I read an article about how we ought to imagine the good that might come from climate change.* The author, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist, does not deny the dire situation, but encourages an attitude that searches out positive opportunities. When I look back over these blogs, they mostly focus on this idea: trouble is our teacher.

I had a profound opportunity to observe this when I participated in a research study on yoga as an intervention for multiple sclerosis.** The students were chosen randomly, and they displayed a wide range of symptoms. Some used walkers and scooters to get around while others appeared healthy between exacerbations. The study parameters only required that students be able to get up and down from the floor with assistance.

These students faced real trouble – financial trouble as a result of the illness, as well as the obvious threats to life and well-being. But one day as we were all talking, all twelve students agreed that some of the best experiences and realizations of their lives had come as a direct result of their illness.

The study used yoga asana to address physical symptoms (fatigue, poor balance, digestive issues, etc.). It showed that yoga is a powerful tool in slowing the progression of the disease, but so was regular use of a stationary bike (the control exercise). Exercise is good for people with MS. Within the context of the study, the two forms of exercise had similar outcomes, but in real life, the differences are profound: yoga is a far more effective intervention, for a simple but important reason.

One year after the study, no students continued regular use of the stationary bike. Almost all of them continued practicing yoga, and I still teach a couple students from that study today — more than twenty years later.

Beginning and maintaining an exercise routine can be difficult, especially with an unpredictable disease like multiple sclerosis, which is characterized by periods of good health interrupted by exacerbations. During the exacerbations, a person may suffer a wide variety of symptoms: pain, weakness, blindness, vertigo – almost anything.  At those times, it may not be possible to get on that bike, or if it’s possible, it’s certainly not inviting. In challenging situations, a traditional exercise routine might be frequently interrupted. This leads to weakness, of course, but also to feelings of frustration and powerlessness.

Yoga is not a particular routine, but the attitude that we can learn from whatever is in front of us. In the MS class, students learned a wide variety of exercises. Some exercises build strength, but others focus on improving breathing. Restorative poses support a healthy immune system and healthy digestion. A yoga practice need never be interrupted by ill health because its whole purpose is to respond to immediate needs. It is adaptable. The practice itself is flexible. This resiliency in practice can extend to life-long resiliency.

When we work to find meaning in the struggles that present themselves, we are able to stay with the process. This helps us improve the situation if possible. If there is nothing we can do, we can at least use the experience to grow in compassion and wisdom.

We don’t need to seek out trouble; it will find us. When it does, we are wise to welcome the lessons trouble brings. I think of those students now. If they had a choice, they would have chosen to be well. But we don’t get those choices in life. As yogis, our duty is to bring out the best in every situation we encounter. I can think of no better tool for the difficult struggles our world now faces. Next blog, I’ll talk about how to use yoga to find the good in climate change.

*(https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/18/magazine/ayana-elizabeth-johnson-interview.html.)

**(Randomized Control Trial of Yoga and Exercise in Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology 2004)