Backyard yoga started for Shelley Gilbert in February 2020. On Valentine’s Day, around a dinner table of eight, Shelley quietly shared her Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnosis.
Because exercise is essential in managing Parkinson’s neurodegeneration, Shelley and a friend decided to do intense but slow exercise: yoga.
Enter the pandemic. Enter the governor’s order on March 17, 2020: “Stay Home.”
“OK, I’ll stay home! I’ll stay safe! I’ll distance! I’ll be outdoors! But darn it, I’m going to do yoga!” Shelley said to herself. And that is how it started.
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Shelley and her yoga buddy traded lessons. They yoga’d twice a week for two years without fail. A healthful, serene way to escape pandemic fear and face progressively debilitating conditions while losing, or finding, oneself in a meditative tradition of sages for ages.
As pandemic restrictions lifted, Shelley met Sherry Harkins, the manager of a winery that formerly hosted yoga and wine classes. Why not restart those gatherings with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation? And so, Shelley and Sherry did. Every Monday evening, rain or shine. As pandemic restrictions faded, Shelley and Sherry’s yoga group grew and glowed.
Fast forward to last Monday when, on the second anniversary of glowing gatherings, 34 people filled Shelley’s backyard. Some had Parkinson’s, most did not. All contributed to the magic.
Since Shelley began donating, her classes have donated more than $150,000 to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Part of that revenue was raised through an event called Foxflow, where a group of entrepreneurs gathered around Shelley’s cause and hosted a spectacular yoga class and dance-a-thon for about 200 people at Bacchus Landing.
Fun Facts: The second annual Foxflow event will be held this Saturday, Aug. 24, 5-10pm at 14210 Bacchus Landing. Tickets are available at www.foxflow.org. Questions? Call Shelley at (603) 359-3316. Yes, she’s that sweet—she shared her phone number! Joe, her husband, supports her in all she does.
Shelley was instrumental in reclaiming the Michael J. Fox “Tour de Fox” for Sonoma County, to be held at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville on Sept. 21. Info at: www.tourdefox.org. Give at: give.michaeljfox.org/team/598312, Shelley’s Foxflow team subsite.
To learn more about the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, visit www.michaeljfox.org.
