Local man to receive $100,000 community award

by Tom Weber, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Matthew Sanford from the western Minneapolis suburbs will be awarded this week for his work helping disabled people learn yoga.

Matt Sanford was paralyzed from the chest down in a crash in the 1970's and has since formed a non-profit called Mind-Body Solutions.

He now teaches yoga, even though he'll probably never walk again.

"Yoga is about integrating, making more conscious the intersection between mind and body - using alignment and precision and different physical positions to help you increase your awareness. That can happen through any body. Yoga doesn't discriminate," Sanford said.

The non-profit Sanford created will receive $100,000 as part of the award from Volvo.

Sanford said that money will help him in his next effort to help veterans who return from Iraq and Afghanistan with injuries or disabilities.