I was fortunate to have a great instructor introduce me to a gentle and restorative type of yoga. She also suffers from Fibromyalgia, and through yoga has learned to find balance, energy, and productivity in her life again. Her transformation with yoga was so encouraging she eventually became a certified instructor and began paying her good fortune forward to eager students like myself.

As my love and interest for yoga peaked, I began doing research and came across a great book on yoga tailored specifically for my needs: Yoga for Fibromyalgia, by Shoosh Lettick Crotzer. And as fate, destiny, coincidence or whatever you call it would have it, the instructor who taught me to love yoga, also uses Yoga for Fibromyalgia as the foundation for the style of yoga she teaches. How serendipitous is that?!

And now I am sharing this great book with you!

Yoga for Fibromyalgia is based on the principles that “yoga’s physical practices are noncompetitive and adaptable to any individual, including those with special needs, such as fibromyalgia.” The author, Shoosh, states clearly that it is her intention to help us find ways to improve our “quality of life by reducing stress, pain, fatigue, and muscle stiffness and by getting deeper sleep.” Don’t you just love her already?

About the Author

Copyright @David Martinez

Shoosh Lettick Crotzer has been teaching yoga since 1974 and now specializes in working with students with special needs. She has a masters degree in diagnostic education. In 1994, while teaching for the National MS Society, she founded the production and distribution company Mobility Limited and wrote and produced the video Yoga for MS. In 1997 she wrote and produced Yoga for Arthritis in partnership with the Arthritis Foundation. She has given workshops and made presentations on yoga and arthritis at international rheumatology conferences.

Shoosh began her yoga training in India in the 1970s and continued with Sivananda Yoga teachers in Los Angeles. She has a background in Iyengar-style yoga and has studied with Joel Kramer, Ganga White, and Tracey Rich. Shoosh has taught yoga at universities, yoga centers, health clubs, and privately throughout the country. She is the founder and director of the nonprofit organization Enhancement, Inc., which works to improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors. She lives in Morro Bay, California, with her husband, Colby.

Impressive resume wouldn’t you say? Upon reading Yoga for Fibromyalgia it was clear to me that Shoosh understands and is sympathetic to the unique issues we face in regards to exercise. Her tone and knowledge put me at ease and encouraged me to progress through her teachings in a way that best served my needs.

Yoga for Fibromyalgia is organized into four parts:

Part 1 – Fibromyalgia and Yoga – Includes information on Fibromyalgia, yoga, and general guidelines. This is the section where you will learn to trust Shoosh and become eager to embrace her knowledge and expertise.

Part 2 – Yoga Poses for Fibromyalgia - Detailed explanations and photographs on how to do the poses and breathing techniques, explanation of the overall benefits of the poses and breathing techniques, and a list of any props you may need. Deirdre Carrigan models the poses in the photographs, and she too has Fibromyalgia and is a yoga teacher.

Part 3 – Practicing Yoga for Fibromyalgia – Shoosh gives guidelines to get us started such as where and when to practice. She also shares sequences of poses designed to target certain areas and to help with specific issues such as pain relief, improve sleep, reduce fatigue, and maintaining general flexibility and body awareness. (The Seated Eagle pose  on page 43 is awesome for stretching sore shoulder and upper back muscles, and I will be doing it the second I am done writing this post!)

Part 4 – Living with Fibromyalgia – Focuses on lifestyle suggestions that may help us live more comfortably and with reduced symptoms. For example: the importance of sleep, good nutrition, exercise, non-exercise movement, and psychological well-being.

Yoga for Fibromyalgia is organized so thoughtfully that depending on your needs on a particular day, you will be able to create the perfect routine – whether it be a seated beginner sequence, a sequence for upper body pain relief, a sequence to improve your sleep, or a complete maintenance sequence – you can do as much or as little as you need.

While encouraging us to get started in our practice of yoga, Shoosh is clear to remind us to take our time, understand that not all techniques are appropriate for everyone, and to listen to what our bodies tell us. She understands and acknowledges that Fibromyalgia can vary from “person to person and often from day to day” and has based her practice in this book on that foundation.

Are you ready yet to let Shoosh guide you through the restorative powers of Yoga for Fibromyalgia?

Good! Because her lovely publisher Rodmell Press has generously agreed to give one copy of Yoga for Fibromyalgia to a randomly selected commenter to this post. Just leave a comment, and on Monday April, 5 I will randomly select someone to receive a copy mailed to you directly from the publisher.

I am clearly a huge fan of Yoga for Fibromyalgia. Since returning to work I have been unable to attend the daily yoga classes that once fit so nicely into my schedule. I have also been traveling and dealing with the stiffness and fatigue of 5 hour plane rides. Without many of the poses and sequences in this book, I am certain I would not be fairing so well.

Yoga is peace

Yoga is strength

Yoga is flexibility

Yoga is restorative

Yoga is life

Note: You may comment as many times as you like, but you will only receive one entry into the drawing,

I am thankful for my smart, funny and charming husband. I am thankful for the years he selflessly held us together while never making me feel inadequate. I am thankful for his companionship, his commitment to our partnership, and his unending loyalty, support, and love.

I am thankful for my parents. For all the words of wisdom and encouragement when I need them most. For instilling in me the belief that there is nothing I can’t do. For loving me unconditionally. For letting me find my own way, but always being there for me when I need them.

I am thankful for my sis. For checking in on me nearly every day to see how I am doing – regardless of what is going on in her life. I am thankful that she loves me completely without expecting anything in return. I am thankful for our sister lunches and the quality time we spend together.

I am thankful for all my family – My Granny, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews, Cousins, and for the family I married into. I scored with my in-laws! I understand how fortunate I am to have such a loving extended family, and I am very thankful for each and every one of them.

I am thankful for my friends – old & new. My friends who know me sometimes better than my family. My friends who love and support me regardless of what I am able to contribute to our friendship. My friends who understand when I need to cancel a lunch date or head home early from an evening out. I am thankful for my awesome friends!

I am thankful for my new job, and for my new boss for seeing in me the potential to shine in his company, and for giving me the tools to do so. I am going to be a rockstar!

I am thankful for my Casey girl. I miss her so much this Thanksgiving. The first one without her in 14 years. I will miss her big soulful brown eyes pleading with me to share some Thanksgiving dinner. I will miss the way she greets all of our guests with joyful abandon. I will miss the gentle way she had with my Granny. I will miss the sound of her snoring after a long day of socializing with family. I miss her a lot – and am so thankful for the years we had together.

I am thankful for our current crazy critters – all four of them – and their unique and joyful personalities. Life is not dull around here.

I am thankful for the warm cup of coffee I am currently sipping, the fuzzy slippers on my feet, the blue sky out my window, and the waves crashing on the beach just down the street.

I am thankful for the potential of today and the promise of tomorrow.

I am thankful for the swirl of words in my head, and for my cold but nimble fingers that eagerly guide them to this page.

I am thankful for this page, and the many other pages that make up my blog. I am thankful for FibroHaven, in all its components.

And I am thankful for you! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. It is a greater honor to me than you will ever know. Thank you if you have ever left a comment. Thank you if we have connected on twitter or facebook. Thank you for allowing my voice into your life.

Finally, I am thankful for everything that has happened in my life to lead me exactly where I am today – full of potential and promise.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This time of transition in my life has been trying to say the least. An emotional roller coaster would be a better way to describe it. One second I am excited by possibilities and the next second I am crushed with defeat. Sounds a lot like life doesn’t it?

It just so happens that a research study I was slated to participate in months ago started up last week. It is a local study on yoga and cognitive coping skills for the treatment of Fibromyalgia. I was hoping to end up in the cognitive group since I already have a good handle on the yoga, and  since the trials of this past month have left me in serious need of some coping skills. Fortunately that is exactly where I ended up.

Last week was our first session and we spent most of the two hours getting to know everyone in the group. Then we proceeded on to the first of the eight Pain Coping Skills we will be learning over the course of the study. Progressive Relaxation is a guided technique. While laying or seated in a comfortable position, we followed the directive of the study leader and proceeded with a focused tightening and relaxing of targeted muscles.

Starting from our heads and working our way down, we slowly and purposefully tightened and relaxed major muscle groups. It was a controlled and relaxing exercise. Before we began we rated several of our symptoms on a sliding scale – pain, fatigue, brain fog. At the end of the exercise we were asked to rate our symptoms again.

I think everyone agreed it was  relaxing and we all felt somewhat restored. But for me it did not elevate my pain. Some of my muscles that had been burning – like my upper back between my shoulder blades – did experience relief, but then other muscles where my pain was more sharp and focused seemed more painful after. It is hard to tell whether the pain actually increased from the movements or if I simply became more aware of it when the overriding burning pain subsided.

Our homework was to repeat the exercise twice a day listening to a DVD recorded by the lead researcher. My homework left me with the same experience. So I suppose I would say for me it is a good technique for burning pain, but not so good for sharp, stabbing pain.

This week we are learning a new technique, and so on throughout the eight weeks of the study. Their hope is that one, two or maybe even all eight of the skills they teach us will help us and be implemented into our daily routines. That is my hope too!

My second hope is that I will be able to continue on with the study after I have started working again. It is a possibility that it will conflict and I won’t be able to complete the eight weeks. That would be a disappointment, but I will worry about it when the time comes.

For now, I will continue on and report here what we are doing and whether or not it is helping me.

Do you have any experience with Cognitive Coping Skills/Behaviors? I would love for you to share your experience with it. Was it helpful to you? Do you continue to practice the skills you learned? Do you practice daily or do you target your practice depending on your symptoms?

We all know that. So if change is constant, the only variable then is in our ability to adapt.

I was watching the Amazing Race Sunday night. It really is an interesting study on human nature and the ability to adapt to constant change – to the unknown. It is remarkable how certain temperaments rise to the top as they excel at adapting to unknown situations, while others battle themselves and their own teammates while flailing wildly at the unknown.

The ever important clue box is a great example of what I mean. Teams are given a general direction and told “that is where you will find your next clue.” So each team approaches the area not sure exactly where they must go.

Some teams calmly read their directions for more clues and talk it through, looking around together until they spot the box.

Other teams divide up to cover more ground, keeping each other updated and staying connected with their voices.

Then there are the teams that run around wildly yelling at each other, oblivious to the details of their surroundings. These are the teams that usually run past the box three or four times before spotting it. They are frantic and manic. They are out of breath, angry with each other, and completely out of tune with their environment.

For years my husband and I have joked we would make a great team on the Amazing Race. If I had to judge, I would say we would be most like the first team type – sticking together to take in our surroundings and find the clues. In fact, I am certain that is the kind of team we would be.

Change is not coming. Change is here.

Last Thursday my husband called me in the middle of his work day, except it was no longer a work day for him. After surviving many rounds of layoffs, this time he was the one terminated. He was calm when he relayed this life altering news to me. “Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no,” was the only thing I could say. But he calmed me down and told me the one thing I believe to be universally true, “We are going to be okay.”

As soon as I slowed down long enough to recognize his calmness and listen to the truth in his words, I knew it was true. We are going to be okay.

Where we have been.

After the accident in late 2006, I tried to get back to working full-time, but my body could not handle the stress of it. My symptoms continued to worsen to the point that we both realized what I needed most was time. After much consideration, and resolving ourselves to the financial adjustments we would need to make, I quit working and have been focusing on my health and wellbeing ever since.

FibroHaven is the product of my time away from working, and I am so proud of what I have created – my blog, my support group, and my facebook community. It is through all of the FibroHaven components that I have learned so much more about who I am, why I have Fibromyalgia, and what I can do to improve my quality of life. I have a new spiritual awareness attained through the many mind-body practices I have introduced to my life, like yoga and meditation.

Each step of my journey away from work and with FibroHaven, whether I was struggling or succeeding, my husband was right there with me – taking it all in, and trying to interpret what it all means.

The time away from the stress of working has been a true gift to me. It has not been easy on our lifestyle. We gave up a lot of the comfort and luxuries that comes with two incomes. I am not healed, I am not cured, but I am better. Well enough that I know it is time for me to contribute again.

Strangely enough, something happened this week to reinforce that it is time for me to change my focus. Everyday I spend a lot of time on FibroHaven’s facebook page. It was a great complement to my blog, and a quick way to share timely, relevant links and Fibromyalgia resources. I was very happy with the work I had been doing.

Monday morning I shared my most recent blog post there, and then went off to my noon yoga class. When I came home and sat down at my computer I headed straight for facebook, but my page was gone:

The page you requested was not found.

It was like a shot to my gut – another loss. All that work gone. Disappeared! Sickening.

Today, I am kind of over it. Sad, yes. Disappointed, sure. But I recognize how much time and effort I spent on it and I realize that my time and effort are best suited elsewhere now.

You see I am part of a team, and my team has had a set back. But we are not out of the race. No way!

Where we are going.

We are not out of the race, because together we have calmly taken in our surroundings and recognized what we need to do to move on. My husband is a talented man. He will find work again. But in the meantime, I need to come off sabbatical and contribute. This means less time to spend on FibroHaven.

Not to worry. My blog is here to stay. I will just have less time for all the ancillary projects – like the now gone facebook page, and like my local support group. I am cutting meetings from two a month down to one, and I will be asking for someone to step up and assist me in running the group. There were also several other things I have been working on that will either not happen, or will have to wait.

Yesterday was our 6 year wedding anniversary. We spent the day focused and excited about our future. Change is here and we are ready to adapt – calmly, and together. I can’t wait to see where the next clue takes us.

The valedictorian at my nephew’s graduation gave a funny and moving speech. She had the entire football stadium laughing with jokes about her mixed heritage – her mother is Mexican and her father is Jewish. She apologized to everyone unable to find a seat because her mother had her entire side of the family seated in the home-side bleachers. Such a witty girl, and by the time she changed the tone of the speech she held everyone’s attention.

Her tone changed as she went on to point out and talk about individual students – not the jocks, or the cheerleaders, or the ASB officers though. Her list was filled with the classmates who went mostly unnoticed over the past four years – students who stayed in the background for one reason or another, yet still made up the unique fabric of her graduating class. I found myself in tears over stories of students I had never met, and who maybe even my nephew had never met. She painted such a lovely picture of how each of them were individuals, and they should embrace who they are, and they should all be proud of the contribution they made to their graduating class. Her message really impressed and inspired me.

I woke up this morning thinking about it, and about how it applies to so much more than just her graduating class. I laid in bed thinking about how many of us with Fibromyalgia and chronic illness are like those students who remain in the background. We struggle to participate. We struggle to reach our full potential. We struggle to contribute to our homes, and our jobs, and our communities. Our lives are a struggle, and yet we still are – each of us – uniquely individual and valuable.

It is hard to honor your contribution when all you can see is what you are no longer able to do. It is hard to embrace who you are when all you can do is miss who you used to be. Chronic illness is hard, but as I once heard a very wise girl say, the fabric of our lives would be completely different if just one “student” made the choice not to complete this journey. Have compassion for yourself. Accept who you are. Embrace your individuality and honor your contribution. I do!