We sat down with Stittsville resident Jody Ryan of Yoga Tools for Life to catch-up on all of her activities since our April article. She is pleased with the turn-out for the spring yoga sessions and is again offering classes starting in mid-September. More on that a little later.
The spring sessions had students participating between the ages of 50 and 75. Most have experienced chronic pain for 20-plus years and some were dealing with arthritis and/or rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. Jody was able to assist each person with their individual issues and help them to move safely – improving their mobility. Because of Jody’s teachings, four of the former students will be returning for the fall sessions as they are appreciative of her assistance.
Jody is the only yoga instructor in Ottawa to deliver Pain Care Yoga and her fall sessions will soon start-up. You will have two sessions to choose from starting —
- Tuesday, September 17 from 8:45-9:45 am for six weekly sessions;
- Thursday, September 19 from 10:00-11:00 am for six weekly sessions.
The sessions are again being held at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church at 2 Mulkins Street, Stittsville. You can register at Jody’s web site: https://yogatoolsforlife.com/. You can also read Jody’s posts on her Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/yogatoolsforlife/.
Jody offers non-pharmaceutical pain treatment yoga through – education, movement, stress relieving tools, planning and retraining the brain. She wants to help clients to build their capacity and be able to “live your life with more ease”. Her classes teach students about pain; the importance of sleep; dealing with stress/difficult emotions – breathing and relaxation; introduces students to “guidelines for recovering movement in persistent pain”, which is directly from the training Neil Pearson created for Pain Care Yoga; healthy eating; positive thinking; making action plans; and, looking back/planning for the future.
Jody has joined Integrated Touch Physiotherapy (ITP) where she teaches Therapeutic yoga classes on Monday evenings. ITP is located near the Carlingwood Mall – classes start at 7:00 pm. She also provides private yoga sessions to those who request them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Jody is currently enrolled in a certified two-year program through the International Association of Yoga Therapy (IAYT).
During our discussion, Jody brought up some interesting facts about chronic pain in Canada that she had gleaned from the federal ‘Canadian Pain Task Force’ report by Health Canada – recently published in June 2019. Did you know that one in five Canadians live with chronic pain? That pain is a stigmatized and still invalidated condition? Health care professionals still lack the knowledge and skills to treat pain? (Apparently, Veterinarians are better trained in pain management than our own General Practitioners.) Specialized pain services are largely non-accessible and research findings are not always used to improve the care of Canadians.
Women more often than men experience chronic pain. Yoga therapists working alongside and integrated with health providers such as physio therapists, doctors and mental health professionals can facilitate to reach the ‘Gold Standard’ of multidisciplinary care. Also, education, movement and self-management are key areas for those experiencing chronic pain. As we age, our nervous systems and bodies change; therefore, pain can change.
Should you have chronic pain, mobility issues, or just enjoy Yoga, register for Jody’s upcoming sessions. Jody will support you in managing your pain and teach you to live life with more mobility.
