Yoga for Pain Management

Yoga for Fibromyalgia

For those of you suffering from Fibromyalgia and trying to cope with the pain, fatigue and the other symptoms, there is good news coming from a recent study of how Yoga can help.  The study was conduction by James Carlson of the Oregon Health & Science University and it showed a remarkable 30% improvement in symptoms for those asked to practice yoga over an 8 week period.

The patients were divided into 2 groups.  One group on a regular treatment regime and the other adding yoga to their program.  The group doing yoga, were asked to attend a 2 hour yoga class 1 time per week, and asked to practice 20 minutes of yoga, at least 5 days a week.  The results were quite significant.

The group doing yoga showed as much of an improvement as treating Fibromyalgia with medication does (30%).  And of course, like all natural remedies there were no bad side affects or other complications from doing yoga.

This study is published in the journal Pain on October 14.

How Yoga Helps Treat Fibromyalgia Pain

For those unfamiliar with fibromyalgia (or FMS – Fibromyalgia Syndrome), this is a chronic disease which can cause widespread pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances.  It’s underlying cause is not well understood and there is no definitive cure.  Thus, most of the treatment is geared towards alleviating and managing the symptoms such as pain, fatigue and insomnia.  For those of us familiar with the powers and benefits of yoga, we know that for treating such symptoms, there is perhaps no better alternative therapy than yoga.

What is interesting about this study is that the focus was not just the physical poses and postures that yoga is commonly associated with, but that the patients were asked to learn and practice yogic breathing (pranayama) and meditation (mindfulness) along with the stretching, strengthening and balancing exercises.  That is a big part of why I feel this study showed such remarkable results.

Yogic Breathing and meditation are excellent practices for your health, and these sciences help bring balance and harmony to your mind and emotions, in addition to your body.  Numerous studies have shown how good meditation is for pain management already and recently, the widespread benefits of pranayama are becoming common knowledge.

Another important takeaway from this study is that regardless of whether you suffer from fibromyalgia or not, if you have any illness or disease, or are suffering from pain, stress, insomnia, fatigue, etc, yoga is going to be very helpful to you.  Plenty of evidence is now available regarding yoga’s curative and healing powers, so the sooner you include yoga into your life and treatment program the better.

Where to Find Free Yoga Programs:

For those of you familiar with the free online yoga classes I offer, know that each class has a yoga section, consisting of physical exercises, a pranayama or yogic breathing section and a meditation section.  This combination is what makes the practice so effective and powerful, as the study demonstrates.  So if you are suffering from fibromyalgia, another condition or just looking for health, happiness and wisdom, head on over to the free classes page below and start living your life at your best.

Free Online Yoga Classes

Beginner’s Yoga Class

Benefits of Yoga

Health Benefits of Meditation