Aquatic yoga is not only for those with amputations; it's for anyone who wants to tone and stretch their muscles, increase their mental fortitude and gain physical agility.
Take a moment and imagine you weigh 80-percent less than your scale reports. Visualize moving effortlessly as you breathe, stretch, relax, then breathe again. Refreshing water surrounds and gently supports your body as you follow easy, flowing movements. Take a deep breath, then another, now stretch as you hold the air in your lower abdomen. Release the air, inhale again, and stretch. Aquatic yoga is a peaceful, energetic and healthy experience. It's there for everyone, regardless of physical limitations, and its popularity is rapidly surfacing in nearly every city and town across America.
Aquatic yoga is not only for those with amputations; it's for anyone who wants to tone and stretch their muscles, increase their mental fortitude and gain physical agility. It's great for the weak, the meek, the ill and the stressed — and it helps develop muscle so limbs and torso grow stronger, more flexible and agile. The bonus is the peace and calm state experienced by the mind at the same time. It's especially good for those with amputations for these, and even more reasons.
For those who may be skeptical, we have living proof in four-foot, eleven-inch, Bee Bunze, a 78-year-old amputee who lives in Lake Worth, Florida. Affectionately tagged the “mystical-magical-munchkin” Bee attests to the wonderful benefits of aquatic yoga.
Bee taught dry-land yoga for 40 years when, always having been a water lover, she decided water could add dimension and depth to her yoga classes. “Besides,” Bee shares, “some people don't have the ability to do the exercises on land. Because our weight is less than 20-percent in water, those with severe arthritis, back problems and amputations are able to participate and benefit from yoga. I adapted as many of the exercises as I could to water, and it was an instant success. What I didn't know at the time, is just a few years later I'd be an amputee myself.”
Bee's bone cancer was detected in the late 1980s. For several years prior to her diagnosis, she had suffered with pain and doctors were unable to determine the cause. Then, on Christmas Day, 1989, her left leg broke for no apparent reason. “I didn't fall, or trip,” she remembers. “It just snapped, and I went down.” After three months in a cast, doctors told her it wasn't healing properly. “That's when they discovered the cancer. My leg and hip were amputated in 1990.”
Bee was understandably devastated. “I'd been so physically active all my life; it was hard to imagine being immobilized. I was a professional dancer and gymnast when I was young. I'd taught exercise and yoga most of my life, but suddenly there I was with no leg or hip. I was depressed for a while, but when my husband took ill, I forced myself to shake out of it.”
Bee cared for her husband of 52 years until his death six months later. “He'd always been there for me,” she says. “Leg or no leg, it was my turn to take care of him. As traumatic as it was, there was a hidden message for me in what was happening. It gave me purpose and that lifted my depression. After his death, I forced myself right back to my yoga classes, never again allowing the self-pity to overwhelm me. It was the smartest thing I did, for my mind as well as my body.”
Destiny, however, had more in store for Bee. In 1995, her right hip was causing her severe pain. “The doctors determined it was taking the brunt of two hips, and the joint was suffering. The doctor knew I wasn't going to let a bad hip stop me any more than losing a leg and hip did, so he suggested a prosthetic replacement. The surgery was done almost immediately, and after a brief recovery period, I was back in the water,” she says.
What's in store for Bee's future is nothing short of what her normal level of drive and energy demands. “I recently visited an old friend who is head of a volunteer program sponsored by the Palm Beach County Board of Education. I asked what I could do to help teenagers find inner strength and relieve stress and anxiety. I'll show them what a person who has faced adversity can do, and prove they can too. They need to be taught there is a way to get a high without drugs — by learning to live and love life. The counselor loved the idea, and at the beginning of the year I'll be giving weekly lectures to teens. I'm still teaching two aquatic and one dry land yoga class each week as well.”
Bee says aquatic yoga is great for those with amputations because it provides an awareness of the mind and body. By focusing on correct breathing, one can tune in to where the body needs attention. “With a recent amputee the first thing I usually do is teach them to breathe properly, out of the water,” she says. “They often are full of fear, apprehension and depression. Rhythmic breathing allows the insides to calm and relax. Then I start them in shallow water until they gain confidence. We start with some basic and easy arm movements, then I gradually move them into deeper water to start them on leg exercises. I also suggest my students do some basic leg, hip and torso stretching exercises while still in bed in the morning. This helps get the body moving, and prevents straining or muscle pulls. Those with amputations must remember it's imperative to keep the other leg, or arm if the case, moving, stretched and limber. The muscles in the existing limbs have to do the work for the missing limbs, so they must be strong and toned.” (continued)
Bee says to add to the celebration during holidays her classes have music accompaniment. “We all get into the water and dance. I feel like I still have two legs, and not a care in the world. For those with recent amputations, the water can play a very strong role as an antidepressant. If you learn to breathe correctly, you're going to lose the fear of not only of the water, but of the paranoia that often accompanies amputation. Once your fear is diminished, your life becomes precious.
If you sit around doing nothing, you're not going to make the most of your life. If you force yourself to move, you'll find there are so many ways to help not only yourself, but others as well. The act of helping others is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Another thing I can honestly say is that the water minimizes my phantom pains.”
Yoga movements, whether on dry land or in water, should never cause strain or pain. “If it hurts, you're doing it wrong,” says Bee. “This isn't one of those ‘no-pain, no-gain' types of exercises. It's a series of slow, progressive and relaxed movements, synchronized with deep breathing. An experienced instructor will stop a student she sees straining or pushing too hard. When done correctly, these movements help increase blood flow, create relaxation and loosen tense muscles and joints. Best of all, it will clear the mind and open a person's thoughts to the beauty of life and all it has to offer — the true mind-body connection.”
Bee also continues to lecture about diversity, amputations and the body-mind connection to groups. She addressed the U.S. Water Fitness Association's 1998 Annual Summit at Ft. Lauderdale's Lago Mar in September, and was a guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Boynton Beach's Annual Summer Meeting. “I try to always make myself available to anyone I feel I can inspire. There are times in life, for everyone, when things are so difficult we think it's impossible to continue. Sure, I'd love to have my leg back, but I know I can't. I've accepted that my job on this earth isn't finished or I wouldn't be here. I figure I have two choices; to lie down and feel sorry for myself, or to pick myself up and live the best life I can. Maybe, in the interim, I can help a few others learn to live theirs to the fullest. If I've helped just one person, then I've done what God wanted of me.”
Bee's life is full of other wonderful things besides yoga. She says she has a wonderful family and great friends. In her spare time, she sculpts, paints and writes poetry. The day of our interview, she proudly presented the walkway to her apartment, lined in blooming flowers she planted and cared for herself. Her self-published book, Poems and Designs, is often gifted to those she feels are in need of inspiration. “We have to learn to take life's common inklings in lighthearted ways. It's too precious and much too short to spend a second of time worrying about what the future is going to bring, or fretting over what has already happened. Get on with it, or you'll waste the gifts you've been given, and that is the ultimate injustice we can inflict on ourselves. Unfortunately, many people have to experience a pretty low rock-bottom before they realize what they're doing to themselves. My advice to anyone who's been, or is going through living hell? Keep walking until it's behind you — and remember to breathe!”
Aquatic yoga establishes cardiovascular health, lowers the risk of some diseases, and helps with weight management. It increases functional independence and improves physical productivity. For those with amputations, it is the perfect exercise for increasing muscle tone and strength in existing limbs that are often called on to do a portion of the work of amputated limbs. It reduces the risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, high cholesterol and helps to control diabetes.
As with any exercise program, the approval of your physician before beginning an exercise routine is suggested. For an aquatic yoga class in your area, call The Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) at:
P.O. Box 1609 Nokomis, FL 34272
Phone: (941) 486-8600 Fax: (941) 486-8820
For more information on aquatic yoga contact:
Aquatic Therapy & Rehabilitation Institute
Ruth Sova, president
1218 Noridge Trail
Port Washington, WI 53074
phone: 414-284-2542
About the Author
Christina DiMartino is a nutritionist and a full-time freelance writer/author residing in West Palm Beach, Florida.
