Caroline Craven - Certified Life Coach, MS Advocate, Motivational Speaker, Writer & Patient Expert living with Multiple Sclerosis.
Living with MS. A quick video
Living with MS can be a challenge. Here is a quick video of Girl with MS talking about her experience.
8 Easy Yoga Moves for MS - Do this in the morning and see what happens
Many of you know how important yoga has been for my success with MS. It is something that was practiced before getting sick and continued through my illness. My practice may not have been the most dedicated but it has always been there in some form or another. The calmness it brings to my life, and the fitness and strength it provides is amazing. Basically it feels like a massage from the inside out.
Here is a very EASY faux-ga Yoga routine for MS patients. This simple routine is all done sitting down and lying down. No need to stand. It can even be done in a bathtub, sort of. There are many resources for true Yoga but these are adjusted exercises that work for me. 
1. Grateful Breathing: Sit, cross legged, hands at chest in prayer position, welcome this time for your practice. Let go and breath deep for the next seven minutes. Surround yourself with an invisible hug of positive energy. Bring to mind gratitude toward something in your life. Acknowledge and enjoy this feeling. Either stay here or bring to mind another grateful moment. Savor this moment and next seven minutes. Bring to mind your breathing. In through the nose, exhale through the mouth. Think positive in, negative out. Breathe deep into your stomach on the inhale, feeling it expand like a balloon. On the exhale squeeze out all the air by pressing your belly button back toward your spine. Think of a tube of toothpaste with all the air being exhaled. Breathe in deep again and exhale. Make sure you are forward on your sits bone and use a blanket if needed. The circle of energy through your body will be most open to change and healing in this position. Continue this for 6 deep breaths.
2. Chest Opener: On a big inhale, open hands and stretch elbows and shoulders back, squeezing shoulder blades together behind you. Exhale everything out and bring hands back to prayer position. Repeat this for six deep breaths. Do not push yourself too hard. Be compassionate and listen to the body. Go where it's comfortable.
3. Spine Straightener: As your are sitting, think about your alignment. Is our chin sticking out? Or is an invisible thread pulling the crown of your head up toward the heavens and your sacrum is stretching toward the floor? Be aware and adjust accordingly, using this visual to continually stretch yourself open.
4. Neck and Shoulders: Gently pull your right ear to your right shoulder, stretching the outer left side of your neck. If you like, place your right hand over your head, finger just above the ear and carefully help you reach the stretch desired. Gently rotate your chin around in circles and find what feel good for you. Make sure to stretch on both sides. Now, shrug your shoulders up to the sky, rotate them back, down and forward, making large circles, Complete a few in each direction. Feel the openness in these areas and acknowledge the stagnant energy leaving your body and making room for freshness and rejuvenation.
5. Reclining Cat: While sitting on your bum with knees gently bent and feet on floor in front of you, place your hands gently on the outside of your knees. On in inhale, stretch up as tall as you can while sitting with body close to knees., head up, back arched, eyes toward the heavens. Big inhale. Then exhale it all out with an open mouth and let your back roll backward toward the floor. Big inhale and stretch up straight and tall by your knees. Exhale and roll back, stretching all the little and large muscles. While in the exhale position, gently rock side to side, massaging your sacrum. Repeat this four more times for six deep breaths in all.
6. Sage Twist: While sitting on the floor, legs stretched out, we are going to take our right leg, knee bent, and scoot the heel as close to you as possible. Sitting up tall, feel the stretch this provides. Then if you want more, place that right foot on the outside of your left thigh. Now, if it's available, take the left leg and bend it so that the left heel is near your right buttocks. This should be called the pretzel. Where ever your foot and legs are we will begin the twist. On in inhale stretch you right hand up tall and on the exhale, gently twist to the right and place right hand on floor behind you. On the inhale stretch the body tall, on the exhale twist to the right a little bit more. Take 4-6 deep breaths and then unfold. Shake everything out and do the other side.
7. Dying Insect: roll on to your back and take all arms/legs/tails and shake them out above you. Be a wiggly worm and take a couple of good breaths, exhaling any last negative energy in your body.
8. Shavasana: Time to relax. Lie down on your back on your mat. Legs about 18" apart and hands about 8" away from sides of body. Let everything sink to ground and relax. Feel the body restoring. Allow your body to fee this as safe place. Stay in this place a couple of minutes - as long as you want. Enjoy and appreciate.
9. Thankful Breath: Use your arms to raise from the ground and seat yourself with hands at prayer position. Breath deeply, acknowledging the time and energy put forth in this simple but effective and refreshing series. Take a couple of deep, thankful breaths.
10. I've got this! You can end with a prayer or a namaste but I like to say to myself, "I've got this!".
Only do what feels good and don't push your body too hard. No pushing through pain. We are gentle, compassionate toward our bodies.
This mini routine is a great way to get started and keep motivated. Not too difficult but easy and gently on the MS.
2. Chest Opener: On a big inhale, open hands and stretch elbows and shoulders back, squeezing shoulder blades together behind you. Exhale everything out and bring hands back to prayer position. Repeat this for six deep breaths. Do not push yourself too hard. Be compassionate and listen to the body. Go where it's comfortable. 3. Spine Straightener: As your are sitting, think about your alignment. Is our chin sticking out? Or is an invisible thread pulling the crown of your head up toward the heavens and your sacrum is stretching toward the floor? Be aware and adjust accordingly, using this visual to continually stretch yourself open.
4. Neck and Shoulders: Gently pull your right ear to your right shoulder, stretching the outer left side of your neck. If you like, place your right hand over your head, finger just above the ear and carefully help you reach the stretch desired. Gently rotate your chin around in circles and find what feel good for you. Make sure to stretch on both sides. Now, shrug your shoulders up to the sky, rotate them back, down and forward, making large circles, Complete a few in each direction. Feel the openness in these areas and acknowledge the stagnant energy leaving your body and making room for freshness and rejuvenation. 
5. Reclining Cat: While sitting on your bum with knees gently bent and feet on floor in front of you, place your hands gently on the outside of your knees. On in inhale, stretch up as tall as you can while sitting with body close to knees., head up, back arched, eyes toward the heavens. Big inhale. Then exhale it all out with an open mouth and let your back roll backward toward the floor. Big inhale and stretch up straight and tall by your knees. Exhale and roll back, stretching all the little and large muscles. While in the exhale position, gently rock side to side, massaging your sacrum. Repeat this four more times for six deep breaths in all. 7. Dying Insect: roll on to your back and take all arms/legs/tails and shake them out above you. Be a wiggly worm and take a couple of good breaths, exhaling any last negative energy in your body. 8. Shavasana: Time to relax. Lie down on your back on your mat. Legs about 18" apart and hands about 8" away from sides of body. Let everything sink to ground and relax. Feel the body restoring. Allow your body to fee this as safe place. Stay in this place a couple of minutes - as long as you want. Enjoy and appreciate.
9. Thankful Breath: Use your arms to raise from the ground and seat yourself with hands at prayer position. Breath deeply, acknowledging the time and energy put forth in this simple but effective and refreshing series. Take a couple of deep, thankful breaths.
10. I've got this! You can end with a prayer or a namaste but I like to say to myself, "I've got this!".
Only do what feels good and don't push your body too hard. No pushing through pain. We are gentle, compassionate toward our bodies.
This mini routine is a great way to get started and keep motivated. Not too difficult but easy and gently on the MS.
#takethatMS
Massage Benefits MS
Many folks have asked about the benefits of massage for folks with MS.
Bottom line, I prefer spending my money and health on massage than on many of the Western "medicines" created for MS. Which don't seem to be true medicine. They are drugs that cover up the symptoms. So how do we reduce the symptoms and treat MS proactively?
Massage!
Among other ways to live healthy including nutrition, exercise, and spiritual well being, massage is a great physical way to remove toxins from our bodies. Whatever caused our MS or whatever exacerbates it, the one thing we can do is keep our body as clean as possible.
Now this is not always easy. Trust me! Coffee, tobacco, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, fake foods, artificial or fake anything can send MS into a tizzy.
The goal always is to reduce these toxins and increase MS beneficial foods, such as cooling mung beans and detoxing apples.
One thing we can do to remove toxins is to have a massage. And what a treat it is!
Massage seems to help in several areas:
So, keep up the massage and add some strength training or yoga to keep those muscles strong!
Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG.com talks about the benefits of massage on pain in MS sufferers. By reducing pain, massage can help folks become more mobile. Less pain = more movement. Folks withnMS don't want to be in bed. Sometimes we don't have much choice.Massage & Bodyworks Magazine has done their research with regards to MS and massage presenting us with one of the most comprehensive yet simple to digest articles summarizing MS, the disease, along with the benefits of massage. Click here for more. "For the MS patient, a well-being approach for addressing body, mind, and spirit is essential to combating the effects of the disease. Helpful self-care can include a daily routine of tai chi or yoga, meditation, and attention to diet." They get it. They get the disease and seem to understand what we need to feel better. Many therapists, especially in the Northwest where prevalence is higher, jphave numerous MS clients. Crowell is one of them:"With her extensive MS experience, Crowell says she has learned the importance of balance between releasing spasticity and maintaining enough tone for the client to function. "If you relax someone with MS too much, they can’t walk when they get off the table. They use the spasticity to keep them erect." By implementing a reflex response technique, she reduces spasms without decreasing tone. The client is better able to maintain standing balance, and for those who are not ambulatory, core stability is increased so they can sit better. "One of the things people tend to lose is control. You are working with refining the amount of contraction they use with a given movement." Wow! This is some great stuff. A must read for all with multiple sclerosis. Click here for full articleHere is a summary of MS symptoms. All can be helped with the right massage!
The American Academy of Neurology talks about the most common massage techniques used for reducing pain in MS patients:Craniosacral massage: Light pressure is applied to the head, neck, and spine to ease tension and compression. This type of massage is not appropriate for people with conditions that could be affected by intracranial pressure changes, such as acute aneurysm, cerebral hemorrhage, or hydrocephaly.Lymphatic massage: Light, rhythmic strokes are used to improve the flow of lymph (a colorless fluid that helps fight infection and disease) and get rid of waste throughout the body. Lymphatic massage is often used to reduce post-surgical swelling and to help heal sports-related injuries.Myofascial release: Pressure and body positioning are used to loosen and stretch the muscles, fascia (connective tissue), and related structures. Both physical therapists and massage therapists who are appropriately trained use this technique.Reflexology: Specialized thumb and finger techniques are applied to reflex points in the hands and/or feet.Shiatsu: Gentle finger and hand pressure are applied to specific points on the body to relieve pain.Swedish massage: A variety of strokes and light-pressure techniques are used to enhance blood flow, remove waste products from tissues, stretch ligaments and tendons, and ease physical and emotional tension.Trigger point massage: Pressure is applied to trigger points (tender areas where the muscles have been damaged or where tension accumulates) to alleviate muscle spasms and pain.One of my favorites? Lymphatic massage...you can feel the toxins being squeegeed out of you! But I love them all. In fact, I'm off to get one now! What's your experience? Pro massage or toss it?
Bottom line, I prefer spending my money and health on massage than on many of the Western "medicines" created for MS. Which don't seem to be true medicine. They are drugs that cover up the symptoms. So how do we reduce the symptoms and treat MS proactively?
Among other ways to live healthy including nutrition, exercise, and spiritual well being, massage is a great physical way to remove toxins from our bodies. Whatever caused our MS or whatever exacerbates it, the one thing we can do is keep our body as clean as possible.
Now this is not always easy. Trust me! Coffee, tobacco, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, fake foods, artificial or fake anything can send MS into a tizzy.
The goal always is to reduce these toxins and increase MS beneficial foods, such as cooling mung beans and detoxing apples.
One thing we can do to remove toxins is to have a massage. And what a treat it is!
Massage seems to help in several areas:
- Spasticity
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Poor circulation
- Mental wellness...ahhhh....
"Massage and the underlying disease of MS
While massage can be helpful in relieving stress and inducing relaxation, it has no effect on the course of MS. A 1998 study investigated the effect of massage in people with MS on:- relief of anxiety and depression
- improvement in mood, self-esteem and body image
- increased ambulation and improved physical and social functioning.
So, keep up the massage and add some strength training or yoga to keep those muscles strong!
Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG.com talks about the benefits of massage on pain in MS sufferers. By reducing pain, massage can help folks become more mobile. Less pain = more movement. Folks withnMS don't want to be in bed. Sometimes we don't have much choice.Massage & Bodyworks Magazine has done their research with regards to MS and massage presenting us with one of the most comprehensive yet simple to digest articles summarizing MS, the disease, along with the benefits of massage. Click here for more. "For the MS patient, a well-being approach for addressing body, mind, and spirit is essential to combating the effects of the disease. Helpful self-care can include a daily routine of tai chi or yoga, meditation, and attention to diet." They get it. They get the disease and seem to understand what we need to feel better. Many therapists, especially in the Northwest where prevalence is higher, jphave numerous MS clients. Crowell is one of them:"With her extensive MS experience, Crowell says she has learned the importance of balance between releasing spasticity and maintaining enough tone for the client to function. "If you relax someone with MS too much, they can’t walk when they get off the table. They use the spasticity to keep them erect." By implementing a reflex response technique, she reduces spasms without decreasing tone. The client is better able to maintain standing balance, and for those who are not ambulatory, core stability is increased so they can sit better. "One of the things people tend to lose is control. You are working with refining the amount of contraction they use with a given movement." Wow! This is some great stuff. A must read for all with multiple sclerosis. Click here for full articleHere is a summary of MS symptoms. All can be helped with the right massage!
The American Academy of Neurology talks about the most common massage techniques used for reducing pain in MS patients:Craniosacral massage: Light pressure is applied to the head, neck, and spine to ease tension and compression. This type of massage is not appropriate for people with conditions that could be affected by intracranial pressure changes, such as acute aneurysm, cerebral hemorrhage, or hydrocephaly.Lymphatic massage: Light, rhythmic strokes are used to improve the flow of lymph (a colorless fluid that helps fight infection and disease) and get rid of waste throughout the body. Lymphatic massage is often used to reduce post-surgical swelling and to help heal sports-related injuries.Myofascial release: Pressure and body positioning are used to loosen and stretch the muscles, fascia (connective tissue), and related structures. Both physical therapists and massage therapists who are appropriately trained use this technique.Reflexology: Specialized thumb and finger techniques are applied to reflex points in the hands and/or feet.Shiatsu: Gentle finger and hand pressure are applied to specific points on the body to relieve pain.Swedish massage: A variety of strokes and light-pressure techniques are used to enhance blood flow, remove waste products from tissues, stretch ligaments and tendons, and ease physical and emotional tension.Trigger point massage: Pressure is applied to trigger points (tender areas where the muscles have been damaged or where tension accumulates) to alleviate muscle spasms and pain.One of my favorites? Lymphatic massage...you can feel the toxins being squeegeed out of you! But I love them all. In fact, I'm off to get one now! What's your experience? Pro massage or toss it? 
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