4 Reasons to Try Yoga When You Are Recovering From Pain

As a Physiotherapist, I see people who have pain.  Together we work on strategies to help that pain and get to the root of the problem, and often for a period of time I will ask people to limit certain activities, but the big picture is to get someone back to full function and have no limitations.  Once people are on the road to recovery, then often yoga can be beneficial as part of the solution! Here are 4 reasons to start yoga when you’re recovering from an injury:

  1. Here’s the thing: all yoga is not the same.  It is important to look at your specific movement and breathing patterns, and develop a yoga series that is unique and helpful for you and your issue.  We typically start small and slow by focusing on one joint and one movement at a time, as small and slow movements are more open for awareness building, easier for the nervous system to learn, and progress occurs more quickly. You will be surprised how small movements can release tension. As we progress, we may increase the number of joints involved, number of reps and speed. We may also transition from sitting or lying down movements to more standing movements to build stability and strength.
  2. There is a sense of safety: When the nervous system is responding to stress, your breath can be shallow, muscles tighten, the digestive system and sleep get thrown off. Pain and anxiety can exacerbate the stress response. Yoga can help to down-train the nervous system and encourage further healing of the issue with breath, movement and calm.
  3. It helps you listen to your body. As you get to know the cues your body is giving you, you can learn a better connection with your body and can help take control of your own self-care.
  4. Any movement is therapy when done with ease. Yoga can help you become more aware of how you move. You can work on easy vs. tight breathing, and ease of movement vs. force.  Awareness is the key to shifting the movement and breathing habits that can contribute to symptoms. With awareness, symptoms can change.

How do I start?  At Elevation Physiotherapy, we work closely with a trained yoga instructor to develop a program that can be a part of your own injury recovery.  Speak with your Physiotherapist to see if yoga sessions could be helpful for you.  If you are continuing with Physiotherapy, it is possible that your yoga session(s) could be covered under your Physiotherapy benefits.