When you open the new manual Nikki Latimer, OT/s, E-RYT 200, created to help people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) reap the benefits of yoga, you’ll find this dedication tucked into its first pages: “To my Aunt Kerry Eggspuehler and Uncle Jack Eggspuehler, whose courage and resilience in the face of PD have inspired this work.”
Nikki first started practicing yoga with her best friend Riley when they were 14. She grew up in Southern California and heard about donation-based yoga classes on the beach. Immediately, she fell in love with the physical practice, the way it opened and challenged her. But it would take a few more years and more life experience for her to find its less visible benefits beneath the surface: the mindfulness, the sense of awareness of her body, and the peace it offers both on and off the mat.
Nikki never expected those classes she began on the beach with her best friend to eventually merge with her professional life, but as she watched her aunt and uncle, who were both living with Parkinson’s, try to navigate their disease and as she began to find her footing as an occupational therapy student, she realized the two aligned. “I just knew,” she said, “that there was this huge gap—that yoga would be great for people with Parkinson’s, but I just didn’t see people with PD practicing it. There wasn’t really access to it in many communities.” She was determined to help close the gap.
Uncle Jack was the first person Nikki ever knew with Parkinson’s. He was diagnosed when she was in high school, but she didn’t ever think of him as her uncle with Parkinson’s. His disease progressed slowly and while his hand tremored and he shuffled a little when he walked, for many years, it didn’t define his daily life. “Uncle Jack was the type of man who didn’t speak often,” Nikki said, “but when he did, everybody listened. He was wise, knowledgeable, and witty.” And he was deeply in love. Jack was married to Jill. They were born on the same day; their mothers met in the recovery room in an Iowa hospital right after they had given birth. Jack and Jill grew up alongside each other and started dating in sixth grade. “They were made for each other,” Nikki said. As Jack faced the uncertainties of Parkinson’s, Jill faced them with him.
A few years after Uncle Jack was diagnosed with PD, her Aunt Kerry (Uncle Jack’s sister-in-law) started noticing that her walking felt different. When she finally got a Parkinson’s diagnosis, it wasn’t what her family hoped for but, given the slow progression of Uncle Jack’s disease, they were relieved; this wouldn’t consume her life. As Nikki would come to realize, if you’ve met one person with Parkinson’s, you’ve met one person with Parkinson’s—everyone’s experience is different. Aunt Kerry’s fierce muscle contractions, or dystonia, in her feet and toes became so severe that she had to have all ten toes broken and reset—twice. As her dyskinesia ramped up, she began to fall multiple times a week. “But I look at her,” Nikki says, “and see a true warrior…She is still the goofiest, funniest woman I’ve ever met. Having an aunt who was so sure of herself but also so, so goofy was really fun to grow up with. She taught me that it’s cool to be weird.”
And, so, when Nikki went off to Iowa State and met Dr. Elizabeth Stegemöller, a music therapist who organized weekly Parkinson’s outreach classes in singing, dancing, boxing, and yoga in the local Ames community, Nikki carried her aunt and uncle with her. She started to volunteer with the groups and quickly “fell in love” not only with the research side of the program, but with the people.
Recently, as part of her capstone project in Occupational Therapy at Boston University (BU), Nikki published a manual, “Building a Bridge between Parkinson’s and Yoga: A Guide for Patients, Caregivers, Yoga Instructors, & Healthcare Professionals.” Before the project, Nikki had been working as a Physical Therapist aide at BU’s neurorehabilitation center and, separately, teaching yoga. She saw an opportunity: “I knew yoga was a good fit for Parkinson’s because it addresses everything—strength, mobility, balance, mindfulness—and it can be adapted for anyone. You can do it in a chair, on the floor, in your bed, on the couch. And not just that, but people with Parkinson’s can receive valuable mental and emotional benefits with the practice, too.”
Nikki started to offer a weekly yoga class for people with Parkinson’s in the community, with the aim of producing a manual that could help them and their entire care team harness yoga’s benefits. Each session included 60 minutes of yoga and 30 minutes of discussion after. The discussion was designed to help her understand what people with Parkinson’s wanted and responded to most. (For example, she discovered that most people responded well to cues with guided imagery like, “Imagine there’s a rope pulling you up from your head.”) “My students acted as a review panel,” she said, even providing written feedback on her manual as she worked on it. Their feedback was accompanied by feedback from experts like Dr. Stegemöllar.
The goal of the manual is to help people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones start a safe, at-home yoga practice. And that means making sure the entire support team—from yoga teachers to healthcare professionals and care partners—is included and educated. “Everyone has a huge role,” Nikki said. “And the emphasis on a team is so important for people with Parkinson’s to not feel alone.” Yoga has the power not only to foster balance and strength, but togetherness. In fact, talking directly to care partners in her manual, she writes, “Being involved in a yoga practice with your loved one has positive effects on mood for both [of you]. Caregiver-assisted yoga poses are beneficial because they provide extra stability and support” and because they “create a sense of connection and teamwork between the person with PD and their caregiver.” Yoga is better together.
In a few weeks, Nikki will take her board exams and enter the world as an occupational therapist. “I’m still deciding exactly what setting I want to be in,” she said. She’s considering neurorehabilitation or work that’s more closely aligned with older adults. “The wisdom, community, and support that our elders have to offer us is invaluable…No matter where I end up, I hope I’m always volunteering and offering yoga classes for older adults. I want to take time to really be with people.”
At a recent yoga class of hers for people with Parkinsons, one student shared that the worst time of day for them is the morning when they’re waiting for their medication to kick in. “I don’t like doing chair yoga then,” the student said, “but I’ve learned that even if I just wake up and do one breathing exercise for a few minutes, I notice a big difference.”
“This filled my heart,” Nikki said. “Their realization that yoga can be just taking a few deep breaths. We often talk about rumination and how it can worsen Parkinson’s symptoms; taking a few mindful breaths and repeating a positive affirmation can make a difference. And that is yoga. It doesn’t have to be on a mat or on a chair; it can be incorporated into your daily life. That is the aha moment.”
Yoga is everywhere, including right here, ready to offer you its blessings.
To practice alongside Nikki, check out her YouTube channel.
You can download her manual here.
