These photos may not to be used without permission from Robert Troy. Please contact him directly for information.
Link to me in other more adaptive yoga pictures

Guruji's 85th Birthday December 2003

Geeta Iyengar, December 14, 2005

B.K.S. Iyengar's Birthday Celebrations, December 14, 2005

YOGA and MS, MY JOURNEY
In May of 1996, I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Leading up to diagnosis, I was extremely busy with my acting pursuits and producing a play in Hollywood. Over the course of about a month, I progressively began to experience loss of feeling – a tingling and numbing sensation began to inhabit my arms, legs, torso and eventually envelope my face and skull. I had difficulty with balance and my walking and motor skills were compromised to the point where I could no longer button my jeans or use a pen to write my name. Once I saw a neurologist at UCLA Medical Center I was immediately admitted into the hospital and underwent a series of tests, including 3 MRI’s of my brain and spine. The results were conclusive: white matter lesions, consistent with multiple sclerosis were discovered on my brain and in my cervical spine. As I have always been an active individual, this new reality prompted me to ask my doctor within minutes of being diagnosed his recommendations for my physical discipline/therapy. He recommended yoga and swimming, as long as I avoid overheating the body.

A visiting friend recommended Iyengar yoga as the Iyengar system employs props when necessary (ropes, blankets, belts, chairs, etc.) to help the practitioner access the poses to in order to reap the benefits. Once I was released from the hospital the following week, I literally stumbled into the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles and embarked on a journey that has changed my life. The yoga practice, with the initial help of intravenous steroids, successfully got the MS into remission. Subsequent relapses that I have experienced, which have been few and far between, have included loss of balance, tingling and numbness in my arms, legs and torso, loss of motor skills, optic neuritis (temporary loss of vision), loss of bladder and bowel control, overwhelming fatigue, the L’Hermittes symptom (electrical buzzing sensations in the body and limbs when moving the neck) and a banding sensation throughout the torso that felt like I was being squeezed in a vice grip. Although these symptoms have been severe at times, I find solace and have faith in my practice of Iyengar yoga which, in my opinion, has been integral to overcoming these terrifying symptoms and getting them back into remission.

Additionally, I sought out nutritional counseling and changed my dietary discipline. I embraced a vegetarian diet and eliminated caffeine. I limit my intake of wheat, sugar and dairy products and I regularly perform metabolic and gastro-intestinal cleanses. The combination of Iyengar yoga, diet, nutritional supplementation and swimming has produced very positive results. Overall I have been able to keep my course of MS in remission naturally. I have sustained residual nerve damage and minimal loss of feeling in my right leg and foot, however, my daily yoga practice allows me to remain very active and lead a relatively normal lifestyle. Some days can be challenging but as Mr. Iyengar so wisely expressed to me on my first visit to India in 2000, “Everyday you must walk that fine line between courage and caution.”

The clinical findings of my latest MRI (January 2005), although not part of a controlled study, indicate that the white matter lesions on my brain have “significantly subsided.” (view article) The effects of Iyengar Yoga have been so profound that I became a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher in an effort to help others.

View my public teaching schedule for times and locations or email me for information on privates and Yoga on Location. To find a certified Iyengar teacher in your area, visit the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the U.S. or bksiyengar.com.

DISCLAIMER
The information and pictures presented on this website are presented for reference and informational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose or cure symptoms of multiple sclerosis or any other disease. If you are experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis, please seek the advice of your health care provider. To the extent permissible by law, Garth McLean, BKS Iyengar, and any of their respective agents, representatives, employees or assigns assume no responsibility and hereby disclaim any liability for any injuries incurred as a result of the information contained on this website. Prior to commencing any yoga program, please seek the advice of your health care provider and a qualified certified Iyengar teacher.