Health Matters With TSET: Yoga for Parkinson's

Regular exercise is crucial for many patients with Parkinson's, a neurological disease that affects movement and speech.

In today's Health Matters with TSET, Amy Slanchik learns how yoga is helping some patients.

Rhythm is a big part of Jeff Graham's life. He's been playing guitar for about 40 years. And a few years ago, he said, it was the music that told him something wasn't right.

"I was like, I'm not making chords that I've known since I was 12 years old,” Graham said.

Graham was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2022.

This year, he added something new to his routine, a customized yoga class, just for him.

"I'm just trying it out,” Graham said.

"I'm gonna see people with the same condition, but who are very different. And so I get to use all of my skills and I can think on my feet and meet them where they're at,” Lisa Bracken said.

Bracken became a certified yoga therapist in 2010, and in 2019, learned the Parkinson's community was underserved when it comes to yoga.

"Six months later, I have my certification, and I feel I've completely found my calling,” she said.

Right now she has five clients, and meets one-on-one, both in person and virtually, to help people with the disease.

"On an emotional level, I see an improvement in anxiety, an improvement in sleep. I see an improvement in joy. I had a client one time say, 'I feel like my smile muscles are working again.'"

"Another physical, tangible improvement that I see, that kind of makes me tear up, is I see tremors, like, all but stop during our sessions,” Bracken said.

About a week after going to class, News On 6 met Graham at his house, in his recording room.

"I used to be able to do that, kinda that ‘Workin’ Man Blues,’” Jeff said before he played his guitar. “Oh, this is a really good day if I'm doing it with a pick."

For him, and many others with Parkinson's, every day is different, some more challenging than others. On this day, he had fewer symptoms.

"I used to be able to do a lot of that with pick, and today, I just, right there in front of you, I kinda surprised myself,” he said, before continuing to play music.

Jeff has only taken a handful of Bracken’s yoga classes but is optimistic about what it could do for him in the long run.

"And the yoga that I've been doing, that you saw the other day, I notice, has kinda helped, a little bit of confidence, because you know I had a whole lot of me wrapped up in this, and what I could do on it, and it can really play a number on your self-esteem,” he said.

The music told him something was wrong, and it’s the movement that is helping him find a new beat.

Bracken said she can take on five more clients. She also extends her yoga classes to people who are caregivers to those with Parkinson's, who live in the Tulsa area. For more information about her, visit her website.

The Oklahoma Parkinson’s Alliance is a local resource for patients and caregivers.

To learn more about the benefits of different exercise programs for Parkinson’s, click here.

For some more information on yoga and stretching poses, click here.