Fight Back Softly: The Gentle Practices That Build Strength Against Parkinson’s
My name is Max Marcoux and today I am going to do my best to encourage you to be open to a calm and intentional form of exercise that builds balance, posture, confidence, and mobility from the inside out.
Slow, controlled “yoga-like” exercises can improve posture, flexibility, breathing, stress levels, and balance for people living with Parkinson’s — making everyday movement feel safer, steadier, and more confident.
I just finished co-leading a class with my partner Cheryl Marconi and we had 21 people in our gym and 14 people online, doing a one hour exercise class that looked very different than our regular Rock Steady Boxing class. The feedback we received was surprising. They loved it!
Why “Yoga-Like” Workouts Are Powerful for People Fighting Parkinson’s
When you’re living with Parkinson’s, movement isn’t just physical training — it’s a form of reclaiming control. High-energy workouts and strength training are incredibly important, but there is another piece of the puzzle that often gets overlooked: slow, mindful, intentional movement.
“Yoga-like” training doesn’t require fancy poses or extreme flexibility. It simply blends breathwork, stretching, posture awareness, and balance — giving the nervous system tools to move with more ease and confidence. Here’s why this style of exercise is so beneficial:
1. Improves Balance and Helps Reduce Falls
These movements strengthen the stabilizer muscles that keep you upright and rock steady. They also retrain your sense of body awareness (proprioception), which can decline with Parkinson’s. The result: steadier walking, smoother transitions, and quicker reactions.
2. Reduces Stiffness and Improves Flexibility
Parkinson’s often causes rigidity, especially in the back, hips, and shoulders. Gentle stretching helps release tension, unlocks tight areas, and makes daily tasks — like getting dressed or turning in bed — feel easier.
3. Encourages Better Breathing and More Energy
Breathing often becomes shallow with Parkinson’s, which can lead to fatigue and posture collapse. Yoga-like breathing exercises strengthen the diaphragm, open the chest, and increase lung capacity — helping you feel more energized and alert.
4. Calms the Nervous System and Lowers Stress
Intentional breathing paired with slow movement tells the brain and body to relax. As stress decreases, tremors often feel less noticeable, and mood becomes calmer and more centered. Some of our gym members have also testified that meditation has worked wonders for them in this area. I encourage you to try and include some meditation throughout your week. I will discuss meditation in an upcoming blog post.
5. Builds Mind–Body Awareness
These practices help you learn to “listen” to your body again — restoring trust in how it moves. The more awareness you build, the more confident you feel in daily movement.
6. Supports Posture and Gait Training
Parkinson’s can pull the body forward or downward, affecting walking patterns. Yoga-like movement lengthens the spine, opens the chest, and strengthens the postural muscles — making walking feel taller, smoother, and more controlled.
7. Adaptable for Any Level of Mobility
This style of movement can be done:
Standing
Sitting in a chair
On a mat or floor
With support or assistive props
Every body can participate — and progress happens gently, at your own pace.
The Bigger Benefit: A Whole-Body Reset
Unlike many forms of exercise that target just muscles or endurance, mindful movement supports the whole body — the nervous system, posture, breathing, mobility, mood, and confidence. It teaches the body how to relax and move well at the same time — a vital skill when living with Parkinson’s.
You don’t have to be flexible to begin.
You just have to begin.
Call to Action
If you or a loved one is living with Parkinson’s and would like to build flexibility, balance, and confidence through gentle guided movement, we’d love to support you.
Our classes combine safe mobility training with uplifting community and encouragement — so you never feel alone on this journey.
I will end this blog post the same way we ended our class today. (In a gentle, quiet voice) We are rock steady.
Hope to see you online or in the gym soon.