How would you feel if a hug was painful to you? What if a simple touch of certain points in the body can lead to a shooting pain or pressure on your body? Pretty awful for even the coldest of human beings, isn’t it? Unfortunately these are the sort of unpleasant symptoms that people suffering from fibromyalgia experience. It is definitely not a walk in the park. On top of conventional treatment, could exercises or yoga asanas for fibromyalgia help alleviate the pain? We’ll explore this and more here.
First, let’s find out what fibromyalgia is.
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What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is the condition where you have musculoskeletal pains accompanied by a whole range of other symptoms such as weariness, headaches, difficulty in sleeping and anxiety.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia
- muscle aches and cramps
- fatigue
- pain in tender points
- insomnia
- depression
- anxiety
- memory issues (fibro fog)
- headaches
Causes of fibromyalgia
It isn’t clear why people get fibromyalgia but it could be a faulty way in which the brain processes pain signals. A person with fibromyalgia has a heightened sense of pain – so he/she feels pain even in situations that are generally not considered painful. This could happen to people who have suffered emotional or physical abuse, those undergoing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), those who are depressed or even those who don’t get enough physical exercise.
Fibromyalgia from not getting enough physical exercise, did you say? Well, then yoga can help treat fibromyalgia, right? Yes, it can help, say some studies.
Science on yoga for fibromyalgia
- According to a 2010 study by the Oregon Health and Science University, yoga helps counter fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain, fatigue, stiffness, poor sleep, depression, poor memory, anxiety, and poor balance.
- Another 2011 study supports the benefits of yoga and meditation in the management of the symptoms of fibromyalgia such as stiffness, anxiety, and depression.
- A 2013 study also suggested yoga as one of the suitable alternate exercises to deal with fibromyalgia.
How can yoga help?
- The bends and stretches in yoga can help release tension trapped within cramped muscles. It also helps to flex and strengthen your muscles.
- Yoga is also a great stressbuster – by reducing stress, one of the main triggers of fibromyalgia, yoga effectively relaxes your nervous system.
- While people with fibromyalgia are advised to do physical exercises, it can make you exert yourself, which can increase symptoms of fatigue and tiredness. It is more relaxing to ease yourself into yoga poses so you feel energized and rested at the same time.
So, here are some yoga asanas that you can try to control the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Yoga for fibromyalgia
Yoga poses that concentrate on eliminating external stimulus and help you channel your focus and energy inwards can benefit you greatly.
1. Child Pose (Shishuasana)
Benefits:
- This asana helps to calm the mind.
- It also gives a good stretch to the arms, shoulders, back, and hips.
2. Legs-up-the-wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
Benefits:
- By taking the weight off your feet, this pose helps relax the muscles of the hips and legs.
- It relieves you of fatigue, a major symptom of fibromyalgia.
3. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Benefits:
- This pose helps flex the upper and middle back, another main affected area in fibromyalgia.
- It also helps strengthen the arm muscles.
- It helps improve blood circulation to various parts of the body.
- It reduces fatigue; you feel deeply relaxed as you open up your shoulders and chest.
4. Warrior Pose (Veerabhadrasana)
Benefits:
- This releases stress in the shoulders quickly.
- It strengthens and tones the arms and back muscles, effectively addressing the painful symptoms of fibromyalgia such as muscle cramps.
5. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
Benefits:
- This gives you a deep stretch to your back and wards off fatigue.
- It also helps calm the nervous system so you feel less anxious.
- It strengthens the back muscles, a possible tender point in those suffering from fibromyalgia.
6. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
Benefits:
- This pose stretches the hips, thighs, shoulders and upper back helping you lose stiffness that you may have developed as a symptom of fibromyalgia
- It strengthens the calf muscles as you balance yourself on one foot; this will help avoid muscle cramps and reduce tenderness.
7. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Most conditions improve on rest. And the most relaxing and rejuvenating yoga asana is the savasana. This pose allows you to rest with complete awareness and consciousness of the benefits that rest gives you. For symptoms like stress and fatigue, there could be no better asana than this.
Benefits:
- It calms the mind and reduces both stress and fatigue.
- It relieves headaches and sundry pains.
- It helps you sleep better at night.
To optimize the benefits of yoga, it is always best to follow up these asanas with pranayamas and meditation. You can enjoy the calming effects of Bhramari Pranayama and the Nadi Shodhana Pranayama. In addition to these practices, it would be advisable to eat a nutritious diet, and get plenty of rest and regular sleep.
Practicing yoga helps develop the body and mind, yet is not a substitute for medicine. It is essential to learn and practice yoga under the supervision of a trained yoga teacher. In case of any medical condition, practice yoga only after consulting your doctor and a Sri Sri Yoga teacher.
Find a Sri Sri Yoga program at an Art of Living center near you.
Written with inputs from Asheesh Pal, Faculty, Sri Sri School of Yoga
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