Kirk Gibson Foundation partners with Yoga Moves for people with Parkinson’s

SOUTHFIELD — The Kirk Gibson Foundation, in partnership with Yoga Moves MS, launched a new program March 6, “Yoga Moves Parkinson’s,” specially designed for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Weekly classes are free and open to individuals of all abilities 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Wednesdays at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road.

Yoga Moves MS’s mission aligns perfectly with the Kirk Gibson Foundation, said Cameron Gibson, Kirk Gibson’s son.

Cameron Gibson expressed how crucial exercise and eating well have been for his father.

“My dad has always been a go-getter. He’s never been someone to be told to sit and just relax. And even if you did tell him, he wouldn’t listen. He has to cater to his strengths, which are working out and participating in exercises and exercise classes. And what he found was that it helped him feel better in a lot of ways. When he has a workout class, it helps him open up his chest, which helps him be taller, which helps him talk louder, which helps a chain reaction of things.”

Mindy Eisenberg, the founder of Yoga Moves MS, knows the benefits as well.

“It’s not only the yoga that has so many benefits, but it’s also the camaraderie and the support from a small group class,” Eisenberg said. “For instance, someone with Parkinson’s disease has a movement disorder, and they have challenges with balance and rigidity, the slowness of movements, and posture. Yoga can address all those things, and do it in a fun way, too. We add music in and encourage questions and a little bit of interaction during class to make it fun and not too serious and have a good time.”

Yoga Moves MS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals with neuromuscular conditions — including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries and stroke — through movement and community.

Eisenberg has been teaching adaptive yoga for people with neuromuscular conditions for nearly 20 years.

Her journey with adaptive yoga began shortly after she finished her first teacher training. Eisenberg began volunteering and instructing through the National MS Society, and then her son’s nursery teacher, who has MS, invited her to lead a session at her MS support group at the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders, or MIND, in Farmington Hills.

“I started to realize after these two experiences how beneficial it was — like, people felt better. The group at the MIND asked me if I would continue to teach them on a weekly basis. And here we are, I venture to say it’s, like, 19 years later, and we’re still meeting on Tuesday nights.”

Eisenberg said this is an issue near to her heart, since her mother was diagnosed with a progressive form of MS and used a wheelchair and was bedridden for most of her adult life.

She emphasized that adaptive yoga is tailored to the individual’s goals and ability level. Eisenberg added that the practice doesn’t need to be drawn out each time, and it can be as simple as taking 10-15 minutes each day to work on a few poses.

Yoga Moves MS began their partnership with the Kirk Gibson Foundation when Eisenberg met Kirk Gibson at a fundraiser for the Michigan Parkinson Foundation. She approached him about a grant to help people with chronic conditions to practice yoga. Last year, Eisenberg used the grant to launch a portal on her website with instructional videos addressing flexibility, shoulder mobility, rigidity and tight hamstrings.

This year, Yoga Moves MS received a $15,000 grant from the Kirk Gibson Foundation to provide weekly yoga classes for a year designed especially for those with Parkinson’s disease.

“We see programs like this, and they mean a lot, because we can offer these things up to the people who don’t really necessarily even know that these programs are out there for them to use,” Cameron Gibson said.

The Kirk Gibson Foundation was created in 1996 with the mission to provide scholarships to both athletes and nonathletes at Waterford Kettering and Clarkston high schools. The mission of the foundation shifted to include funding for Parkinson’s research and raising awareness for Parkinson’s disease in 2015, when Kirk Gibson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Cameron Gibson emphasized the positive impact that exercise and yoga have on individuals with Parkinson’s, such as improving breathing, balance and flexibility, and calming their nervous system. He said that in the future, the foundation aims to open a judgment-free center for individuals with Parkinson’s to visit for exercise, resources and community.

Eisenberg encouraged anyone nervous about attending their first class to “bring a buddy and dive right in.”

For more information on Yoga Moves Parkinson’s, contact Mindy Eisenberg at (248) 417-5985 or Mindy@YogaMovesMs.org.

For more information on Yoga Moves MS, visit yogamovesms.org.

For more information on the Kirk Gibson Foundation, visit kirkgibsonfoundation.org.