Paraplegic Yoga Teacher Receives
Judd Jacobson Award
By Mary Tellers
In October, Orono resident and Minnetonka non-profit business owner,
Matthew Sanford, received the Judd Jacobson Memorial Award for his
work with yoga and disabilities at a recognition luncheon at the
Golden Valley Golf and Country Club. The award is given annually
through the Courage Center in Golden Valley, a leading rehabilitation
and resource center for people living with disabilities.
Sanford, president of the non-profit yoga studio, Mind Body Solutions,
is a paraplegic and a gifted yoga teacher. He founded Mind Body Solutions
for the purpose of helping others to awaken the connection between
mind and body. The studio offers corporate stress management programs,
and brings the benefits of yoga to those living with disabilities.
Matt’s story started 25 years ago when his family’s
car hit ice and went off a bridge. At 13, he was told he would never
walk again and he was urged to accept his condition by doctors at
Mayo Clinic. But Matt’s personal development as a result of
the accident led him to accept a different path. “It took a
devastating car accident, paralysis from the chest down, and dependence
on a wheelchair before I truly realized the importance of my body.
After the accident, I spent the first twelve years believing that
my mind was completely shut out of my paralyzed body. Worse than
that, I actually believed it didn’t matter. I spent the next
thirteen years practicing yoga and discovering how deeply I was mistaken.
Living vibrantly through one’s whole body—whether paralyzed
or not—is a powerful part of living.”
Matt says, “Deepening
the mind-body connection improves the quality of our lives. As
a writer, philosopher, and yoga teacher, I have dedicated my life
to making this insight a practical feature of our everyday living.”
Established in 1992, the Judd Jacobson Memorial Award recognizes
the pursuit or achievement of an entrepreneurial endeavor by a person
with a physical disability or sensory impairment. The award is named
for the late Judd Jacobson, a Minnesota business pioneer who became
a quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident. The award is administered
by Courage Center, with funds made possible by Daniel J. Gainey,
a lifelong friend of Judd Jacobson.
Recipients of the award
receive $4,000 to advance their efforts. Sanford plans to put the
money toward a video/DVD on the intersection of yoga and disability, “Our
work at Mind Body Solutions is reaching a tipping point. I get
requests from all over the world from disabled people and instructors
alike. We need a video/DVD to meet this rising demand and help
as many people as we can.”
For more information
about Mind Body Solutions, call 952-473-3700 or visit the Web site
at www.mindbodysolutions-mn.org.
