Savasana at Sunset near Lake Calhoun

A Lesson in Resilience and Wholeness

Today was my yoga class at MindBody Solutions Yoga Studio in Minnetonka, MN. Every time I go there I feel gratitude for the practice of yoga and for this studio that works with bodies of all abilities.

Founded by Matthew Sanford, author of Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence, the studio is my place to go for peace and renewal. It helps me reconnect with my whole body and reminds me to treat myself with loving kindness in all that I do. Living for years with chronic pain and fatigue I am all too familiar with the many ways that one can ignore, feel angry with, or stop listening to the body.

It took me years to learn to accept and value what I can do instead of constantly wishing I could do more or be different.

Matthew Sanford is one of those bright lights in the world. He inspires me and makes me want to be a better person and he shows me through his own journey how to become more awake in mind and body.

When I lose track of why I do what I do, I remember a simple observation from my years of practicing and teaching yoga. I have never seen anyone truly become more aware of his or her body without also becoming more compassionate. On the flipside, when we become more disconnected from our bodies, we become more self-destructive. Each day, as I practice connecting my mind and my body, I am able to feel a more compassionate path. I wish the same for you. ― Matthew Sanford

When Sanford was just thirteen, his family’s car skidded off an overpass on an icy road in Iowa. His father and sister were killed in the accident and Sanford was paralyzed from the chest down.

“My life has taught me that there is a wealth of strength within us, there is nothing we cannot handle. Life presents it’s purpose and beauty in all sorts of ways. The trick is to stay open to one’s strength, to not deny or strive to prove it, but rather to simply have it”
― Matthew W. Sanford

 It was a loss that most of us cannot imagine. After many years of struggle and grief, Sanford began studying yoga and found his way back to loving life and loving his body as it is in the moment.

In 2002, Matthew founded Mind Body Solutions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming trauma, loss and disability into hope and potential by awakening the connection between mind and body. He teaches traditional yoga students and is a pioneer in adapting yoga for people living with disabilities.

Connecting the mind and body is not just a health strategy. It is a movement of consciousness that can change the world.
― Matthew Sanford

Here are links to Matthew Sanford’s website and the MindBody Solutions website.

Join me for the rest of November in noticing the Good, the Bright, and the Beautiful by committing to notice one inspiring thing or person each day.

May you walk in beauty.

Matthew Sanford teaching a yoga class at the MindBody Solutions Studio