminates the long dream vision of the world appearance, purifies the mind and the heart, and dispels worries and misfortunes.  But this contemplation of the Self has comrades, as it were that closely resemble such contemplation; among them is the contemplation of the life force or prana, which enables one to overcome sorrow and to promote auspiciousness.  It is that contemplation of prana that has bestowed longevity and also Self-knowledge on me.

Blessings on healing yourself and all you encounter.
Namaste mukunda