“I believe that we all have the capacity to overcome adversity. However, this requires that we have compassionate support and intelligent guidance.”

Welcome to Atlas Yoga Studio and School. We are glad that you are here. You are on the right page if you or someone you love has Parkinson’s Disease or is a Caregiver for someone who has Parkinson’s Disease or other similar conditions. Yoga is an effective way for Parkinson’s sufferers and their Caregivers to increase flexibility and ward off the rigidity associated with PD and reduce the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional challenges of caring for someone who has PD. Muscle spasms, atrophy and rigidity associated with movement disorders often restrict balance, range of motion and sleep. Research shows that the benefits of yoga for movement disorders and the stress of caring for those who have this condition, include improved strength, flexibility, balance, overall fitness and quality of life. Plus doing something fun together improves the quality of our relationships.

Program at a Glance

Are you ready to transform your life with community, movement and renewed energy and stamina?

Then we wholeheartedly invite you to the Yoga for People with Parkinson’s Disease and their Caregivers. In this 10 week program you will be supported by Expert Yoga Teacher, Elisabeth Kolenko and Senior Yoga Therapist, Denise Davis-Gains. Each week you can attend yoga classes, if you are unable to attend a recording will be sent to you so that you do not miss your class. We will be offering individual intake sessions so that we can support you where you are and understand your individual concerns and goals of the program.

In this Yoga for Parkinson’s Program you will have access to

• Two yoga classes per week that support where you are and where you would like to be. One of the issues with Parkinson’s is that we stop moving and become more sedentary and often our level of wellness declines not as much due to the condition as to how we manage the condition. Remember the resistance to exercise is part of the condition and the overwhelm that goes with it.

  • Mondays at 1pm is in-person and live online

  • Wednesdays at 1pm live online

  • anytime use the recordings to practice

  • anytime check in with Parkinson’s Yoga Teachers who can answer questions and provide some coaching for folks who are interested in staying fit and well.

• A weekly reminder to practice Yoga Nidra recording (a relaxing meditation) and link to a recording delivered into your email or text inbox, specifically designed for people with Parkinson’s and their Caregivers. Yoga Nidra has been known to improve sleep quality and take the mind into a similar state to deep REM sleep - this is where important brain functions can take place.

• Regularly receive newsletters jam packed with tools to improve quality of life. Spotify play lists for listening and using to get simple chores done at home. Dancing is one of the best forms of daily quality physical activity according to many research studies, especially for those with Parkinson’s Disease. So dance the blues away. Other goodies and opportunities to contribute to the newsletter for those who would like to share their art, poetry, prose or stories.

• You will have a private intake session and the opportunity to be a case study for Elisabeth Kolenko’s research if you so choose.

• You will have access to the community through a Slack Group. A free app that we use to create deep community connection, reassuring access to resources and links to all the materials that are included in your experience.

These classes are held live online and are recorded. After class, We will email all registered students a link to the recording whether you attend or not. Use them as many times or in any amount you find useful until the link expires.

Yoga’s Impact on People with Parkinson’s Disease

Discovering that you or a loved one has Parkinson’s Disease can be Traumatizing.

Here at Atlas Yoga Studio we want you to feel supported and help you to learn to live with this very challenging condition.

Trauma can occur when:

• There is too much too soon

• There is too much for too long

• There is not enough for too long

• Power and agency have been taken away from the person or collective

• The stressors outweigh the resources available to navigate them

• When our primal protective instincts, intuitions, and responses are thwarted

• There is not enough time, space, or permission to heal 

It is essential that we consider social, developmental, and cultural factors when reflecting on a our trauma history.

The symptoms of trauma may occur immediately or emerge over time from the compounding stress and challenges of processing and adapting to the experiences of life. Symptoms of trauma emerge as the body and mind attempt to cope with and resolve the stressors. 

The effects of trauma may include: 

• Physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, tightness in the body, muscle tension, digestion challenges, and constrictions around the breath. 

• Emotional symptoms such as flatness / inability to feel fear, anxiety, panic, overwhelm, loss of choice, difficulty feeling comforted, anger, and shame.

• Psychological symptoms such as dissociation, mental rumination, low self worth,  negative self talk, self blame, memory challenges, depression, and loss of interest in activities. 

• Relational / Social symptoms such as isolation, loneliness, relational and attachment reenactments. 

Trauma can lead to feelings of powerlessness, helplessness, and groundlessness. It interferes with our ability to feel real in body and mind, it disrupts our very sense of existence, and takes us away from the present moment. However, as Dr. Peter Levine, creator of Somatic Experiencing says “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not have to be a life sentence.”  You may have to live with Parkinson’s but you do not have to live with the traumatic symptoms that go with this diagnosis.

Symptoms are the gateway to healing trauma. Our job as practitioners and educators is to listen and hear the messages and wisdom encoded in the body and provide tools to manage and release those symptoms.

Who is this program for?

This program is an experiential yoga practice program, you are lead each week in a series of yoga postures, gestures, mantras and somatic movements as well as somatic sensing exercises. It is a great program for …

• people who have just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy Bodies Disease and other musculoskeletal and dementia conditions

• people who have been dealing with their diagnosis for any length of time

• people who care for them

• people who are interested in how to care for themselves as the learn how to care for a loved one with these conditions

• yoga teachers or other movement therapists who would like to work with people who have PD

What to Expect

We had fun creating a curriculum improving range of motion movement, balance, gait regulation and dexterity.

• The Program starts with understanding some of the basics of yoga.

• Each class will build on skills learned in previous class.

• There is a little bit different language in yoga and can take a couple of classes to get used to anatomical, directional and traditional yoga names of poses.

• You should feel a little calmer, more relaxed and a little less stressed after the first session.

• The more often that you practice the better you can feel. Practicing yoga 1-2 x week up to once a day for 6 days a week is adequate to make life long changes in quality of life.

• If you try one or two things from class one or two times day your progress will be faster and you will improve muscle memory, the recruitment of neural pathways to easier movement.

• You may enjoy the community aspect of the program as well. Being Live Online makes this program accessible and inclusive and you may find that you make friends with other folks who have the same or similar challenges that you do.

Be a Part of the Evolution of
Yoga for People with Parkinson’s and Their Caregivers

Research on Yoga for special population is on the rise and for good reason. More and more researchers, movement exercise specialists, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and kinesiologists are finding that the practices of yoga, across the board, are offering a non-invasive, drug-free, add-on therapy that improves quality of life and overall wellness of both the person with Parkinson’s and their Caregiver.

In a recent study, home-based mindfulness yoga training were delivered via video-conferencing software (Zoom) in eight bi-weekly 90-min sessions. This study measured functional balance, motor symptoms, perceived balance confidence, perceived freezing of gait symptoms, anxiety and depression, mindfulness and HRQOL using a tele-assessment approach at baseline and 1-week post-intervention. All participants were invited to attend qualitative individual interviews to explore their experience of using online mindfulness yoga program as a lifestyle intervention for PD rehabilitation.

All participants were able to learn and practice mindfulness yoga following the eight bi-weekly online mindfulness yoga training sessions, without any significant adverse events. Tele-assessment of outcomes were feasible and uneventful. Qualitative feedback revealed participants had a high preference of using the tele-rehabilitation approach to stay mindful and being active, both physically and socially, while confronting the changes brought by COVID-19 pandemic. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-022-03519-y)

Help us to continue to improve our program by filling out our preprogram survey, click on the link below…

Testimonials … what people are saying about Yoga & Parkison’s

Gerry P., attending since 2020: “I have never been a person who enjoyed exercising but I have done yoga regularly because it really helps me feel and function better. The math is easy to figure out—an hour of yoga and I’ll feel better for the rest of the day about 12 to 14 hours. For reasons I don’t understand, it makes my meds work longer; so less off time.”

John and Mary 2023: John was diagnosed with Lewey Bodies Disease in December 2022 and his health was deteriorating, he was using a walker and losing his speech, falling and having trouble swallowing and with general cognition. Within 2 weeks of doing land and aqua based yoga, following a complimentary medicine routine recommended by Denise, John was walking without his walker, speaker clearly so that others could and had an overall reduction in pain (foot neuropathy) of about 40%. Within 4 weeks an an increase sex drive and participation in household chores, family decision making and overall increase in enjoyment of life by about 50%. John and Mary continue to have group and private sessions weekly as they find John regresses if he does not do the yoga routinely and Mary finds it easier to motivate John if he has a meeting with the instructor to support him.

Mark S.., attending since 2015: “Since attending, my flexibility, balance and outlook have improved. My neurologist has been amazed by my progress. Denise, the instructor, says the challenge is within, emphasizing effort, but not risking injury or strain. The group offers support, humor and kinship for those with Parkinson’s Disease.”

Kim B., attending since 2019: “Yoga has helped me tremendously. I quickly discovered many unexpected benefits. My voice is stronger, I sleep better, I move better and I feel more relaxed. I found myself wishing I had begun sooner in life. One would be well advised to stay with it, though, because the benefits increase with time, practice and commitment. The best part is that yoga is fun.”

Olga and Reggie, attended since 2010: “Yoga Nidra is our favourite. For Reggie the symptoms disappear during the session and we both come away feeling refreshed and just a little more patient with teach other. Also everyday tasks just done seem as challenging on the days when we practice.”

F A Q’s

Do I need special equipment and clothes to practice Yoga …You can wear any comfortable clothing, and all you need is a chair and a little space around you to practice.

When … the next session starts Monday, January 15, 2024 - Mondays and Wednesdays at 1pm EST

Format … The Monday class will be in person in Cambridge and live online and the Wednesday class will be live online only.
There are recorded sessions that are available for asynchronistic use any time during the 10 weeks session.

Tuition …
The regular price 150.00 for 10 weeks for one class. Parkinson’s Canada is providing support so that we can offer a deeply discounted experience to help People with Parkinson’s and their Care-givers access quality health programming.
Special Parkinson’s Society Discounted Rate 100.00 for 2 classes per week for 10 weeks plus all the bonus material and recordings of the sessions.

Length of Course and time commitment …The course will be 10 weeks long - 2 sessions per week.

STUDENT ORIENTATION
Book your personal assessment with and see if this program is right for you here …

Elisabeth Kolenko
[email protected]

WEEKLY CLASSES
January 15 - March 22, 2024

• Mondays and Wednesdays 1pm.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
A Slack group will be set up so that you can connect and share experiences, wins and challenges with other participants. The research demonstrates that community connection can be essential to improved quality of life.

Registration … you can pre-register now to ensure your space. Registration is open.

Do I need to attend live or am I am able to watch the recordings?
All live sessions will also be recorded and students may watch in their own time (more information below). Please note, captioning is only available during live sessions.

How can I interact with the instructors? Will I receive guidance?
During each of the live sessions, the instructor will have a Q&A period where you may ask questions. If you choose to keep your camera on the instructor is able to provide feedback on alignment and safety. If you prefer not to be on camera we trust you to listen to your body and not do anything that does not feel right for you at this time.

How to Register:

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/catalog.php?action=addCart&clear=1&id=1534237&owner=18613794

Who is this course designed for?
People with Parkinson’s Disease and their Caregivers.

Is there a deadline for registration?
You can register anytime. If the program has started you will have access to the videos of past classes or can pay for just the live sessions that you attend.

Do you offer refunds?
We offer a Registration Guarantee which means that if you register but decide the course isn’t right for you, we’ll refund your course fee - no questions asked - up to 48 hours before the course start date.

How can I access the online course and recordings?
ZOOM FOR LIVE SESSIONS: The live portion of the program will be offered online using the video conferencing platform Zoom, in meeting format, to allow instructors and students to interact, ask questions and participate in breakout sessions. If you are local you are also welcome to attend live for these sessions.

ACCESSIBILITY | Video / Audio: You will have until the next class with each video to use as often as you like.

ACCESSIBILITY | Live Captioning / Transcripts: Captioning during live online sessions and transcripts can be saved.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• You don’t have to be flexible to do yoga. Yoga is for people who want, among other things, to become more flexible. Much of the Yoga for People with Parkinson’s practice is done from a seated position (chair or mobility device), or standing, using a chair back for balance.

• Yoga is not just for women. Yoga for People with Parkinson’s classes average equal numbers of men and women and when you add in the care givers it becomes a pretty balanced class in most sessions.

• Yoga for People with Parkinson’s classes focus on delivering a well-rounded regimen of stretching, strengthening, and balance exercises. Even students who have practiced yoga before are surprised by the workout they get and at the same time how accessible the teacher makes the poses.

• To increased flexibility, balance better, improve strength, reduce muscle cramps, sleep better, easier breathing and greater sense of well-being.

• Routines that can help to make everyday life a little easier and calmer.

Program Intentions

“The goal in this class is to help students experience greater physical, mental, spiritual and emotional freedom. We work to increase flexibility, strength, and balance, which leads to greater ease in daily life and improved overall well-being. As a result of doing yoga, daily activities can be more fluid and the things you care about more accessible.”

Elisabeth Kolenko, Yoga Therapist in Training and 500hr Certified Yoga Teacher and Coach