Yoga helped curb job stress, aided knee surgery recuperation
Sue Knollenberg of Lakeville had a history
of arthritis and chronic pain. She started taking
yoga classes and in July 2005, had both knees
replaced. While she recuperated at home, she
worked part time in her job as a development
director. Two to three weeks after surgery,
Knollenberg, 53, began taking restorative yoga,
altering postures to accommodate her joints.
"As I continued to get better, I continued
to do yoga at Yoga Path, maybe two to three
times a week. It helped me with regaining my
flexibility, my strength. Classes are an hour
or 11/2 hours long. They follow the yoga of
Baron Baptiste.
"When I came to yoga before the surgery,
I was probably 20 pounds overweight. I did rejoin
Weight Watchers. The combination has helped
me lose 16 pounds. More important than the weight
loss has been finding some peace.
"I have a high-stress job. We are conducting
a $35 million major gifts campaign. I am the
staff lead. I find it stressful. Maybe some
others wouldn't.
"One of the tenets of yoga is about 'being
in the moment.' We all try to multitask. Sometimes,
I can just remember to be in the moment and
pay attention to what I'm doing at the time
and to do it correctly.
"One of the most important concepts in
yoga is to breathe. I try to remember that at
work when I get upset or stressed. Now, I go
for a walk at lunch or take a break when I start
getting overwhelmed. Before, I wouldn't have
made the time to do that.
"Recently, a group of us (at Yoga Path)
finished a 40-day program where we made a commitment
to do yoga six times a week, meditate twice
a day, write in our journals and be conscious
of our eating patterns. We met once a week to
share support and talk about the experience.
"It was very challenging and very invigorating.
It was challenging to make that time for yoga
six days a week. In the midst of it, there was
a three-day fruit fast (eating fruit, water
and juice). For a lot of us, it brought up a
lot of food issues.
"I've struggled with compulsive eating
most of my life. I was overweight as a kid and
overweight until I got to college, when I lost
80 pounds. Even though I'd lost the weight,
it was still a daily presence. I just feel much
more at peace with it. Now, I'm committed to
go (to yoga) about five times a week.
"I think there is some intimidation factor
when you first walk into a yoga studio and people
are familiar with poses. You think, 'I can't
do this. I'm not flexible. I can't touch my
hands to the floor.' If you're patient with
yourself, all of that comes. And if it doesn't
come, it's still all right.
"I have a lot more energy. I really struggle
in the winter with the lack of sunlight. Usually
I'd come home, read the paper and lie on the
couch. Now, I do things at night. I go to my
yoga class. That's a big change.
"I was walking into a board meeting last
Friday. One of our members ... saw me walking
in. She said, 'You'd never know you had surgery.'
I walk every day with my dog. I can garden without
pain. Yoga is absolutely a factor in that."
