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NonDrug Pain Management Ideas: Yoga

The practice of yoga can be traced back to the Stone Age.  It began as a communal form of spiritual meditation.  Since its inception, Yoga has come a long way.  There are a number of different styles of Yoga practice that formed over time, and in recent years it has become an exercise phenomenon...you may have heard of the practices of Power Yoga and Hot Yoga.

When you are in pain on a chronic basis, you might be thinking that exercise is the last thing you really want to do.  However, yoga is a unique practice and it may offer you benefits that other forms of exercise cannot.  Here are a few excerpts from the Everyday Health article below that explain some of the benefits for pain relief:

~~Recent studies have indicated that practicing yoga for pain can cause physical changes in the body to promote healing, says Maureen McBeth, a physical therapist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
"There has been research to measure cytokines, which are markers in the body that indicate inflammation," McBeth says. "Cytokines have actually been found to decrease after people do exercises like yoga." Additionally, McBeth says, yoga can help you become more aware of your body, which can lead to a reduction or localization of your pain.

~~Focus on yoga breathing. One of the core principles of yoga is pranayama, also known as yoga breathing...Within about 10 breaths, you can start to feel a difference."

~~Cobra pose: Yoga positions that stretch the spine, such as the cobra pose, are great for relieving tension in the back and maintaining flexibility, says Kim Hardick, a yoga instructor and owner of Aledo Yoga near Fort Worth, Texas.

~~Dolphin pose: The dolphin pose is a great overall body stretcher that can relieve some of the body stiffness often associated with fibromyalgia or other painful conditions. It also improves the strength of the core muscles, shoulders, and upper body.



 



Suggested reading:
 History of Yoga
 Everyday Health:Yoga for Pain Relief

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