Hi Debbie-

I would recommend trying some gentle yoga poses. I teach Viniyoga in Seattle and it's helped with my muscle stiffness, tightness, fatigue, balance & my acceptance & still appreciation of my body. The numbness is still there but I'm more at peace with it being a companion. I would recommend the book Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow plus he has a couple of DVD's out for Healthy Backs but the yoga and the teachings will definitely be applicable to someone new to yoga and with what's going on in your body I'd venture to say.

Here's a great intro & explanation of the DVDs- see if it's something you may find interesting...

www.pranamaya.com/kraftsow_vyt_lowback.html

Let me know if you have any questions.

Always honor your body- even when it's  not cooperating as you'd prefer That's one lesson I have found to be the most transformative in my yoga practice!

Xo- Suz

Hey Debbie

I experience a lot of the same symptoms and just wanted to chime in here with Suz that yoga is a great form of exercise for folks having MS.  Here is a good article discussing the merits of yoga for MS patients.  There is also a cool book that I had picked up at the library about yoga specifically for people who have MS and it is called, Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis:  A Journey to Health and Healing and was written by authors, Loren Martin Fishman, B. Phil, and Eric Small.  It is really great because it has step by step instructions as well as photos to guide you.  This book also has adaptations for those who are in a wheel chair.

I would say too, anything to help gently stretch out your muscles is going to be good to help prevent spasticity and cramps.

Swimming is also an excellent exercise and at my local swimming pool they actually have therapy classes designed for MS patients. 

I was worried when I got my diagnosis that I would have difficulty with not being able to exercise anymore but there are always ways to adapt and also to try new things such as yoga. 

Hope this helps!  Please come back to ask any other questions you might have.

I wanted to add onto my answer from the other day to tell you also that Tai Chi is also an excellent exercise for folks who have MS.  I went to a local MS conference some months ago and one of the portions of the conference was a class in Tai Chi.  People with very differing abilities were present and the instructor was able to gear the movements to each individual whether they could stand or were in a wheelchair.  The lovely thing about Tai Chi is that many of the motions are slow paced and you also get a nice stretch.  It is also very relaxing and good for practicing focus and control.

Here is but one site out there discussing the merits of doing Tai Chi when you have Multiple Sclerosis.

I am very interested in exercise which helps me to feel better.  I hope to do a complete post on this topic soon.