A recent week was particularly rough. It was enlightening, but the process was tough. To share my “tough and enlightening” week with you, it is important that you have a little bit of history: It was four years ago that I started teaching a yoga class at a local nonprofit, UCP WORK, Inc.
UCP WORK provides a wide array of services to more than 750 children and adults with significant disabilities throughout the tri-counties. The mission of this organization is to support people with disabilities so that they may live productive lives in the community of their choice; it does this by supporting people in the following ways: Supported Living Services (so that people may live in their own homes), Residential Services, Day Programs that offer vocational training opportunities, and Health and Wellness programs, the Rhythmic Arts Project, Children’s Yoga, mentor programs, and much more.
As the yoga instructor in the Santa Maria Day Program, I have adapted the program to meet the needs of the participants. Each person is unique in his or her needs; some students do their yoga in a wheelchair, while others are on a mat; others choose to stand. In all cases, the participation is pure and true to the essentials of yoga: moving and breathing. These people prove that Yoga is for every body.
I recently attended the memorial for one of my yoga students, Brian; he was one of my original yoga students.
Brian was considerably older than most of my other yoga students, and some of the other students affectionately called him “grandpa.” Brian had difficulty speaking, but he was very alert and bright. During the memorial, which was held at the UCP WORK Day Program, his friends rose to share experiences about him. Some read poems, some sang, some spoke about their grief. Because of their disabilities, it was difficult to understand some of the words, but the emotion was readily apparent—and it was then that I was struck with the enlightenment: emotion, joy, and sorrow are not limited by our intelligence or ability. Any differences in ability, education, or experience were surpassed by our sameness. At our core, we are all human beings who experience life’s trials and tribulations (love, loss, and learning).
The next time you see a group of them hanging out at the park, or strolling around a store, remember that they are part of the collective us. Every one of us wants to have a meaningful life, and thanks to programs like UCP WORK, people with disabilities also have a shot at those important experiences that shape us as people.
If you can take anything with you from this commentary, I hope it is that you embrace and respect every community member based on who they are as a person first. The fact that they may have a disability shouldn’t hold weight, in that opinion. Take the time to listen, as you may learn much from people who have struggled to be accepted their entire lives. Listen to the people who have been brave enough to stand up for their peers as support systems and advocates. Walk beside people with disabilities, knowing that, just like you, they are no different from the next guy. Recognize that we are all the same, bound together by the human experience.
Brian’s favorite yoga pose was butterfly pose. How fitting. Just like a butterfly, he has now morphed from one phase to another.
Carly Neubert is a certified yoga instructor and nutrition consultant. She teaches yoga at Luis Oasis Center in Orcutt, TreeTop Yoga Center in Santa Maria, and a private class at UCP WORK, Inc. She is available for group or private classes, office and corporate yoga, and nutrition consultations. Contact her at healthy.carly@gmail.com or 354-8061. Interested in donating to UCP WORK, Inc. programs? Contact Executive Director Kathy Webb at 566-9000, Ext 114. Send comments to Sun Executive Editor Ryan Miller at rmiller@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 9-16, 2012.
