Home - National Multiple Sclerosis Society

BigFaceLove Yoga Kicks off Multiple Sclerosis (MS) festival
First benefit of its kind to be held in Woodbridge

Contributed by Bill Banick, BigFaceLove Yoga

WOODBRIDGE, Conn., - - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) stops people from moving. Literally. Those affected are typically young, active people in the prime of their lives. BigFaceYoga has been helping people living with MS keep moving through an innovative, adaptive yoga series and are now taking the next steps as MS activists on a mission. 

The founders of BigFaceLove Yoga, Bill and Kristin Banick, decided it was time to do more than teach and are launching the First Annual Movement and Sound Festival on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 from 1 to 5 p.m. Bill, a long time certified Yoga and T’ai-Chi instructor working in the greater New Haven area, has a diverse group of students with a variety of needs. 

“Several of my students with Multiple Sclerosis requested that I teach a class to help benefit research into this enigmatic disease,” said Banick. “It’s inspiring that in the face of this disabling disease, all my students have is hope and enthusiasm to find a cure.”

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents live with multiple sclerosis, a chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system. There currently is no cure. Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.

The Movement and Sound Festival will be a gathering of a volunteer group of Yoga instructors and practitioners, along with local musicians and residents from the Greater New Haven area to benefit research into multiple sclerosis. 

The highlight of the Festival will be an adaptive yoga class designed to assist people with MS, taught by certified yoga instructors. A variety of Yoga and T’ai-Chi classes for all ages and abilities will be offered, along with live music from area musicians, local food, refreshments and more.

All proceeds will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter. This charity event will take place on the historic Woodbridge Green. There will also be silent auctions of donated healthy food and beverages, and holistic services to generate the funds necessary to meet our goal of $5,000.

“We are working to bring the community together in celebration in order to raise awareness regarding MS, and support research into this mysterious disease,” said Banick. 

To become a sponsor or volunteer, or for more information, please contact Bill Banick at bill@bigfacelove.com.

For more information regarding MS, please contact Nicole Marohn, associate vice president of development, 860-714-2300, ext. 244 or nmarohn@ctfightsms.org.

NOTE TO MEDIA
For More Information
Contact Lisa Cook
Communications Specialist
Phone: 860.714.2300, ext. 249
lcook@ctfightsMS.org