Yogadopa classes at Neuromotion Victoria start SEPT 11th!

Yogadopa and Neuromotion Physiotherapy Victoria are running 12 PARKINSON’S YOGA CLASSES Thursdays from 3:30-4:30pm starting September 11th.

I have some research/conference travel on a few Thursdays, so the dates are as follows:

September 11, 18; October 2, 9, 23, 30; November 13, 20, 27; December 4, 11, 18.

Sessions will focus on posture, balance, strengthening the core, opening the chest, flexibility and range of motion.

Classes are $15/session: sign up for all 12-sessions AND drop-ins welcome (please phone ahead to make sure there is space). All equipment and handouts provided. Both persons living with Parkinson’s and care partners welcome! Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

For more information or to register (space is limited!), contact Neuromotion at 250.590.7878 or neuromotionvictoria@gmail.com

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see you on your mat. much love

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yogadopa summer workshops!

I’m excited to announce that Yogadopa and Neuromotion Physiotherapy are running TWO YOGA FOR PARKINSON’S SUMMER WORKSHOPS!

Thursday July 17th will cover some core (abdominal) work, focus on postural alignment andgentle opening of the chest... Great for anyone with a stooped posture and will provide some take-home tips!

Thursday August 21st will focus on finding our feet on the floor, work on activating the leg muscles, and building a solid foundation to help with balance… This session will really address balance issues and provide some advice for practicing at-home! 

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If you’re unsure, here’s what people have to say about past Yogadopa classes:

“Kate’s classes are targeted directed at PD’ers. Her knowledge base, instructional and empathetic nature make the course fun and beneficial”

“Kaitlyn is a born teacher. She integrates her knowledge of movement, yoga and Parkinson’s into her sessions directly and meaningfully. Creating a positive feeling in the mind and body.”

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Please contact Neuromotion Physiotherapy to register or with any other questions! Looking forward to it. Much love.

Coffee-drug for Parkinson’s and dementias?

We have been told the benefits of caffeine (see more info HERE).

What researchers are finding is that caffeine, the world’s most widely used drug, does more than wake people up. Caffeine is linked to improvements in memory and appears to protect against the destruction of brain cells. One of the results find that people who drank two or more cups of coffee a day had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson’s.

Because of these findings, some companies have been designing drugs to replicate the benefits of caffeine. The challenge is to go beyond the buzz of caffeine to achieve a more powerful effect on the brain — without side effects like headaches, irritability and jitters. But this hasn’t been easy. For example, Merck ended development of such a treatment for Parkinson’s disease last year after late-stage testing suggested it didn’t work. Other developers have postponed plans.

There is no cure for Parkinson’s. Drug developers are focusing on the way caffeine targets sites in an area deep in the brain called the basal ganglia, which is affected by Parkinson’s and plays a key role in movement. The medicines specifically aims to target and block adenosine A2A receptors. The goal of drug-makers is to improve movement in Parkinson’s; existing treatments become less effective over time, and side effects harder to endure.

… what are your thoughts on a “coffee pill” for the brain? Do you consume caffeine? much love.

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more information and adapted from: bloom.bg/1gGePNm

Mind, Mood and Parkinson’s: Headway Conference

Last month I attended Headway’s annual conference on cognitive aspects of Parkinson’s disease.

The event was wonderfully organized and had a great lineup of speakers!

The event started with watching Jillian Carson‘s video submission on her experience with Parkinson’s that won the people’s choice award at WPC 2013 in Montreal. You can watch her video HERE

Dr. Gheis did a great job of discussing depression and anxiety in PD. He highlighted how common those are experienced and differentiated their symptoms from those of PD.

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I was honoured to lead a guided meditation/relaxation after lunch. We had a packed room; it is always nice to meditate in a group and share that supportive energy with each other. I hope everyone enjoyed their experience and will be able to integrate some mindful time into their daily schedules.

THANK YOU to Moksana Yoga for lending us the props, so our participants could get extra comfy and really relax.

Dr. Henri-Bhargava and Dr. Sira finished off the day by discussing cognitive aspects of PD and how we can manage those. Headway plans to post videos of the speakers presentation on their website/in their library.

Thanks again for including me in this day and bringing attention to the oh-so-important “non-motor” aspects of Parkinson’s. much love.

yogadopa @ neuromotion… starting April 3rd!

 

 

 

Exciting news!!

I have partnered with Neuromotion Physiotherapy Victoria and will be offering weekly “Yogadopa” classes for persons with Parkinson’s disease starting Thursday April 3rd from 330-430pm at Neuromotion (531 Yates St. Suite 303 Victoria BC).

 The classes will run for 12-weeks (*no class June 19, last class June 26th) and will cost $150 for the 12 weeks or $15/drop in. All equipment will be provided (yoga mats, blocks, chairs), however, participants are asked to bring a towel with them.

Please call (250.590.7878) or email (neuromotionvictoria@gmail.com) Neuromotion to register and guarantee your spot. Space is limited. Visa, debit, cheque or cash accepted (to Neuromotion) for payment.If necessary, please inquire about parking when registering. If wanting to drop-in, please phone ahead to ensure space is available.

 

see you on the mat! much love.

Applications of Yoga in Parkinson’s disease (Roland, 2014)

It’s published!

You can access the FULL article here. It is a systematic review summarizing all the available published research on yoga for Parkinson’s disease (which wasn’t much…).

Preliminary data suggested modest improvements in functional mobility, balance, upper- and lower-limb flexibility, and lower-limb strength. The presented evidence also showed improvements in nonphysical factors, such as mood and sleep.

This is important because improved mobility, balance, and lower-extremity function can reduce the fear of falling and functional declines related to inactivity. Also, upper-body flexibility supports postural stability and daily living activities, such as reaching for items on the top shelf.

While the evidence is limited (meaning there’s not a lot of studies, and the study quality is not high), it does suggest that there are some benefits, both physical and related to well-being, that deserve greater investigation. But we still have a long way to go with respect to quality scientific research supporting the the benefits of yoga…

This article represents my passion in life. I hope to encourage other scientists (and hopefully myself in future projects, if the grant-gods agree!) to examine yoga with the same scientific standards we do other randomized controlled exercise trials, and give scientific backing to all those benefits us yogis feel within us.

I’m so happy to share this with you and would love to hear your thoughts on the evidence presented, or if you have any questions! much love.

Sleep in Parkinson’s disease

Last week, I posted about a recent scientific understanding of WHY we need sleep (see post HERE).

There are all kinds of benefits to getting enough sleep:  It’s good for your heart, it may reduce stress, and even prevent cancer.

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More importantly, sleep is good for your brain – especially working memory… the kind essential to daily function.

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People with Parkinson’s have difficulty sleeping; including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, restless legs and vivid nightmares. However, the link between sleep disorders and Parkinson’s has yet to be scientifically determined.

Peeraully et al. (Mov Disord 2012) report a higher prevalence of subjective sleepiness, increase in daytime sleepiness, rapid eye movement behaviour disorder in persons with Parkinson’s compared to controls

If you’re interested in learning more about sleep disorders in Parkinson’s, the National Parkinson Foundation and Tanya Simuni, MD have a great video about the topic… you can watch it below. Sweet dreams and much love.

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For more on sleep and Parkinsons:

Michael J Fox Foundation

Mov Disord. 2012

victoria yoga conference: a recap

Today, I want to recap some of the amazing experiences I had at the Victoria Yoga Conference. Much love to Carolyne Taylor and the wonderful crew of volunteers who made it all happen!

my bag packed – conference badge, yogadopa handouts, moleskin, and snacks!

welcome to the Victoria Yoga Conference!

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Friday night started with inspiring stories of extraordinary living!

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I did a great session on shoulder stability from Fiji McAlpine; I learned a new way of approaching the downdog-chaturanga-updog-downdog sequence that requires more strength but less strain on the shoulders and low back (which is always good!!) and a few new shoulder stretches (which I so desperately need!)

I followed that up with deep back bending with Suzanne Faith Slocum Gori … and did some great partner assists that brought my foot to my head in full Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (or one-legged king pigeon… yes!). Some really deep chest opening is a great way to start the day!

the view from my mat.

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My Yogadopa: yoga for people living with Parkinson’s disease session went really well and I had a great diverse group of yoga therapist, yogi with PD, interested yogi, healthcare worker, yoga teacher and caregiver. We did a general overview of Parkinson’s, some of the symptoms and specific yoga poses that can address the rigidity, bradykinesia, weakness, asymmetry and fatigue.

Rachel Scott did an amazing job of summarizing a trillion years (ok, I exaggerate!) of yoga history in 75-minutes… I can really geek out on vedic history, the upanishads and the bhagavad gita. And Madhuri offered a wonderfully grounding Ayuvedic yoga practice for the winter (vata) season.

setting up to release our psoas.

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I learned a lot about releasing the psoas from Jules Payne (Ajna yoga) and that by keeping our hip flexors/groin relaxed and “supple”, we increase parasympathetic activation and reducing our stress response. It felt so good to work on relaxing the front of our hips (modern stressors – i.e. sitting, driving keeps them so tight!) through some great releases (slow-mo ball rolling with our pelvis and spiky ball rolling of our feet – amazing!), box squats and alternate limb super mans (to build gluteus max) and legs-up-the-wall pose with some resistance.  This is one session I may have to blog about more… because who doesn’t love the psoas?!

Finally, Ryan Leier (from One Yoga) led a morning Ashtanga class with a twist … and offered some great teachings from P. Jois – reminding us that our physical practice needs to be grounded in the yoga sutras, yamas (right/ethical livings), niyamas (restraints/observances) and breath.

yogis setting up for the morning “ashtanga with a twist”

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It was an incredibly FULL weekend, in all senses of the word. Much gratitude to the yoga community in Victoria (and those yogis who travelled to be here). much love.

Also, see CHEK news coverage  of the conference (and a mention of my workshop at 00:45!)

NEW research opportunity

Hi!

Just wanted to point out that I have a new tab… RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES.

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And, yes, that means I am off-and-running with my latest research study. SO, PLEASE check it out if you are interested in getting involved – Specifically, I’m looking for care partners of persons with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or Parkinson’s disease to fill out a questionnaire! *the 4 hours/week requirement could include basic housekeeping chores (laundry, dishes, cleaning), errands (shopping), transportation, cooking – I’m looking for people across all disease stages.

Pretty simple, and you could be doing your part to better understands unique care needs and experiences across disease groups.

… looking forward to hearing from you! much love.

Yogadopa at the Victoria Yoga Conference!

… just another reminder to check out the full line-up for the Victoria Yoga Conference, happening January 31-February 2nd here in Victoria!

I’ll be doing a Yogadopa session… yoga for people living with Parkinson’s disease, healthcare professionals and others on Saturday February 1st  11-12:15.

Yogadopa makes yoga accessible to people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Join Kaitlyn as she combines her research and experience-based expertise to uniquely addresses PD symptoms in a safe environment. This session will emphasize body awareness and postural stability lost from PD, promote ways to use your own strengths & induce relaxation to combat disease-related fatigue. All persons who live with (persons diagnosed, care partners) and support (yoga teachers, exercise/physical therapists, healthcare practitioners) PD and neurodegenerative diseases welcome!

“Yogadopa” at the World Parkinson Congress, Montreal QB (Oct 2013)

… More information on registration HERE. Yogadopa is a community class and will be $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

Hope to see you there! much love.