Chronic pain can severely affect a person's energy, strength and sense of well-being. Yoga is one of the best ways to deal with this constant discomfort. Yoga involves many techniques which are beneficial in managing pain. Most people who live with chronic pain need to take medications on a daily basis. Yoga helps to eliminate this dependence on medications and enables holistic healing of the body. The physical poses, relaxation methods and meditation that are all part of the disciple of yoga help to ease pain, improve the psychological state and enable affected individuals to live healthier and fuller lives.
The unique aspect of yoga is that it disciplines the body and mind to avoid resisting the pain. Resistance increases the tension in the body and amplifies the pain. By working through the pain instead of resisting it, an individual is able to obtain relief. The practice of yoga stimulates the pain center in the brain into regulating the pain impulses and also into releasing natural painkillers. Yoga places great emphasis on steady, deep breathing during the exercises and also as separate breathing techniques. The muscles of the body relax when an individual exhales and by increasing the duration of exhalation, muscular pain and tension can be alleviated. Focus on breathing also brings about a sense of calm as it eliminates mental chatter. Slow and steady respiration is greatly beneficial in pain management.
Relaxation training is another important aspect of yoga. It is the process of relaxing each muscle in the body in a slow, systematic manner. The body instinctively relieves muscle pain and tension by pushing or resisting the pain. This only serves to aggravate the problem. Relaxation training helps to counteract this response. Many individuals living with chronic pain have found improvement in their condition by following relaxation training in conjunction with breathing exercises and meditation. Meditation helps to control thought. It is a conscious effort to draw focus away from thinking. By eliminating the clutter that thoughts create in the mind, it brings about a sense of calm and a feeling of alertness. You can start by meditating for just five minutes every day. Once you become accustomed to the practice you can spend up to an hour in meditation. Since pain is both a physical and psychological sensation, by clearing the mind through meditation, you can help diminish the feeling of pain.
It is important to begin any new exercise program slowly and carefully. Yoga is much gentler than other forms of exercise, but care should be taken so that you do not overwork the body. It is always a good idea to run any new exercise routine by your doctor before you begin. This is especially important for individuals who have conditions such as arthritis. Stop exercising as soon as you feel any sort of pain. Yoga is not meant to trigger pain or lead to exhaustion.
Different yoga poses help to treat different ailments of the body. There are some that are especially useful in improving arthritis pain. Here are some examples.
Back pain can occur due to various reasons such as poor posture, injury, spinal problems and muscle spasms. A beneficial yoga pose for back pain is the cobra pose. Lie down on your stomach with your forehead resting on the ground and hands under the shoulders. The elbows should press against the body. Bring the legs together and press the tops of the feet into the ground. Inhale and using the strength of the back muscles, straighten the arms and lift your head and chest. Draw the shoulder blades back. Hold for about 3 to 10 breaths and slowly release. Yoga poses such as the forward bend, downward facing dog and pigeon pose are also highly beneficial in alleviating back pain.
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