Each week Rosemarie Zimmerer visits people with dementia to provide a soothing yoga experience. These people, her students, reside in a residential care facility and have mild to moderate dementia.

To maintain their attention she wears yellow sneakers and she is known as the Yellow Sneaker Lady.  Her greatest desire is to create an energy relationship with her students. They take a cue for feedback from Rosemarie’s feelings and moves rather than what might appear to be complicated verbal directions. She understands that as they move further into the asanas,  i.e. a steady and comfortable yoga position, the students are doing well under their incredibly challenging circumstances. She sincerely commends the students continuously.

Often there is reciprocal teaching, wherein the students are her teacher when she mirrors the posture they are in.  She meets them where they are and notices they never tire of the repetition of what they enjoy and Rosemarie doesn’t restrict the exercise opportunity. The students broaden her concept of what a yoga class can be, and she offers them the freedom to imagine and not be self-conscious about their changing abilities.  Rosemarie benefits with delightful satisfaction since bringing joy to these people also create a buffer from the rush-rush of her daily activities.

Rosemarie’s yellow sneakers, which she only wears at these yoga sessions, is an easy recognition trigger and sparks a connection and a way to find beauty, joy, and meaning for the wonderful group of senior citizens. “Inhale deeply, exhale completely – gentle is the new asana!”

Rosemarie can be reached at [email protected], #yellowsneakers, #rosemariecares, #namaste.

I hope you find this as meaningful as I did.  I also learned a little more about this terrible and perplexing ailment.

Do not hesitate to contact me with any business or financial questions at [email protected] or fill out the form below.


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