About:

I have Multiple Sclerosis and I have a committed Ashtanga Yoga practice.

I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 1997 at forty one years old. At that time I was living in Winnipeg, MB. The neurologist said “You have Multiple Sclerosis but don’t worry you’ll probably live till you’re 90 and die of cancer”. It’s kinda funny because he’s probably correct – jinx. He failed to mention the quality of life issues in front of me.

Fast forward to 2013; my neurologist had me tested for diabetes. The tests indicated I was pre diabetic and she told me to change my diet and exercise. Diet was relatively easy, exercise not so much.

After doing a little web surfing I determined I would try Ashtanga Yoga. I was fortunate to start my yoga journey with three gifted teachers and throughout this journey I have lost 30 lbs. , lowered my blood sugar, and I have become assured that Ashtanga can benefit people with MS. That is the reason for this blog.

My goal is to inform both MS’ers and Ashtangie’s the benefits of a committed regular practice.

Chronological me.

I was born May 5, 1955. That’s 5/5/55 at 1:00 am in a small town, Clitheroe, north east England. My mom says I should have been born on May 4th but the doctor was drunk.  They made her wait for him to sober up. I am the first of four boys.

I don’t remember much growing up but I do remember a feeling of bleakness, outdoor toilets, and coal fired heating. My dad was a mill worker just like his dad. Englands class system kept the workers in their place; however, my dad went to night school and got an education.

He moved us to Africa to manage a mill in Nigeria. I remember army trucks, soldier’s, vultures, snakes, huge insects, and gigantic bullfrogs. I also have vivid memories of many men missing legs, arms, and hands. Corruption was rampant and eventually we had to return to England.

On our return to England we did not have a place for us all to live together so we split up and I lived with my uncle and granddad. That is where I learned to put hot milk and sugar on my cornflakes, cook toast on the fire, and watch English football matches (soccer) on Saturdays; which I continue to this day – the football that is.

We later moved to Cornwall, ON, Canada where we eventually became Canadian citizens. A few years later we moved to Montreal where I attended my first year of high school.

Growing up in Montreal in the seventies  was incredibly formative. Inventive music, drugs, hippies, peace, love, English, French, separation, war measures act, and Go Habs Go. It was an awesome time and place to spend my teenage and early twenties.

I moved to Winnipeg where I spent 15 years making life long friends, freezing my butt off, and discovering I had MS. Five years after diagnosis I went on long term disability.

Winnipeg is an awesome place but the weather persuaded us to leave.

I now live in Victoria, BC. I try to practice at my yoga shala five days a week and at home on Saturdays – sometimes while watching the football match (Saturday home practice is noncommittal). My practice takes one and a half hours and sometimes can get close to two hours when I venture into second series and pranayama. An hour and a half sounds like a long time but one of the things I’ve learned about yoga is it’s calming nature. Done with correct breathing, movement, and drishti (gaze point); you attain a moving meditation that clears the mind while building strength and flexibility; resulting in time being of no consequence. I feel profoundly fortunate to have discovered this. My practice may not look awesome but most days it feels awesome. By the way I have no idea what my practice looks like, which I think is the point, it’s how it makes me feel