ON
Healing
The Three P’s of Recovery:
Post-Stroke and Iyengar Yoga BY JENNIE WILLIFORD, CHRIS SAUDEK & SARA ANDERSON This article is the culmination of a conversation between Chris Saudek (CIYT, Level 4) and Sara Anderson facilitated by Jennie Williford (CIYT, Level 3). Chris and Sara have worked together for seven years. Jennie has observed and participated in working with Sara since moving to LaCrosse in 2019.
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n 2009, at the age of 27, Sara Marie Anderson suffered a nearly fatal stroke, altering her life completely. Sara describes the tragic event of her stroke, plus her recovery that has included Iyengar Yoga, in her book, STROKE: Overcoming my worst Nightmare. Her main purpose for sharing her story is to help other young women who may have no idea of the dangerous contraindication of using combined estrogen and progesterone birth control when experiencing migraines with aura (also called classic migraines). She hopes to help save lives with the information provided in her book by encouraging young women to switch to a progesterone-ONLY birth control to avoid her fate. She also hopes to promote her mantra of the three P’s— positivity, patience, and persistence—to anyone who may be presented with such an overwhelming challenge in life. Sara grew up in Westby, a small town near La Crosse, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin– Madison where she completed her B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish. She went on to graduate studies at the University of Hawaii where she finished her Master of Arts in Second Language Studies. At the time of her stroke, she was at the beginning of a promising career, working as an English as a Second Language professional at the University of Southern California.
The Light | Spring – Summer 2021
POSITIVITY “It doesn’t matter how you fall, rather, how you pick yourself up.” —Sara Anderson
Initially, Sara’s stroke completely paralyzed both sides of her body. It was only after a month that she was able to even move her little finger on her less affected right side. After six months of major recovery efforts in California, including physical and occupational therapy, Sara was able to be transferred back to her home in Wisconsin where she continued therapies with the support of her family nearby.
Initially, Sara’s stroke completely paralyzed both sides of her body. It was only after a month that she was able to even move her little finger on her less affected right side. In 2014, Sara’s therapy expanded to include Iyengar Yoga after her mother read an article in the La Crosse Tribune about Chris Saudek and Iyengar Yoga taught at The Yoga Place. Those who meet Sara immediately see her inner light, her sense of humor, and her personal motivation to consistently improve. Her positive attitude toward recovery led her to believe she would be able to participate in a regular weekly yoga class with Chris. Sara is not someone who feels sorry for herself.
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