About

During physical therapy school Martha was awarded a one-year scholarship from the New York City Board of Education (later renamed to the New York City Department of Education). In return for the scholarship, she agreed to work as a physical therapist in a NYC public school for a minimum of two years. Fresh out of physical therapy school and just passing the Boards, Martha was placed in a District 75 school in the South Bronx in the Summer, 2002. Being a Queens native and having always worked and studied in Manhattan, she was disappointed that the only opening they had for her was in a Bronx school. Little did Martha know that her life was about to be re-routed to a new and beautiful path, which would lead her on an unexpected and fulfilling journey serving young individuals with disabilities.

After finding her way to the Bronx by train, Martha arrived for her first day of work ready for her brand new career as a physical therapist. Saying she was scared and apprehensive is putting it mildly. The school that she was hired to work in is one of the largest special education schools in New York City with a population of almost 600 students with multiple handicaps, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, mental retardation, autism, seizure disorders, learning disabilities, etc. (with more than 1/3 of the students wheelchair dependent) and a staff of 20+ occupational/physical therapists. Although, the physical therapy curriculum she studied at NYU included pediatric training, being immersed in such a large population of young individuals with physical challenges was intimidating for Martha. She prayed she would know what to do and what to say and that somehow she would be able to help these “special” students.

Some months before, Martha discovered yoga. Although she remembers hearing about yoga growing up, it never really appealed to her. She always thought yoga was beyond her physical abilities and that you had to be a graceful, dancer type with contortionist-like flexibility to attempt it. That was not exactly how she saw herself. In fact, she was often described as clumsy and uncoordinated, a label she acquired early on in her life. Although she had an intense longing to explore creative movement, she let her identification with the “clumsy” label keep her from such experiences for many years out of fear of looking awkward or feeling inadequate in a group class.

Martha is not sure what compelled her to go to her first yoga class. She remembers randomly meeting a lot of yoga enthusiasts (although she now understands that nothing is random) and having extended conversations about yoga. Her curiosity was peaked, however she “talked” about it for many months before actually taking the leap and attending a class. Martha’s first class was a Bikram Yoga class and she has no idea why she was motivated to return to a 105 degrees room again and again many times after that first day, to exert herself and position her body in ways that she never had before for 90 minute stretches. All she can say is that yoga has changed her life in the most subtle and profound ways and continues to do so today. One change she notes is that it gave her a new understanding and respect for her body. Her self-esteem soared after several months of practice, because this “clumsy girl” was actually doing very well, as she was learning an entirely new way to communicate with and appreciate her body. Always a shy girl with low self-esteem, Martha began catching glimpses of herself in the mirror when she was practicing yoga – sweating profusely and holding a very difficult pose with a calm and tranquil look on her face – and she would think to herself, “I look beautiful.” That was a milestone for her because she never thought of herself in that way before and she was now acknowledging a beauty she saw in herself which encompassed more than her physical body. She loved how her eyes shined, her skin glowed and her spirit soared after leaving those yoga classes. She enjoyed the positive light that seemed to envelop her and the sense of enthusiasm and hope in her soul that made her want to skip down the street as an expression of the joy that she felt in her heart. In essence, Martha began to fall in love with the being she was and all the potential that she was now beginning to recognize in herself. It was as if the practice of yoga was slowing enabling her to dust off layers of doubt, fear, hurt and pain that had accumulated from her life’s experiences and now emerging was the shining light that sits inside her heart – the light that sits inside everyone’s heart. One reason Martha believes this transformation was possible is because of the non-competitive nature of yoga as compared to traditional sports. Martha sees the competition as being more with yourself and striving to grow and evolve, but at the same time learning to accept and surrender to where you are presently. As time went on, Martha began to realize that yoga was much more than the physical exercise she was doing on her yoga mat and it began to organically flow into other areas of her life. She gradually became open to new experiences and opportunities to emotionally heal and started to draw positive individuals into her life Her only regret is that she wasn’t introduced to yoga from a very early age, as she feels it would have benefited her during the difficult times she experienced during adolescence and young adulthood. However, she knows whole-heartedly that everything happens at exactly the right time in life and she often quotes the Buddhist proverb, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

So back to Martha’s early days at the school – As this burgeoning process was unfolding in her personal life, Martha struggled with therapeutic inspiration and ideas for creative interventions to work with her students, some of whom had very limited voluntary movement of their bodies, as well as a plethora of other challenges they had to deal with as a result of their circumstances. One day it occurred to her that if she was experiencing such positive results with yoga, perhaps her students would as well. She registered for her first yoga training – Yoga for the Special Child – which was developed and presented by an esteemed teacher named Sonia Sumar. Sonia has been bringing yoga to children with special needs since 1970. During that training, Martha became so inspired by Sonia, who represented the type of woman and instrument of healing that she aspired to be. Sonia has a kind, gentle and loving demeanor with a motherly quality that makes one feel very safe, protected and accepted in her presence. At the same time, she is strong and firm and sets expectations for the young ones she works with. She conveys through her presence and her touch that she believes in the children and is able to elicit responses and results from them that appear amazing to onlookers. Martha took the knowledge she gained from Sonia’s teachings and returned to school inspired and exciting about doing yoga with the students. She began incorporating what she learned in her individual therapy sessions with her students who were severely disabled and physically limited.

Some time passed and Martha decided to start a group yoga class. This was really what she identifies with as the beginning of what she affectionately terms “Yoga Wonderland.” The class was composed of 5 young girls, ages 15-18, with mild to moderate neurological impairments. The group would gather a couple of times a week in the small gym and Martha would play a yoga video, “Yoga For Children” with Swami Satchidananda or Sri Gurudev as he is lovingly referred to by his students. Sri Gurudev was one of the first Yoga masters to bring classical Yoga tradition to the West in 1966. Three years later, he led half a million American youth in chanting OM, when he delivered the official opening remarks at the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Festival. The distinctive teachings he brought with him blend the physical discipline of Yoga and the interfaith ideas he pioneered. These techniques and concepts influenced a generation and spawned the Yoga culture that is flourishing today. Sri Gurudev passed on in 2002.

Weeks went by and Martha and the girls looked forward to the yoga sessions and the sweet and gentle voice of Sri Gurudev leading the class. The girls would anticipate what Sri Gurudev would say next and mimic his endearing accent followed by giggles. Martha offered gentle posture adjustments during the class and verbal feedback to the girls, making sure they were safe in the poses. Although, Martha adored the classes with Sri Gurudev’s video, she realized that it was time to step out of her comfort zone and start leading classes of her own. She completed several teacher trainings for children’s yoga and lovingly put the videotape away, thanking Sri Gurudev for his support and guidance and for planting in her the desire and passion to teach yoga to young individuals.

From that point on her class steadily grew from 5 students to 15 to 20 to 30. In 2005, Martha was awarded a scholarship and completed yoga teacher certification training from the highly respected Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts. Today the only space large enough in the school to hold the yoga classes she leads is in the gymnasium, because as many as 60 students with a variety of physical abilities (from mild-severe CP, autism, spina bifida, emotional disorders, etc.) plus staff attend regularly. It is hard to describe the energy of this class, but rather it is something that must be experienced directly. Although the class is composed of young individuals of all abilities – ranging from physically able-bodied individuals to some individuals with little to no voluntary movement of their body, every single person benefits in some personal way from the class experience. One of the most beautiful aspects of the class is the universal respect and tolerance for each other’s differences and the opportunity the class affords for socialization. Young individuals who would not otherwise of had the opportunity to be involved with each other because of their physical differences are now forging friendships, which often carry over into other school interactions. Thus, the class has been a great success as measured by how much the students adore it and ask for it and the multitude of ways they are benefiting which includes helping to attain their educational/therapy goals. Over the past years, Martha has witnessed the amazing physical, mental and emotional changes in the children she works with since she implemented the yoga program. One beautiful young man that Martha works with is named David. He is challenged with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, which means all four of his limbs are affected and the muscles in his body are tight and spastic, with very little voluntary movement. David is very bright and sensitive and has a smile that can brighten anyone’s day, but often he falls into a depression because of his limitations, which he is very much aware of. He constantly tells his mother, “its not fair that I can’t walk and my brother can.” David’s mother relayed to Martha that David talks about yoga class all of the time and how much he enjoys it. She said that David said to her, “yoga class is the only thing that takes my mind off of not walking.” He eagerly anticipates “yoga day” and while he misses many school days because of his depression, he rarely stays home on “yoga day.” Talk about bringing tears to Martha’s eyes and touching her heart. Martha says that no amount of money could inspire her to work harder at what she is doing than that one statement. Martha expresses that while many areas of her life are fulfilling and rewarding, she never feels so content and at peace as when she is leading a yoga class for these very special young individuals. It is during those special times that she feels most genuine and true to spirit. She expresses that she has found her life’s purpose and looks forward to being an instrument of peace, happiness and healing for young individuals with disabilities for many years to come in whatever forms that may take.

Martha routinely takes continuing education courses to enhance her skills, broaden her knowledge and keep her teaching fresh and imaginative. She is always searching for music and activities to inspire and motivate the children in yoga class. Martha puts a lot of thought into coming up with creative and fun activities, often choreographed to music, because she has learned that this is what many children of ALL abilities respond to and is a way for them to be fully engaged. Her belief is that if a child is having fun, laughing and smiling, they are truly in the present moment, and this is the true essence of yoga and the best environment for learning. Martha recognizes that many of the young individuals with disabilities that she works with do not have a social life like other children do. They do not have the opportunity to engage in traditional team sports or recreational activities due to their physical limitations. So this class is their rare chance to be together with their peers and simply have fun. In addition, they really feel that they are part of a community, which is exactly what Martha wants to foster, and they so proudly tell their family and others “I do yoga.” In addition, this class allows children with disabilities to interact with “able-bodied” children. Both learn enormous lessons from each other, such as compassion, patience, tolerance and acceptance. During any “Yoga Wonderland” session it is not uncommon to see an able-bodied young individual helping another with physical limitations, i.e., taking their shoes off, assisting in getting props to make them comfortable, or just sitting next to them and singing together. It quickly becomes clear to anyone involved in these classes that our differences aren’t as great as our similarities, that we truly are One. This is what makes Yoga Wonderland so special, unique and beautiful.

In addition, to teaching yoga classes to children (with and without physical disabilities), Martha provides trainings to therapists, teachers, health professionals, parents, and other like-minded individuals on how to teach children of all abilities yoga. In fact, she played a major part in creating a workshop entitled Yoga for All: Finding the Ability in Disability. This workshop was presented to approximately 200 physical and occupational therapists within the Department of Education in 2003-2004. As a result of this workshop, several yoga programs started in District 75 schools (special education schools) throughout the five boroughs and continue today. Because of the overwhelming positive feedback, Martha decided to make the workshop available to interested individuals outside of the schools. This evolving workshop is entitled: Yoga Wonderland: Creating a Fun and Therapeutic Yoga Class for Children of ALL Abilities and is taught each Fall semester to the Doctor of Physical Therapy students at Columbia University as an elective in the pediatric curriculum. In addition, Martha leads on-site workshops at pediatric facilities, therapy centers, schools, recreation/day care/after school programs, etc.

The word yoga means union of the body, mind and soul. Unfortunately, in Western society, yoga has become associated with picture perfect bodies in various physical poses that are beyond the capabilities or even safety limits of the average person, let alone individuals facing physical challenges. That is not what yoga is or was intended to be when it originated more than 5,000 years ago. Yes, physical exercise is one component and we do have a lot of fun with it in our classes. But there is also a spiritual and moral aspect that we incorporate as well. For example, at the end of every class we sing the “Namaste Song.” One translation of the word Namaste is “the light inside of me honors and bows to the light inside of you.” By singing this song at the close of every class and then sharing the hand gesture of Namaste (two palms together in front of your heart) with others in our circle, we are reinforcing our connectedness and respect for one another. Imagine our world today if we all had this sense of honor and reverence for one another, knowing with our whole beings that we are not separate, regardless of our perceived differences. I can’t think of a better lesson to teach children of ALL abilities, can you?

Martha’s intention for the next phase of Yoga Wonderland is to open up a Yoga Wonderland center. This program will be for kids of ALL abilities with special emphasis on young individuals with special needs. Please see Vision -  an item from the ‘ABOUT’ menu above to read more about Yoga Wonderland!