What is this yoga craze, anyway?  Why is it making the cover of TIME Magazine?  Who knows exactly why any fad catches fire?  But the disciplined practice of yoga does offer a plethora of benefits: added strength, improved balance, increased flexibility, not to mention a heightened sense of well-being.

But does yoga offer these things to someone living with a disability?  The answer is: Absolutely yes!  For nearly three years, I have been teaching a yoga class at the Courage Center, open to all, including people with special needs.  I know with certainty that the benefits of yoga are accessible to everyone.  I have been living with a spinal cord injury, paralyzed from the chest down, for the last twenty-two years.  I have been practicing yoga for over a decade.

What yoga teaches is that ‘where’ and ‘how’ your mind resides within your body truly matters.  The more conscious, the more precise your presence is, the greater the benefit.  This truth does not discriminate.  Everyone is welcome.

The Courage Center yoga class is offered on Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8:00, in the gym.  For more information, call Pat Friese in the Sports and Recreation Department at the Courage Center: (763) 520-0473.