Do you feel fatigued and have stiffness in your muscles very often? Are you not able to zero down to the root cause of it? If yes is your answer then you are suffering from Fibromyalgia.
It is a chronic pain disorder and hits approximately 10 million people in the US with women forming the majority of it. It is a mix of many symptoms but do not get disheartened as you can relieve yourself off the pain by practicing the incredible postures of yoga for fibromyalgia.
If you think that fibromyalgia is a new disorder that has come up in light, then you are reasonably mistaken as a Scottish physician discovered it in 1816, but the American Medical Association (AMA) recognized it as an illness only in 1987. But you can find its cure in the yoga postures discovered some 5000 years ago. Read ahead as we list these postures and pranayama that you can practice for attaining relief.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder which gets you feeling fatigued; you feel tired all day, accompanied by pain in your joints and muscles. These symptoms are just the tip of the iceberg; the other problems are headaches, loss of sleep, irritable bowel syndrome, increased sensitivity to pain, and problems with memory and concentration.
Doctors place this disease in the category of arthritis, but yoga practitioners sometimes differ from this view. This difference in opinion does not mean that yoga experts for fibromyalgia(1) and doctors do not come to a consensus.
Doctors themselves admit that when allopathic medication for the disease does not work, then yoga comes to aid. Yoga eases the pain and betters the psychological symptoms of memory loss, and concentration.
Yoga for chronic pain and fibromyalgia calms the mind with better breathing techniques, and yoga creates awareness of your whole body. When you calm down, your brain becomes sharper, and you can feel a significant change in memory loss and lack of concentration.
Less stress means the trigger for this fibromyalgia disease is gone, and the frequency and intensity of the pain reduce to a great extent.
Yoga improves your body balance. Body balance means one part does not take up all body weight, and your physical endurance increases, it lengthens your muscles and makes you feel fitter. Yoga cures the musculoskeletal problem(2).
Yoga stops the illness in its tracks, and it makes you more active, and it takes away fatigue when you exercise, your body feels tired in a good way, and your insomnia gets cured.
Best 10 Yoga Poses for Fibromyalgia that may Help Reduce the Pain
Here are the best ten different postures of yoga for fibromyalgia that relieves pain from your body.
Lower your body into the belly and position the arms beneath the shoulders on the yoga mat.
Lift your back, roll the shoulders away from your ears and draw the shoulder blades open and together across your chest.
Maintain the pose for about five long and deep breaths. Relax your lower back and lower the torso on to the belly.
Release the lower end with the Child Pose.
2. The Bridge Pose
How to do?
Lie on the back, fold your knees, and position your feet on the yoga mat about a hip-width apart. Position your feet in such a way that you can touch the heels with your fingers.
Lift your hips high while you press the shoulders. Make sure that your feet are firmly planted on the mat. Gaze straight at the ceiling while holding the pose.
Squeeze your shoulder blades and draw in the chin away from the chest.
Hold the position for about five long and deep breaths.
Roll your body over onto the knees and hands and then position the knees at each side of the mat while keeping the big toes of the two legs together.
Lower your hips into the heels and put your forehead on the yoga mat for the Child Pose.
Stretch your shoulders out a little more and bend your elbows. Position the elbows on the mat and stretch your arms parallelly on the mat with your palms facing the floor. Press your shoulders towards the yoga mat and do a deep shoulder stretching. Hold the position for about five long and deep breaths.
4. The Downward Facing Dog Pose
Image:ShutterStock
How to do?
Get back on your knees and hands and tuck your toes beneath them
Lift your hips high and fold downwards until the body take the pose of a V-shape.
Position your arms wider than the span of the shoulders and spread the feet to a width about the width of the hips. Spread all your fingers and apply a little more pressure on the forefinger and thumb of both the hands.
Lift your kneecaps while pressing the heels against the mat. Draw your belly towards the spinal cord and create a little space in the upper back region with the rotation of the triceps.
Hold this position for about five long and deep breaths.
5. Eagle Pose
How to do?
Stand straight. Gently bend your right knee and enfold your left leg around your right, knees are stacked over each other. Ensure your left foot must touch your right skin.
Lift your arms to the shoulder height and enfold your right hand around your left. Make sure that your elbows are bent at 90o angles and are stacked.
Have a balance in the pose while you slowly bring down your hips.
Retain the pose for a few seconds. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly.
Start with your hands and knees on the ground and ensure your wrists are under your shoulders and knees are under your hips.
While inhaling, lift your tailbone and head towards the sky, allow your belly to come into cow pose and feel a stretch through your abdomen.
On your exhale, round your spine up towards the sky to go into cat pose and imagine you’re pulling your navel up towards your spine while bending your chin to the chest and let your neck release.
Repeat the cat-cow poses for at least ten rounds.
7. Cobbler Pose
Image:ShutterStock
How to do?
Sit erect, stretching your legs out in front of you.
Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together as you let your knees fall out to either side.
Draw your feet close to your pelvic region.
Press the outer edges of your feet together strongly, encouraging by holding onto your big toes or with your hands.
Sit up straight with a long spine while keeping your scapula on your back and your shoulders moving away from your ears.
This posture would comfort your pelvic region easing all the pain caused by joints that get utilized during this exercise.
How to Practice Pranayama for Treating Fibromyalgia?
The best part about yoga for fibromyalgia is Pranayama. Pranayama helps with opening up the lungs from the middle and the bottom. The opening of lungs reduces stress which addresses the pain trigger.
Pranayama asanas or Pranayama asanas yoga for fibromyalgia also teaches you that when you get breathless, you should stop, recover your breath fully, and then proceed further. Have a quick look at different pranayama and how to practice pranayama for treating fibromyalgia.
Perineum (MOOL BANDHA)
How to Practice?
Sit erect in a comfortable position on the yoga mat.
Keep your palms on the knees, eyes closed, and contract the pelvic muscles.
Retain the contraction and ensure that you do not hold the breath.
Do it ten times with maximum contraction and relaxation.
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Anulom-Vilom)
How to practice?
Sit erect in a comfortable position on the yoga mat.
Now close the left nostril and inhale slowly, deeply, and steadily.
After your full inhalation, hold it for a while and close your right nostril and exhale gently through the left nostril.
Slowly inhale through the left nostril and exhale from the right.
Repeat it for 5-10 minutes with eyes closed and change the directions.
How Often Should a Fibromyalgia Patient Practice Yoga?
There are many reasons that one should keep in mind when one decides on the frequency of yoga stretches for fibromyalgia.
It is important to practice yoga for the whole body, not for a particular area or problem.
Practice yoga on an empty stomach at least 2 -3 hours after eating
The frequency of practicing yoga depends on your budget and goals. It is possible to practice yoga every day and gain fast results on fibromyalgia. Those who expect faster results can practice yoga regularly
A healthy practice of yoga for fibromyalgia is usually around 3-5 times a week which gives you more rest and time since rest plays a crucial role to recover and to get stronger
A favorite time to practice yoga is sunrise in the morning, sunset at the evening, and the night before bedtime
We often take pain killers and chemical drugs to relieve pain to some extent. But now you know that yoga for fibromyalgia is more effective than the harmful chemicals and pain killers? The different yoga poses are discussed and are wondrously beneficial and do not cause any harm to your body and muscles.
Yoga is a gentle and holistic approach that heals the pain and rejuvenates the body at the root of it. Do it under the guidance of a yoga practitioner and embrace the goodness of yoga to stay healthy.