Yoga May Provide Pain Releif

Those who practice yoga are quick to praise this ancient art's ability to increase flexibility and relieve stress. New research now suggests that yoga may also be an effective pain management technique.

Living with chronic pain can be the cause of constant discomfort, rob you of your strength reserves and create feelings of depression and anxiety. Yoga techniques may minimize pain, medication usage and help you build a fuller and happier life.

The best Yoga techniques for pain management are breathing, relaxation and meditation. These three act to distract your mind from the pain, reduce the sress, allowing you to "move through" the pain, lessening it's full impact.

Relaxation can be mental or physical. Physical relaxation simply means reducing muscle tension. It can reduce both acute and chronic pain. Chronic pain often responds better to mental relaxtation techniques such as meditation. Meditation is the conscience effort to reduce your mind's "chatter" and to concentrate on "not thinking".

Yoga is beleived to reduce pain by assisting the areas of the brain which respond to pain. The spinal cord also has a gate controlling pain mechanism which Yoga is beleived to influence. Like other forms of physical activity, Yoga increases the production of natural painkilling substances called endorphins. Finally, breathing exercises promote an increased exhalation time which is associated with a natural biological pain killing mechanism.

If you live with chronic pain, you know how debilitating it can be. Today, Yoga is a wide spread fitness practice. The breathing, relaxation and meditation exercises can furthur aid in pain reduction. Regular yoga practice allows you to build a foundation of internal strength by opening a window to a part of yourself that is not dictated by the demands of the physical body. This detachment can lead to a reduction in pain.

Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The International Fitness Academy, For more cutting edge health and fintess news go to http://www.aerobic-exercise-coach.com