Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence (Hardcover)

by Matthew W. Sanford (Author) "For the first seven years of my life, my nickname was Jolly-Jolly because my smile, pudgy cheeks, and a potbelly intimated that a giggle was..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mayo Clinic, Santa Barbara, Aunt Kathy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a riveting, heartbreaking, heart-opening saga…His insights are seeds that acquire power and shape over time—months after first reading it, I find myself appreciating his writing and the depth of his thinking more and more."  —Nina Utne, Chair, Utne Magazine

Product Description

Matthew Sanford’s inspirational story about the car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down is a superbly written memoir of healing and journey—from near death to triumphant life.

Matt Sanford's life and body were irrevocably changed at age 13 on a snowy Iowa road.  On that day, his family's car skidded off an overpass, killing Matt's father and sister and left him paralyzed from the chest down, confining him to a wheelchair.  His mother and brother escaped from the accident unharmed but were left to pick up the pieces of their decimated family. This pivotal event set Matt off on a lifelong journey, from his intensive care experiences at the Mayo Clinic to becoming a paralyzed yoga teacher and founder of a non-profit organization.  Forced to explore what it truly means to live in a body, he emerges with an entirely new view of being a "whole" person. Waking is a chronicle of that process.  By turns agonizingly personal, philosophical, and heartbreakingly honest, this groundbreaking memoir takes the reader inside the body, heart, and mind of a boy whose world has been shattered.  The author allows us to follow with him as he rebuilds from the ground up, searching for "healing stories"  to help him reconnect his mind and his body.  To do so, he must reject much of what traditional medicine tells him and instead turn to yoga as a centerpiece of his daily practice.  The author finds not only a better life, but meaning and purpose in the mysterious distance that we all experience between mind and body. In searing candid, frequently poetic language, Sanford pulls back the curtain on what it means to survive devastating trauma, from returning to a broken life to the uncertainty of finding sexual intimacy with a paralyzed body.  But first and foremost the author offers a powerful message about the endurance of the human spirit, and the body that houses it.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; 1 edition (June 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594863024
• ISBN-13: 978-1594863028
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #112,931 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Recommend This Book With All My Heart and Soul! , November 3, 2006

By	Suza Francina "Yoga Teacher, Author, Animal... (Ojai, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I discovered this book while searching the web for information on yoga for people living with disabilities. Through a series of clicks I landed on Matthew Sanford's web site where I saw a photo of a young man leaning forward from his wheel chair, reaching over to adjust a student practicing a yoga standing pose.

I learned that the author is a leader in adapting Iyengar yoga to meet the needs of the individual. Matthew's mental awareness--as a result of a spinal cord injury--was literally knocked out of the lower two-thirds of his body. While doctors were able to keep him alive, he was not given the tools to reconnect his mind to his paralyzed body.

Matthew describes how for years after the devastating accident, from the chest down, he experiences a "schism" or "a form of silence" between his mind and his body. During his first months in the hospital and later periods in intensive care units there was so much pain that leaving his body became a survival skill. These experiences alone catapulted Matthew into unknown territory when it comes to understanding the mind and body.

In 1991, he began studying Iyengar yoga with Jo Zukovich, co-founder of the San Diego Yoga Studio. When they started, it was not clear how yoga would travel through his paralyzed body, and there were no examples to emulate. WAKING describes how teacher and student learned and adapted together.

In 1998, Matthew began to share the results of their work in an adaptive class for people with disabilities. About the same time, he began teaching people without disabilities. He found that the principles of yoga apply the same way in both cases. WAKING helps the reader to understand why the author's unique perspective is equally applicable for people who do not have his limitations.

Matthew's broader aim in writing this book and in teaching yoga is to infuse the importance of mind-body integration into the rehabilitation process. To this end, he offers workshops to healthcare professionals and yoga teachers alike. He uses his story to share how yoga is indeed a "waking" of the human consciousness. This is a book that can potentially revolutionize the thinking of physical therapists and anyone that works with people who are coping with past trauma and injuries. I recommend it with all my heart and soul!

--Suza Francina, author, The New Yoga for People Over 50 and The New Yoga for Healthy Aging.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing the message home, September 1, 2006

By	Matthew J. Taylor "Yoga PT" (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a book you will want to share with colleagues, patients, family and friends if you are in an integrative medicine healing practice. Those that "get" what you are doing will love it for its clear description of our vision. Those that don't "get" what you are doing, may very well after reading this extremely well written, passionate story. Matthew understands that yoga goes far beyond his personal experience or any story for that matter. He uses his story to share how yoga is indeed a "waking" of the human consciousness and a responsiblity for us all. His use of humor, irony and candor make for an engaging, personal experience while pushing the reader to look beyond their personal limits.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for the Orthopedic Professional, November 12, 2006

By	Thomas Gruenewald "stage director/teacher" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I became acquainted with Matthew Sanford through a National Public Radio interview. I was taken with his voice and his experiences. I immediately bought and read Waking.

Having had polio as a child, I went through much rehabilitation and many surgeries. Mr. Sanford's discovery of his power to determine his medical treatment was inspiring to me. This book should be required reading for every orthopedic physician, surgeon, and therapist.