Cheryl Thomas, RYT

www.cherylthomas.com

yoga@cherylthomas.com

415-308-3377

Yoga Helps With Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is frustrating not only for the sufferer, but for the doctors, family and friends. Everyone wants to help, but can't. As a yoga instructor, I'm dismayed when students are in pain.

Yoga in be helpful in dealing with chronic pain, and not how you may imagine. Although 10 sun salutations, 85 chaturangas and an awesome triangle pose might help, yoga can offer chronic pain relief through gentle movement, relaxation and conscious breathing. Especially helpful is restorative yoga which primes the nervous system to shift to the rest/digest side, sometimes referred to as the "relaxation response". This relaxation helps sufferers deal not only with pain, but with the emotional aspects of chronic pain, easing anxiety, stress, tension and depression.

I "briefly" covered the pain topic in a couple of my last newsletters. Basically (very), chronic pain is when tissue damage has healed and the pain persists and the pain is out of proportion to the what caused the original injury. It serves no useful purpose. There's an informative video here.

Here are 3 ways yoga can help:

Easing Tension through Movement- Chronic pain causes chronic tension. When there's pain the body sends the signal "stop" and the body starts a holding or guarding pattern. Through gentle and targeted movement, yoga can release unnecessary tension. For example, just releasing the shoulders and making space at the neck can help with tension headaches making them less severe or frequent. A Germany study showed that "a regular yoga practice may offer a viable alternative for those suffering from neck pain. Study participants assigned to weekly Iyengar yoga sessions reported significantly reduced neck pain over a nine-week period."

Restorative Yoga - Soothing the Nervous System - Chronic pain is exacerbated by stress and stress contributes to anxiety and depression. Restorative yoga sets up the conditions to shift the body from the flight/flight side (sympathetic nervous system) which perpetuates anxiety, stress, tense muscles, high blood pressure and a furrowed brow, to the relaxation side (parasympathetic nervous system). Through a continued practice of restorative yoga, the mind/body gets used to identifying the "relaxation" response. This gives the chronic pain sufferer a tool during the day to deal with the flight/flight symptoms that pervade their lives.

Conscious Breathing - A recent study, published in the Journal of Pain, found that that deep, yogic breathing not only offers an effective technique for relaxing mind and body but may help ease chronic pain as well. [Notice the word "may".] The type of breathing used in the study was a breath cycle half the normal respiration speed. According to the study's lead researcher, slow, diaphragmatic breathing "may combat pain through establishing a better balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems." [Again, note the word "may".]

I don't want to suggest that yoga is a cure-all, but it can offer the sufferer some tools. Due to continuous medical intervention, frustration, and failure, it's common for chronic sufferers to lose control over their body (and life) which leads to the cycle of tension, stress and depression. These yoga resources can return control to the sufferer thus feeling less of a victim of the pain.

Releasing muscular tension through gentle movement and calming the nervous system by restorative yoga and yogic breathing will help lead to general well-being and can help with the reduction of chronic pain. Whether or not you have chronic pain, begin integrating yoga into your life. It will make a difference.

Want to read some of my past articles?. They're archived right here. Enjoy.

Bulletin Board

Alive Yoga has a new Fall Schedule thanks to the workings of Iris Lambert. Click here.

Arline Thomas and her yogi friends, including me, support OnBoard Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) Yoga and instuctor, Leigh Claxton. They're leading a trip, which could include you, to Baja in March. It's never too early to plan. Start saving your pesos. All the info is here.

LionHeart Yoga in Kenwood is offering an Autumn Restorative Yoga and Meditation workshop with Kyle Minda, 9/20, 4-6, $30.

Are you a female breadwinner? Do you often feel alone with the unique struggles and tensions that you experience as the breadwinner in your family? Ashley Taggart is offering a 5-week workshop for like-minded women to pursue their goals and find balance in their lives. Find all about it here.

The fabulous Sofi Milani will be offering a 4-week series, Introduction to Yoga, starting Thursday 10/1 from noon to 1:15 p.m. at POST Wellness in Petaluma.

Another important opportunity to teachers and serious students. Study anatomy with Judith Lasater at Mt. Madonna. Not just any anatomy, but Experiential Anatomy, billed as the The Most Fun Anatomy Course Ever. I'll be there. More info here.

Tony Briggs offers a 4-Day Yoga Intensive workshop Sept 24th - 27th. Stellar opportunity for serious students and teachers. Pricing and details at TonyBriggsYoga.com.

If a Fall Cleanse is on your list of things to accomplish, Aimee McConneloug and Naturopathic Doctor, Pamela Gould, are co-facilitating a Cleanse Group. It starts 9/28. Get your info here.

Meditation Group Forming at Devi Yoga Center in Sebastopol. Begins 9/16, Wednesdays 7:35 - 8:30. No Charge - Donations. The session is an opportunity to sit in silence, and experience the peace that comes in this stillness.

Know about Yoga in Graton? It's hopping! Find 5 classes a week ranging from Gentle to Slow Flow to All Levels, featuring me, Corina Stoicescu and Denise Hammond. Time and places at YogaInGraton.com.

Restorative Yoga..........Thanks to your interest in this important practice, I'm adding a permanent Wednesday class. See below for details!!!

My weekly schedule is below (scroll down or click here!). Or, you can always go to my website and click on the always up-to-date calendar to find where I might be.

Restorative Yoga Continues

Thanks to your interest in this important practice, I'll be offering a permanent class on Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6:45 starting 9/2. The location will be at Yoga Studio Ganesha on the Square in Sebastopol. Pricing - Buy a 4 class pass for $54 ($13.50/class) or 8 classes for $100 or Drop-In of $16. Yoga in Graton students can use your punch card ($10 per class)!!!

Depression - What is it?

I read Stanford Professor Robert Sapolsky book Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers many years ago as a student at SFSU's Holistic Health Studies program. I'm half way through his video on depression. YouTube states:

"Depression is the most damaging disease that you can experience. Right now it is the number four cause of disability in the US and it is becoming more common. Sapolsky states that depression is as real of a biological disease as is diabetes."

Depression is misunderstood. Very misunderstood. Don't be one of those that says "cheer up, just get over it". Educate yourself and watch this video. Standford full lecture, one hour, free.

Is it Possible to "Catch Up" on Sleep?

Here's a bit:

"There's no doubt that sleeping just four hours a night catches up to people within a few nights, leading to impairments of attention, learning and memory and worse performance in school and at work."

The rest is here.

Stuck with a Narcissist?

Hum, I never considered the ramifications of being married or in partnership with a narcissist or having to divorce one. I also didn't know the New York Times Well section, where I find yummy information, has a Well Book Club This month is on Divorcing a Narcissist. Go here to join a discussion of the book, Will I Ever Be Free of You, about life with a narcissist.

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Schedule of Upcoming Classes