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Yoga is for anyone with a mind and a body and a willingness to work. Matthew teaches yoga to people of all levels of ability.
Teaching People Living with Disabilities
Matthew is a world leader in adapting yoga to people living with disabilities. For his pioneering work in this emerging field, he received a Karma Yoga Award from Yoga Journal in 2003.
Since 1998,
Matthew has been teaching a weekly adaptive yoga class
for people living with a wide range of disabilities
at the Courage
Center, a leading rehabilitation center located
in Golden Valley, Minnesota. For this work he
received the Judd
Jacobson Memorial Award in 2005 and this year
won a KARE
Eleven Who Care award. Matthew earmarked his award
money for producing a series of DVDs on the interection
of yoga and disability; However, much more is needed.
Your donation
to his non-profit Mind Body Solutions is fully tax-deductible
by law.
Matthew also offers seminars, workshops, and consultation
to rehabilitation professionals and yoga teachers
alike.
Teaching Traditional Students
Matthew began studying Iyengar yoga with Jo Zukovich in 1991. When they started, it was not clear how Iyengar yoga would travel through his paralyzed body, and there were no examples to emulate. They learned and adapted together. In 1998, Matthew began to share the results of their work in an adaptive class for people living with disabilities. About the same time, he began teaching people without disabilities. He found that the principles of yoga apply the same way in both cases. In fact, his unique perspective proves invaluable for people who do not share his limitations. Matthew challenges students to explore the heart of yoga, not just what the pose looks like on the outside.
Matthew teaches weekly classes at Mind Body Solutions Yoga – the studio operated by the non-profit he founded. He also travels nationwide teaching a wide variety of workshops.
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