The Power Behind Yoga

Stacking logs, rolling up carpet, painting, playing with her grandchildren — Karen Terlaak, 64, of Chippewa Lake, is constantly on the go. Nothing stops her — well, almost nothing. Starting in her 20s, Karen was plagued by severe pain on a daily basis. “When I was 21, a head-on auto collision left me with two broken knees and an injured back. At 32, I gave birth to twin girls. With a slim build at 5 feet 4 inches tall, the pregnancy was rough. I had fractured ribs and overstretched ligaments, and my back lost its elasticity,” she recalls.

Just one of those events could affect a person’s health negatively, but both took an enormous toll on Karen’s body. Back spasms were continuous. Her back would go out and all she could do to help it was to lie on the floor — for days. As she stared at the ceiling, she’d make mental lists of things she needed to accomplish when she could function normally.

Karen’s physician prescribed pain medication, but the side effects were often worse than the pain itself. Her doctor recommended doing stretches. They helped, but weren’t a cure-all.

An avid health enthusiast, Karen’s exercise regimen through the years has included kickboxing, running, jazzercise and yoga. The prescribed stretching reminded her of yoga poses. Karen decided to see if yoga could help her heal. Sure enough, it did! “Yoga made everything better for me. If I didn’t do it, my pain would return. As soon as I went to yoga class, it would subside,” she says.

“Yoga takes care of everything for me — mind, body and spirit— and I want to enlighten others."

Karen took weekly yoga classes at Medina Hospital, where she has worked for eight years as a nurse case manager.

“Yoga takes care of everything for me — mind, body and spirit— and I want to enlighten others,” she says. “I’ve finally figured out how.” After some contemplation, Karen registered in Cleveland Clinic School of Yoga’s teacher training program, which spans six months and includes nine weekend sessions.

Judi Bar, yoga program manager, leads the program. Judi also used yoga as a way to ease her pain without taking medications. “As a former ballerina, I had chronic back pain. I didn’t want surgery and found that yoga eliminated my pain. I yearned to help others find similar relief,” says Judi. “Even a small amount of yoga every day can help decrease stress and reduce pain.”

At Cleveland Clinic School of Yoga, located in Lyndhurst, modern medicine meets ancient wisdom. The training provides a strong basis in traditional Hatha yoga. Students also learn Cleveland Clinic Wellness Yoga — where simple movements, done mindfully, have a profound effect as a method to teach stress management, improve physical health, change behavior patterns and support making healthier life choices.

Upon completion of the program, students are certified as teachers by Cleveland Clinic and registered with the Yoga Alliance — an organization that sets recommended standards for yoga teacher training.

“It’s beautiful to see Karen come full circle,” says Judi. “She began as a student of yoga and now she’s on her way to becoming a teacher of the discipline. Yoga is like a droplet of water in a pond; it’s amazing to see the ripple effect it can create.”