When Ana Calvo locks your eyes in her glance while you’re waiting for the director’s signal to ‘shoot’, you know you’re in good hands – this is one special lady who commands her domain with mastery and grace!
It was plenty exciting being in the TV studio (& sooo cold – brrrr) with many different kinds of super-bright lights all over the ceiling and tons of wires crossing and rolled up all across the floors, real-tall ladders and 5 cameras, the crew in motion all over the studio having much discussion about set-up on and off the stage, and then trying to get the mic wires untangled and in the right place on and hidden in our clothes.
5-4-3-2-1 – it was a BLAST!
But the real treat for me was getting to work with Ana. Here’s a link to her story:
http://www.nrrts.org/consumer-profiles/the-miracle-baby-from-el-salvador-the-ana-calvo-story
The theme for this particular program was Adaptive Exercise.
My segments were about Chair Yoga for People with a Disability. She introduced me and asked questions in the first segment, and then I did a demo with her and a volunteer participating in the exercises.
Ana was an Ambassador for the Abilities Expo here in Houston this summer where I gave a talk on The Yoga of Moving Through the Medical System – How to Get What You Need From The Doctor’s Office. We did a breathing exercise and short mediation at that presentation, and that’s how she found out about me and my Chair Yoga classes.
Guess what Ana taught me!!!
She kept using the term “people with disabilities” and so I called her after the show to ask her about that. Here I am saying, “Chair Yoga for Seniors and the Handicapped” for all these 6 years we’ve had our class at the City of Houston Metropolitan Multi-Service Center where I was rehabilitated in the aqua/pool and art therapy programs.
Ana said that HANDICAPPED IS NOT THE ACCEPTABLE/PREFERRED TERM since about the mid-90’s. The older generation still uses it (yikes – that would be me!) but it’s not politically correct.
The correct way to say it is Person/People with a Disability.
The word ‘handicapped has a long, interesting history, dating all the way back to 1653 when it was the name of a kind of sport.
Ana pointed out that a negative stigma evolved around the word when it became associated with disabled, unemployed people holding out their caps to collect money on the streets. So, many people dislike the word because of its afiliation with old-fashioned attitudes towards impairments.
Thanks for that lesson, Ana!! Saying ‘Person with a Disability’ tells the simple truth without judgment and removes the stigma of being identified by a ‘condition’ that we happen to be challenged by, one that happens to SHOW – like everybody in a body on this planet doesn’t have at least one (lol) subtle or hidden handicap of some sort.
….and it feels better to me to say it that way! When someone uses that word “handicapped” to describe me, with my particular HOH status and bi-lateral deaf-ness, it separates me from everybody else. The power of the spoken word is everything – our words create our reality.
Recognize the other person is you. YB
Ana has her own centering, meditative practice and a holistic approach to life. She radiates a very high spirit and at the same time you can feel her inner peace.
She said, “..of course, I do have my days when I wish things were different but for the most part, you know, I am content.”
A few days prior to taping, she puts everything she’s got into preparing for her show and after close-up, she takes a break. She said, “I disconnect myself from everything and really keep it to a minimum, because I need to connect with and re-center myself – it is good for the spirit.” She’s a good example for all of us in balance, and self-care and nurturing.
I sure hope I get to connect with her again – she is so cool!
Here’s my favorite link about Ana. It’s very touching and impressive to me because when I was real sick, I didn’t drive for 13 years – that was a HUGE ISSUE for me! Look how DARS, the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services came up with a custom-made vehicle for her so she could drive – woo hoo!
http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/14242-Anas-Van.html
Here’s what Ana says at the close of each of her programs:
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I say, “I don’t place barriers when I sit in my chair, why should you?”
Right before the No Barriers taping, I found a Martin Luther King quote that says, If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to move forward. For Chair Yoga, I add to that, If you can’t crawl, then shake. If you can’t shake, then vibrate, and if you can’t vibrate, then RADIATE. – like Ana Cavlo!
We did a meditation at the end of the demo using a positive affirmation that we repeated out loud together:
I feel better. I am Better. And that is my base. YB
The show airs some time at the end of February. I’ll post a link.
Ana Calvo Interview Guruatma K Khalsa on No Barriers HCC TV Program
Stay tuned…
Guruatma serves as a mentor for those who suffer from chronic or critical illness, as well as their family members. To inquire about or schedule a one-on-one session, click here:http://yogic-tools.com/services/contact-us/.
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