Minnetonka Yoga Teacher’s Life’s Work Is Shown in a Film

Matthew Sanford, yoga teacher and founder of Mind Body Solutions—a studio in Minnetonka that adapts yoga for people with disabilities—is featured in a new documentary called Standing Still/Still Standing, which was shown during the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival earlier this year.

Sanford, a paraplegic himself, has made it his life’s mission to help people living with disabilities to focus on their mind-body relationships and recognize the great power that comes from facing adversity. Sanford and his team work to adapt existing yoga poses so anybody can successfully practice them.

The film, directed by Andrew Walton, focuses on how Sanford helped three individuals realize their potential and reconnect with their bodies through practicing yoga specialized for their own capabilities. The yoga students include Bruce Kramer, a man with ALS who has since passed away; Angie, a trapeze artist who was paralyzed during an accident; and Britt, a Marine who was serving in Afghanistan and was hit with an IED. Sanford acknowledges and incorporates their differences into helping them recover and manage their new lives.

The film was part of a festival collection called Art that Moves which featured films with Minn. connections, says publicist Gina Swanson.