MS yoga classes | Mindful Yoga Group

Mindful Yoga Group

Harmonizing body and mind

About Mindful Yoga

In 2000, when I was still living in Iran, my country of birth, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Suddenly, I saw my future self as someone unable to walk. I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. My doctor prescribed antidepressants which helped relax my body, but my mind was still cluttered with negative thoughts. Fast forward to 2004: I had my first MS attack. I started to take interferons through self-administered injections 3 times a week and continued this treatment for 10 years. Meanwhile, I moved to the U.S with my family and started to experience worsening side effects from the shots. I began looking for ways to stop my medication and started taking yoga classes routinely. This is how my journey into yoga began. I noticed the numbness in my body decreasing and my balance significantly improved. It made me curious to learn how yoga affects the body. In 2014, I registered for yoga instructor training at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment. During my 200 hours of training, I discovered yoga was not just a form of exercise. It could also be used as a tool for balance and to connect the body and soul. During the training, I also stopped taking MS medication. I was inspired by how yoga and meditation brought clarity, joy, and freedom into my life and decided to take additional training in 2015 at Almaden Yoga with the new intention to practice yoga as my occupation. One year later I started offering private and group yoga classes for all ages in my studio, Mindful Yoga Group.

I work with clients who love yoga and people who have health issues such as knee problems or back pain, and people diagnosed with MS. My current mission is to establish the MS Yoga Society (MSYS) to support people who have Multiple Sclerosis and create new possibilities for them to enjoy life. To get more information about the MS Yoga Society click here .

Meet the Team

Why Mindful Yoga?

Private yoga classes for clients to focus on their specific goals.

Small group classes that give me the opportunity to align each and every person and to make sure everybody is safe in each pose.

Personalized modification of certain poses to protect your joints if needed.

4 years’ experience making a difference for people who have health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety, or chronic pain such as arthritis, knee, and shoulder problems.

Use therapeutic yoga to warm-up the body and to work on each muscle to avoid injury.

Use essential oils to bring calmness and connection to the physical body.

Optional add-on for reading and sharing opinions about spiritual books like the Yoga Sutra at no extra cost.

Offer workshops on topics such as meditation, chakras, philosophy, and holistic nutrition.

Testimonials

I love Maryam’s classes!

They are very unique. She incorporates yoga with aromatherapy and reflexology. Also, She uses a chair as a prop to challenge your strength and balance. Every

Class is different. So, you won’t get bored! She is very thorough and makes sure your alignment is correct. I had been practicing yoga over 5 years before I started taking Maryam’s class and didn't know that my alignment was off for utkatasana (chair pose) until she corrected me!

Thanks, Maryam

— Taeko/Ty

Classes

It is very important to choose the right class depending on your limitations, goals for participation, and yoga experience. Right now I offer 3 different kinds of yoga.

All classes are offered in groups or individually.