Special Projects
Breathers Club
For the past few years I have been teaching annually at the Beaumont Hospital Breathers Club in Royal Oak. Participants have COPD and other lung issues. Class themes have been “Yoga for Better Breathing” and “Meditation and Relaxation.” They have been able to participate fully in the gentle movements, breath practices and relaxation without respiratory distress.
These images are from a video featuring one of the club members which is used for patient information and inspiration.
Training in Mental Health for Professionals from Guatemala
Six professionals from Guatemala came to Michigan in 2012 for two weeks to learn about mental health services. Yoga was one of the alternative therapies the group learned about during their visit.
Linda Eastman (in photo fourth from the left) and Jay Eastman, M.D, procured a grant from Rotary International to augment the services they provide in northwest Guatemala. They have seen a deep need for mental health services where there are currently no such services. This is an area still suffering the effects of civil war and genocide against indigenous peoples as well as the anxieties of living in extreme poverty.
The visiting professionals came from diverse backgrounds (nurse, social worker, psychologist, physician, teacher, program director) and planned on taking what they learned back to the communities they serve.
None of them had practiced yoga, some having never heard of it. They took to the practice right away, were enthusiastic and saw how yoga could help them and their clients. I gave them practices to help reduce anxiety, depression and depression with anxiety.
To learn more about the Eastmans’ work in Guatemala, visit www.casacolibri.org.
Yoga for Lung Cancer
From 2013–2015 I participated in a research study on Yoga for Lung Cancer. Judith Fouladbakhsh, Ph.D., of Oakland University, was the principal researcher. The protocols for the study were developed by Vijai Sharma, Ph.D., his teacher (and mine) Gary Kraftsow, Dr. Fouladbakhsh, and me. In addition to teaching the 12 week protocol, I trained other yoga teachers to teach the protocol at multiple sites. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
The 2013–2015 study was an expanded pilot of a study we did in 2009. The study participants showed significant improvement across the intervention in mood, mental health, breathing, and sleep. The results have been published in several peer-reviewed journals.
Published Article
In 2018 I published an article on yoga therapy for better breathing in Health Monitor News, a free publication distributed in doctors’ offices. I was so excited! And then, instead of receiving final pages for review, I received the printed magazine. The order of the practices got scrambled. If you want to try the practice, here is the correct sequence.
Expand your breathing capacity
Link the mind and body to the breath (single arm raises)
Mobilize your spine (cow and cat)
Stretch between your ribs (standing side stretch)
Mobilize your spine (cow and cat, repeating exercise 3)
