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Transcending Lupus with the ROM Dance I have had the privilege of teaching the ROM Dance as a part of the Lupus Foundation of America's Systemic Lupus Self-Help (SLESH) Course during the last 19 years. For some of the participants it is a first stab at getting back into some form of exercise. I find that the ROM Dance is such a wonderful way of introducing meditation, relaxation, visualization, range of motion exercise, Tai Chi principles and dance at one time. I especially appreciate that it incorporates so many elements and yet takes only 7 minutes and requires no special equipment. My initial encounter with the ROM Dance was at the first training workshop ever offered for SLESH course leaders. It was sponsored by the National Arthritis Foundation and the ROM Dance was a part of the course. At that time, my life was falling apart as my illness was flaring up and my husband of 21 years was trying to decide whether or not to move out of the house. The ROM Dance showed me how to find a quiet center in the middle of a storm. I was already a frequent user of meditation and relaxation techniques that I had learned as part of my master's program in counseling. I used these techniques during this time of crisis, but the ROM Dance's combination of deep breathing, exercise, and visualization was particularly helpful. During breaks in the workshop, I would go back to my room and cry my heart out and worry. I would return to the group with my make-up adjusted and a smile on my face. Throughout the workshop, as we worked on the ROM Dance, I found myself transcending my circumstance. The imagery was so powerful - it was as if I was really wading at the beach. I could feel the sun on my shoulders and the goose bumps that you get as you first step out into the warm sunlight. I could actually visualize the beam of light coming across the waves and lifting me out of where I was to the heavens above. That particular movement and imagery left me feeling as if I had been lifted out of my turmoil and to a higher plane. Now I use the ROM Dance when I am on the road traveling to speaking engagements, as a warm up or cool down exercise, and at times when I need a pick-me-up or some calm. It also helps me build up exercise levels when my Lupus flares up and I've been knocked out of exercising for a period of time. Sometimes the ROM is my Olympic event!! Kathleen S. Lewis is the lead coordinator of the SLESH course for the Lupus Foundation of America - Greater Atlanta Chapter and trains SLESH course leaders nationally through the Arthritis Foundation. She has lived with the symptoms of Systemic Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and Osteoarthritis on a daily basis for 33 years. Kathleen is a registered nurse with an MS in counseling with a specialty in chronic illness. She is a Marriage and Family Therapist, licensed counselor, certified Medical Psychotherapist and a Stephen Minister, and is the author of CELEBRATE LIFE ... NEW ATTITUDES FROM LIVING WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS and PRAYER WITHOUT CEASING ... BREATH PRAYERS. To contact Kathleen, visit www.letscelebratelife.com.
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