More Events! NAMI Family-to-Family Class and Chair Yoga

Where: Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church
Address: 800 Lawrenceville Hwy, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
When: Will be every Thursday starting Feb. 3
Time: 7-9:30p
Cost: Free
Details: This is a class for caregivers, family members and friends of persons with a diagnosis of a mental illness. It is taught by trained family members and is where family members can learn about different mental illness, how to help those they know with mental illess, advocacy, and self-care techniques.

My Thoughts: I've never taken this class, but I have heard good things about it. Just as people with mental illnesses need to learn about their illness, so do the people that love them. It's hard to help someone if one does not have all the facts. I also like the fact that it teaches self-care skills, as it is so important to take care of one's self and not get burned out.

What: Chair Yoga
Where: The Yoga Source
Address: 2268 Fountain Square Dr., Snellville, GA 30078
When: Every Thursday
Time: 5-5:45p
Cost: There are several options.
Contact: 678-377-1991
Details: This is "a class for those who are healing from injury or who, for any reason, are unable to move from floor to standing without assistance."

My Thoughts: I try to go to Marcia's hatha yoga class once a week, if I can. I'd definitely like to attend more often, but my schedule rarely permits. I think it's great that she is offering this class. I love Marcia's yoga classes, because she is patient and gentle. I am not a very coordinated person, so until I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I mainly walked for exercise. Now walking for exercise is rarely an option, but I find that her hatha yoga classes are gentle enough that I can do them, but stimulating enough that I still feel like I'm getting a workout. I also like that Marcia not only cares about the body, but also in the soul and is fostering her own yoga community at her center. After every yoga session, people gather around cups of hot tea and talk. Yoga has many healing benefits and so I think it is great that she is making this class accesible to folks with disabilities. So far, my fibromyalgia is not so bad that I would need to take this class, but one never knows, so it feels good to know that I have this class as an option.