I was diagnosed with MS in March of 1979, mainly in my eyes at that time. I received steroid treatment which left me, at a tender age of 19, with months of bladder dysfunction. The prognosis of life with MS was not great, and, feeling that my life had ended, I moved from Switzerland to America. My bladder calmed down within a few months as my diet radically changed (due to lack of money) and I became a vegetarian.
I am 48 years old now, and have had numerous bouts of MS, primarily in my legs, trunk, hands/arms and eyes. All through the 29 years, I’ve looked for common sense treatments on my own, meaning that I never really talked about it. What made sense to me is to move, so in my younger years I got into exercise and dance, then became more interested in how the human body works, studying Pilates and Feldenkrais. A fun experience of anatomical alignment and processing was when I discovered Yamuna Body Rolling.
It is in this year (2008) that I opened up the door to a seemly dark chapter of my life: I made friends with my MS, going to monthly MS group meetings at Evanston Hospital, seeking volunteer opportunities with the MS Society (helping others with MS), and deciding to teach MS Fit.
A major turning point in my life was the IM School of Healing Arts (1996-2001), where I dove into learning and working with the human energy field. This work is a constant reference to everything I teach. In Wilmette, I teach Pilates mat and reformer, yoga with meditation and a lot of restorative aspects, Yamuna body rolling, and Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement. Now, I combine all of these movement forms into MS Fit. People with MS, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, etc, can benefit from this class. Note: My studio (in my home) is not yet wheelchair accessible.
You can view my class schedule at RegulasJoyofMovement.com, write to me at Regula@RegulasJoyofMovement.com or call 847 269 3228.
Until we meet one day, and I’m looking forward to that,
Regula
Hei… I read your information from begining to the end and I think that is interesting information.. I think i will tell this information again to my friend and I hope this information will be usefull for them… oh yes I suggest you to check Yoga Teacher Training India on my site http://www.yogalife.org , I hope the Information on my site will be usefull for you..and we can share each other. thank you…
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’ve been reading these entries with much interest. My mother has been living with MS for the last 15 years, and was diagnosed 5 years ago. She’s been undergoing traditional Western treatments, and doing well with them — but the expense is very high. It is good to read about alternative treatments.
Good to read you, Amber. It had touched me to hear that your mom has also MS. I always wondered how my children deal with knowing that their mom has MS. They never say anything. How is or was it for you? Love to hear. In the meantime, I continue my treatment plan for the next 5 months and I’m doing very well. I sense a new lightness in me and my teaching(s) that is so, every so ludic-ly playful. I’ll write more about that on my blog.
PS If your mother ever would be interested in talking with me, you know how to find me.