MIND BODY SOLUTIONS

Today, 54 million people in America live with a disability, making it the nation’s largest minority group and the only one anyone of us can become a member of at any time. As our baby boomers age and more veterans return from war, this 54 million will double in the next 20 years. Our caregivers are already feeling this burden.

We ask you to partner with us to take on this challenge that affects all of us.

We need innovative, creative and cost-effective approaches to this health-care dilemma.

Mind Body Solutions is the missing piece in health care.

Mind Body Solutions is a national leader in teaching and disseminating an effective, deeply practical approach that helps people living with trauma, loss and disabilities and their caregivers become measurably happier, healthier and more independent. Consider Jeff’s story:

Jeff, in his twenties, was living as an actor in New York City when he stepped out of a coffee shop one night and was blindsided by a drunk driver, sustaining myriad broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. He awoke after surgery unable to lift even a finger, left or right. When Jeff first came to Mind Body Solutions, he was frustrated, angry, and relied on a wheelchair for mobility. He also relied on his primary caregiver, his mother, Margi. Through work with MBS, Jeff now proudly walks on his own and recently moved into his own apartment. In Margi’s words, “Thank you for giving my son his life back, and thank you for giving me my life back too.”

Integrating techniques that address breathing, movement and balance, our groundbreaking approach results in deeply practical improvements, including increases in functionality and social engagement, reductions in health care costs, and improvements in quality of care from caregivers.

As the only organization in the country teaching this approach, we are able to help any person live vibrantly and gracefully through his or her entire body—no matter the trauma, loss or disability—instilling hope, acceptance and answers for physical betterment.

Our work with both individuals and caregivers is amassing compelling evidence that supports a mind-body model for both caregiver and client. As we forge new partnerships and more individuals participate in our innovative programs, we are experiencing increased community demand for our model.

We rely on your generous support to meet this increasing increased demand to transform the lives of individuals like Jeff, personal caregivers like Margi, and relevant community partners. Through each and every contribution Mind Body Solutions has a profound impact on the participants we serve. In 2011, Mind Body Solutions:

• produced Beyond Disability: A Mind Body Practice with Matthew Sanford full-length practice DVD, a one-of-a-kind resource for individuals living with trauma, loss and disabilities;
• filled weekend teacher training workshop to capacity with teachers and caregivers from a worldwide audience; and
• expanded its adaptive yoga offerings to reach more veterans and individuals living with disabilities throughout the Twin Cities via outreach efforts to organizations like Accessible Space and the Veterans Home Minneapolis.

But we have much more work to do! In order to meet demand, we have to bridge our gap of $100,000. Your continued support is critical in bringing a paradigm shift in how we deliver health care. Your gift brings effective, long-term and practical answers for all of us who live with disabilities and those who care for them.