Yoga as a form of Medicine?

We’ve all had those stressful days, whether it was a bad day at the office, things around the home not going right, or just running late and being stuck in traffic. It’s ok, stress in life is completely normal!

Common symptoms of stress can include difficulty concentrating, feeling lethargic or disrupted sleeping. At times you may be prone to headaches, or feel like your shoulders are up to your ears with tension.

Stress is a major public health issue and can lead to decreased quality of life and lower work productivity, while also increasing the reliance on professional health care.

In society’s fast-paced nature, it is no surprise that lack of rest and recovery is the new trend, emerging as a bigger health problem than the mental and physical strain itself.

There is increasing evidence to suggest that mind-body approaches to stress and chronic pain behaviours have a positive effect on recovery and wellbeing^1,2.

So, can you actually relax AND exercise at the same time?

This is where yoga comes into the picture. Yoga is an ancient practise that involves different postures (Asanas), breathing techniques and meditation. It has recently been recognized as a therapy in healthcare, with the emergence of medical yoga in various healthcare settings around the world.

Research indicates that the Asana’s have a positive effect on strength, flexibility and coordination, while the breathing techniques and mediation facilitate a calm and focused mind, therefore encouraging a greater self-awareness¹.

How yoga can be beneficial to your health:

1. Yoga improves flexibility. Tight hip flexors or hamstrings can tilt your pelvis in suboptimal ways and contribute to back pain, while tight calves can contribute to an array of foot and ankle problems. If you’re active in sports, this can be particularly detrimental as it can increase your likelihood of muscle strain.
    
2. Yoga improves strength. Maintaining the Asana’s encourages muscles strength and endurance through isometric (static) muscle contractions. Holding muscle tension for a short period of time also enhances position sense and neural input to the muscle. It also has a positive effect on cardiovascular health, with some studies showing that regular yoga may help lower blood pressure.
    
3. Yoga reduces stress. The meditation and relaxation components of yoga provides individuals with strategies to deal with stress related symptoms .The way this works is proposed to be a result of teaching individuals to be in control of their breathing and their thoughts, which in turn gives you the self-confidence to take control of your emotions¹. This can be particularly effective in those suffering from anxiety.

Further, recent studies have found improvements in heart-lung function in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), attributing the positive effects to better chest expansion and optimising breathing technique.

So if you’re stressed, inflexible, an asthmatic, or just after a different way to improve your fitness, yoga could be what you’ve been looking for. It can be a great compliment to the rest of your high intensity fitness program and ideal for those who spend a great deal of their working day at a desk.

If you have a pre-existing injury, make sure you pay a visit to your physiotherapist before you go twisting into a pretzel.

Namaste!

Christine Nguyen, Physiotherapist, Back In Motion Mentone

References:

1. Bussing, A., Ostermann, T., Ludtke, R. & Michalsen, A. (2012). Effects of yoga interventions on pain and pain-associated disability: a meta-analysis. The Journal of Pain, 13(1), 1-9.

2. Kohn, M., Lundholm, U.L., Bryngelsson, I., Anderzen-Carlsson, A. & Westerdahl, E. (2013). Medical yoga for patients with stress-related symptoms and diagnosis in primary health care: a randomized control trial. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/215348