COUNTY COLUMN: The healing power of yoga

Josie Garrard teaches vinyasa flow yoga at 6:30 a.m. Mondays at The Well, 210 S. James Garner Ave.

Life always changes, but sometimes that shift can be sudden and extreme, especially in the case of life-altering illness or injury.

For yogi Josie Garrard, that change came in the form of a rare disorder.

“Sunday night I felt fine, but by Thursday, I couldn’t get out of bed or eat by myself,” she said.

She was 27 years old.

Fortunately, Garrard found good doctors who helped identify what was happening. She was diagnosed with guillain-barré syndrome (GBS) — a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks its nerves. Symptoms can spread very quickly, eventually paralyzing the whole body. In Garrard’s case, GBS was triggered by an acute bacterial or viral infection.

“I am very fortunate,” she said. “For some, guillain-barré syndrome can be brutal.”

Not being the worst-case scenario didn’t mean there weren’t major changes to her life, however. Chronic pain and the frustration of knowing that her body was literally attacking itself presented as much of a challenge as dealing with a variety of physical symptoms.

While medication helps, it can only go so far. Garrard needed to move and reconnect with her body. She had done yoga during her years at the University of Oklahoma when it was popular, but it hadn’t been a major part of her life. As part of her recovery process, she turned to yoga, finding it was one of the few things she could still do.

“Yoga helps me reconnect and helps me forgive my body,” she said. “Our bodies are amazing, but also very complex.”

Yoga helps with movement, strength and flexibility, but it also helped her deal with the pain and the emotions that accompanied GBS.

“I still have chronic pain and nerve pain and muscle fatigue, but I firmly credit my yoga practice, along with amazing doctors and medication, for helping me recover to where I am,” she said.

For Garrard the focus on breath and the mental ability to use her yoga practice to find calm and peace are life-restoring. Her experience moved her to become a yoga instructor so she could share yoga with others.

“Yoga is for everybody,” she said. “Wherever you are. Whatever you can do, even if it varies day to day.”

Garrard’s all-levels vinyasa flow class links each movement to breath while strengthening the body and calming the mind with challenging postures, dynamic sequencing, and mindful breathing. The class meets at the Cleveland County Wellness Square (The Well), 210 S. James Garner Ave., on Mondays at 6:30 a.m. and is suitable for all levels and experience.

“The way I approach my classes is that it’s not about fitting your body to yoga, it’s about fitting yoga to your body and seeing where you are and meeting your needs,” she said. “Yoga is a tool that helps us be and feel our best.”

Finding the calm and quiet to listen and feel and learn what you’re feeling and experiencing is key, she believes, and that helps people gain respect for their bodies.

“There is so much more to our bodies that we are still learning and still coming to understand and appreciate,” she said. “I really try to work with making poses accessible to everyone to allow them to get benefits.”

Garrard recommends bringing a yoga mat if you have one because supplies are limited. Props will be provided.

“We have a beautiful view of the sunrise. It’s a good way to start the day,” she said. “A lot of times what you really need is a little encouragement and support to face the day. You can get through whatever is facing you.”

Sign up for this and other free classes at The Well online at https://thewellok.org/all-classes.

Joy Hampton is a communications specialist for Cleveland County

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