b'in the fall of 2021. Although certied to leadpart of the class, because the idea is to be gentle yogagroups,Chrisdescribeshisclassasin our movement and our hearts and minds. gentle movement. Its important to be delicate with yourself and Its mindful motion, he explains. Forknow that you are doing your best.example, when you move one nger, you senseAlthough not conforming to all yoga how it affects the rest of your hand and arm;techniques, Chris credits his knowledge of it when youdothingsgently, youfeelthemas the start of his journey with movement. In more. If you cant do things unhurriedly, you2006, Chris began practicing Taiko, Japanese cant do them quickly either, and if you try,drumming, where community members youll hurt yourself. I emphasize that goinginformed him that yoga would benet his Taiko slowly does not mean that you are slow. Inexperience. After a year of attending classes, his class, Chris considers people with minimalChris got invited to instructor training. I felt mobility, such as those who operate scootersIcouldbarelydoyoga,letaloneteach or other devices, using elements of yoga, Taisomeone else to do it, he said. I was never one Chi, and Qigong during the hourlong weeklyto exercise a lot, nor was I bendy or much of Zoom. a stretcher, but that isnt, at all, the point of Peaceful and refreshing for all regularmovement. In addition to understanding attendees, Chris eliminates nervousness withdifferent types of yoga, I learned a lot about his uidity, playfulness, and less rigid classmyself and have since applied it all to Taiko. structure; he reminds the group there is noEventually, I took courses to teach trauma-based, wrong with gentle movement. Its only humanchild, and adaptive yoga, and here I am now. to question whether or not were doing some- Outreachthing accurately, especially when starting newRecently, Chris returned to school for a things, he said. But without realizing it, webusiness management and administration are stepping out of that space that enables usdegree, one which he hopes will help him assist to feel the motions, so the idea is to get out ofnonprotorganizationswithdevelopment, that thought process. Internal work is very muchmarketing, and overall efficiency. Essentially, I want the success of the Foundation or any nonprot I work with to exceed the goals I had for it; I believe there is a way to reach new heights without drowning in the politics, he said.Chris admires his colleagues at the Foundation, saying he remains affiliated with MS Focus because of them and the community it serves. The people are the best, he said. To quote a good friend, were all walking wounded trying to help each other get home. Most of us are people who dont live with MS making way for those who do; all of us do our jobs well and have a genuine concern for the community. Thats why I stay.31msfocusmagazine.org'