Free Yoga For Children With Special Needs
What have I been put here to do? It’s a question I asked after recently seeing Wayne Dyer speak. It has become clear that I am here to inspire and to heal, through teaching Yoga, and even more importantly, through giving back. Through seva.
My sister wrote the following piece (excerpted below) about her son who has Prader Willi Syndrome. As soon as I read it, I knew. I would start teaching free Yoga to kids with special needs. I would provide gifts and miracles everyday to these children who are gifts and miracles themselves: G.A.M.E. Yoga.
I was deeply moved by the idea that a challenge in your life can be turned into a miracle.
It is exactly one year ago today that my angel received his diagnosis of Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic disorder affecting the 15th chromosome, marked with a host of medical complications. The most notable being that my son would always be hungry, never having the ability to feel full. Most would find it odd to celebrate such a day. If you asked me 365 days ago if I would celebrate today, I would have laughed.
Today I celebrate.
When that call came in, I thought my world had ended. I collapsed to the ground and sobbed harder than I had ever before. I thought losing my father was the hardest thing in my life. You will never be prepared for the sadness that comes with your child having an incurable condition. The deepest part of your soul aches, your heart burns; the whole body goes numb.
I never held Blaise so close as I did that day, and amidst my sadness I promised him that I would be there to champion him, to support him and to help find a cure. Through my tears I picked up the phone, contacted Prader-Willi Association.
By the end of day one I had found that two friends had loved ones with PWS and by day two, I had spoken to both of them on the phone.
I was going to find the courage to go on. I would grieve but I would move forward.
I spent the first two weeks crying. I am not sure what I was crying for: Lost dreams, his pain or my fear of the future?
I cried for it all: I couldn’t handle the thought of what our lives would be like, but, I moved on, I forged ahead. Blaise needed me to be strong and I wasn’t going to let him down.
He gave me the strength. His determination, his will, and most of all, his smile gave me all the courage I needed to go on.
Now it is a year later. We have come so far. My son is my superhero. No matter what the day holds for him he wears a smile on his face. The love that he has in his heart is unmatched by anybody I have ever met.
We always think that we are here to teach our children about the world. I believe otherwise. My son has taught me more than I could ever imagine. I have learned patience, compassion, trust, and, unconditional love from Blaise.
Blaise has come so far in the last year, surpassing all of the expectations of all his doctors. If I knew one year ago today what life is like now I wouldn’t have been so sad. Yes, life can be challenging. Yes, I still cry (but not so often). I have learned to love life, love individuality and most of all, I have learned to play the hand that was dealt. One year ago I asked: Why me? Why him? Why us? I don’t ask anymore. We have work to do and we certainly got busy doing it.
Why is it a celebration that he received his diagnosis? The diagnosis has allowed my son to live the most amazing life and to grow beyond belief. The freedom of knowing the diagnosis allowed us to grow as a family. Blaise is a much healthier and happier soul knowing what he has to face; we are better parents for knowing how to provide for him. To watch Blaise blossom over the last year is nothing short of a miracle.
I am excited by this project. Already, a mother who has a son with cerebral palsy called me. He is in a wheelchair yet he surfs; if he can surf, he can do Yoga. It may not be what someone else can do, but Yoga is so all encompassing that it does not matter.
I keep returning to Wayne Dyer’s question: How may I serve? Ask yourself.
Jennifer is currently looking for other volunteers to help with the program. Contact her at: (310) 926 – 0172 or join her at the launch Thursday, December 9, at the Beverly Hills lululemon.
If your child or someone you know has special needs, and would like to play in the G.A.M.E. of Yoga (Gifts and Miracles Everyday), please contact Jennifer Pastiloff:jenniferpastiloff.com; Jennifer.pastiloff@verizon.net.
By Jennifer Pastiloff
