Yoga as Treatment for Chronic Pain

Apr4

Beware of miscellaneous objects falling in formation
Creative Commons License photo credit: Tim Green aka atoach

I have tried everything for my chronic knee pain, and I do mean everything. I have had multiple steroid injections into my knee cavity (more pain inducing than relieving). I have had injections to replace the synovial lining of my joint. I have had FIVE radio-frequency ablations, in which a probe is put into my knee and heated to 100 degrees, in the hopes of burning the nerves. I have done yoga, seen energy healers and naturopaths. I have had two knee surgeries, endless sessions of physiotherapy and massage therapy, and am the proud owner of two hefty knee braces that have significant price tags attached. Yes, I’ve tried it all, but still I suffer.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a yoga retreat that I was considering. Much like selections of yoga practices, there are equally as many choices when it comes to retreats. However, for me, I’m looking for ones geared towards people who suffer from chronic pain, and my massage therapist has directed me to retreats and lessons by Niel Pearson, who has a physical therapy degree and a masters in rehabilitation science. He also happens to be a yoga instructor. A physiotherapist combined with alternative healer? Right up my alley.

Neil teaches a lot of different pain management techniques through a variety of methods, however, I really like his approach to pain from the points of view of the patient, yoga instructors and healthcare practitioners. For those suffering with pain, he has created a multitude of products to cope including audio and visual DVDs, workbooks and educational books, on top of the yoga retreats that are usually a weekend long and dedicated to helping people, and their spouses, cope with a life in chronic pain. His website, Lifeisnow, provides a ton of free resources to educate, improve and benefit those suffering with chronic pain.

Yoga as treatment for chronic pain is certainly nothing new. The benefits of stretching and holding poses has been promoted for centuries, back when the practice first began. But pain remains a mystery for many health care practitioners, as it is our brain that tells us we are in pain, not the pain site. Niel Pearson’s approach teaches us to look at and relax the brain, combined with the assistance of yoga poses, in order to cope with injuries and the haunting after effects.

I’ve taken the step to sign up for the yoga retreat, and look forward to not just the yoga classes themselves, but the educational classes in which I learn to change my perspective on this nasty thing called pain, and what the actual root of the problem is. At the very least, trying another method can’t hurt. At least, not worse than those injections…

Kelly

Filed Under: Wellness, Yoga Tips Tagged With: , ,

The Power of Visualization

Mar28

Kenova's thought Creative Commons License photo credit: ariefhary

As of late, my Grave’s disease symptoms have returned with a vengeance and I’ve been feeling quite sick. I’ve learned through my yoga practice that the power of visualization can be vital to my body’s ability to heal. Now, I’ll admit to being a little skeptical about this. With the number of health problems I’ve had in my life, I tend to be quite trusting of the medical system, but remain cognizant of the fact that I am my best advocate for my own wellness. This means that when a doctor tells me I need a certain test or a medication, I’ll be at the pharmacy the next day to see if it can at all help to ease my symptoms. I’ve also tried many natural wellness routes including energy healers, naturopathic medicine and of course, yoga.

So when my massage therapist again encouraged me to try visualization, I realized that I am someone who is so open to a variety of different medical practices, so why not this? She told me to picture my actual thyroid organ during my meditation, I decided to give it a try, even though I’ve discussed how difficult I find meditation to be. However, since my massage therapy treatment, I’m finding it easier and easier to slip into a meditative state. Fresh with a variety of different documentation on the subject, I headed home to a quiet space to give it a go. If you would like to read more on the subject, check this link.

I sat on the bed, flat on my back (this ol’ knee injury makes sitting cross-legged a little tricky) and concentrated on my breath until I was no longer thinking about anything. Oh, wait…I’m am meant to be focusing on the pesky little butterfly-shaped organ of mine. I brought my hand up to my neck, pictured the thyroid that envelops my throat and pictures the tumour on it getting smaller. I pictured myself, symptom-free, easily walking down the street without a hot flash that nearly knocks me on my feet. I pictured my heart rate slowing to a healthier pace and most of all, I pictured a healthy immune system, which right now, my body seems to be specifically lacking.

So did I wake up this morning with my thyroid shrunken and my symptoms gone? No, it’s not quite that easy. Like anything worthwhile, visualization is a slow process, just like the healing process. But at this rate, I feel like anything I can do to help things along, I’m ready and willing. Visualization might not be for everyone, but for me, I tend to think that there’s nothing wrong with a positive attitude. If anything, it makes you a whole lot nicer to be around.

Kelly

Filed Under: Basics, Meditation, Wellness Tagged With: , , , ,

Can Massage Therapy Deepen Your Practice?

Mar14

Massage room
Creative Commons License photo credit: Average Jane

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I suffer from a bad knee injury, sustained about eight years ago in basic training. So, one doesn’t get away with limping for eight years without some seriously negative side effects. I’m now experiencing tons of lower back pain on top of some major troubles with my left knee (the “good one”) since it bares all of my weight when walking. For the most part, I can deal with a lot of this pain through my yoga practice, but as of lately, after each session I seem to be feeling worse rather than better and so I began to search out other options. This is how I came upon massage therapy.

Now, I’m the type who usually looked to massage therapy whenever I felt I deserved a little treat or when my friends and I decided to have a girly spa weekend. (I should note, however, that there is a huge different between just plain ol’ getting a massage and actually seeking out a Registered Massage Therapist, but more on that later.) So it was a bit of a mental leap for me to turn to massage therapy as a means to cope with my pain. My best friend is a RMT and has always encouraged me to give massage therapy a chance, but the expense always had me rolling my eyes and clutching my wallet with a vice-like grip. I’m a writer, for heaven’s sake! I can’t afford such luxuries! But lately, I found out that my insurance policy covers this kind of treatment, so with doctor prescription in hand, I started my first round of therapy with a reputable therapist.

The important thing to note here is that many spa websites will list “massage” as a service, however, many of these workers are not trained in massage therapy but rather, are trained in esthetics. A true massage therapist is registered by the province in which they work and has been highly trained on anatomy, the affect of therapy on the body and general wellness. I encourage all readers to ensure that their practitioner is completely registered before jumping into a treatment plan.

Oh, dear readers, if I could explain to you the joy I feel after just my first two appointments! Stretching has become easier, my yoga practice is no longer hindered by pain, and my massage therapist has taught me small yoga movements (she is also a trained yoga teacher, conveniently!) that I can do at home to improve my pain. In fact, I’m even headed on a yoga retreat in April, designed specifically for those in pain! Won’t that make for some great blog fodder!

So, if you have an insurance policy that covers massage therapy, or if you happen to have extra hundred dollar bills floating around (you can also make out cheques to yours truly), make an appointment with a reputable massage therapist. They can assist you in achieving fitness goals, reduce pain and increase flexibility, all beneficial for those dedicated to their yoga practice.

Kelly

 

 

Filed Under: Basics, Focus on Anatomy, Wellness Tagged With: , ,

When your body SCREAMS “no!”

Feb2

 

It would be an understatement to say that I’m no stranger to illness. Both myself and the rest of my family has struggled with serious illnesses that have impacted our lives in inexplicable ways. I’ll also admit to being someone who occasionally allows disease to drag me down, depress me and all around get the better of me. But those days are few compared to the days where I challenge anything that comes my way, determined to learn every possible lesson from each life experience.

After my summer diagnosis with Grave’s Disease, I sort of felt I had already conquered the necessary health hurdle for the year. However, right now, I’m waiting on some test results as my doctor fears I might also have diabetes. Hmm. Not the way I wanted to start out 2012. With potential for another life-altering disease, I’ve turned to my typical method of coping: I read. So when I was handed a book that helped explain my current health problems, I couldn’t wait to tell readers all of the Yoga Flavored Life readers all about it.

“When the Body Says No” is written by Dr. Gabor Maté and details the documented connection between disease and our emotions and stress. On more than one occasion, I’ve described myself as an extremely stressed out individual, which is why yoga is such a vital part of my life. It doesn’t help that I’ve had a considerable number of health challenges, which contribute to my stress levels, and according to Dr. Maté, only increases my risk for further disease. This book seems to discuss the proverbial “chicken or egg first” question. Does stress cause disease or is disease the stress-inducer?

Initially, I’ll admit to being full of skepticism about this book. I would say that when it comes to illnesses, I like to be informed, but I don’t wish to be hit over the head with all the things that I’m “doing wrong” or “eating wrong,” mostly because to an extent, I feel like is just too short to operate in constant fear. I also feel that many of these kinds of books manipulate statistics into getting across their message, even if the results of certain studies weren’t at all meant to be bent to suit. This isn’t to say, of course, that I think that a diet consisting solely of fast food and potato chips is at all healthy, but I don’t think that a bi-monthly serving of ice cream will be the death of me either. So faced with a book that pointed to my well-acquainted issue of stress, I was nervous to read it. I was nervous because I knew it would appropriately outline all the ways in which stress is negatively impacting my body.

One of the best things I can say about “When the Body Says No” is that it doesn’t preach and it doesn’t bend scientists’ words into something completely unintended. Instead, Dr. Maté points readers to facts, studies that he in particular has researched and studied, and fact-based conclusions on stress and the impact it has on our mental and physical health. He even goes into details about our childhood stress coping mechanisms can affect the way we manage stress in the future, lending to the nature vs. nurture concept in relation to disease. All this to say, I’m now even more sure that stress, and the ways in which I cope with stress, is negatively affecting my health.

So if you’ve been wondering how to keep major disease at bay, keep up your yoga practice. Breathe deeply, enjoy each day, meditate, speak to counselors or therapists about anxiety and stress, read books, and pursue your passions. And always look to family history, to find ways to prevent history from repeating itself.

Kelly

Filed Under: Basics, Book & DVD Reviews, Wellness Tagged With: , , ,

I’m Now a Yoga Warrior!

Jan7

This week, I had the infinite pleasure of meeting Nicole Taylor, who is trained as a Yoga Warrior instructor, a yoga practice that is designed specifically to assist soldiers in coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as the daily and specific stresses that military members are exposed to. The classes are also open to those who are first responders, such as paramedics and firefighters, who also witness emotionally difficult experiences. Each class is designed to relieve many of the common symptoms of PTSD, including jumpiness, feelings of agitation and anxiety. The concept of Yoga Warriors is especially close to my heart since I was a forth-generation soldier, having served almost a decade after my dad served for thirty-five years before me. This is a photo of me, just a year ago, proudly donning my air force uniform.

Nicole Taylor is the only Canadian to be a trained Yoga Warrior instructor, as Yoga Warriors started in the United States. If you would like to read more about Nicole, please click here, to read a local news article from the Barrie Examiner Newspaper. If I could paint a picture for readers as to the perfect person to lead this kind of practice, Nicole would be the model upon which I would base my drawing. When I walked into the studio (located in Barrie, ON, at Ann Green Bliss Yoga Studio), she was warm and inviting, non-judgemental and informative, kind and compassionate. She was quick to answer all of my questions and was more than willing to share about this innovative method, even when answering the questions from my dad, the ultimate skeptic. As a yoga virgin, he was a little more than nervous to be “getting all touchy-feely,” which is how he (and many other soldiers) describes anything that relates to any sort of emotional experience. But donned in our yoga gear and entering the studio with open minds, we settled into our mats and prepared ourselves for the Yoga Warrior experience.

The class was very much a Hatha style, with great meditation both before and after the session with a small group of just six people. There was specific focus on mindfulness, allowing ourselves to remain in the present and be aware of our surroundings. The largest difference between other Hatha classes I’ve taken was in the approach and words that were used. It has been my experience that sometimes, the terminology used in classes can be off-putting to those trained to be “tough” and business-minded. To say the very least, we aren’t really a crowd accustomed to “getting in touch with ourselves” or picturing grassy meadows and saying words like Namaste. Nicole used words that were accessible and realistic, which is key to reaching those who aren’t familiar with this type of practice.

Working a yoga class around groups of soldiers can be no easy task. Serving in the Forces is a job that demands a certain kind of detachment from oneself, when working conditions and traumatic experiences get the better of us. Especially for those soldiers who have deployed and been put in harms way, the response, upon returning home, can often be to detach from both yourself and the people who love you as a means of coping. We soldiers are trained to respond logically and use our training in each and every situation we encounter, which usually doesn’t leave much room for emotional response. We are taught to “soldier on,” which means we are to continue on no matter the pain, be it physical or mental. Sometimes, this mentality is necessary to survive and sometimes, it only teaches us to retreat into ourselves, never to come out again. This is where Yoga Warriors comes in, and in my opinion, this innovative practice is about the spread like wildfire across Canada and hopefully, across the world. Nicole also teaches classes on several military bases, with many commanders getting on board, acknowledging that their troops need methods to cope with the stress of their work and experiences.

My dad still isn’t sure how he feels about yoga, but we’re headed back to Yoga Warriors this coming Wednesday. For the lovely Nicole Taylor, full of positivity and energy and dedication to her work with our soldiers and veterans, I am in awe of the work you do and the passion you bring to the studio. Thank you for sharing your gift and expanding the minds of our soldiers and their leaders.

In the meantime, you’ve created a new Yoga Warrior who both salutes and stretches, all in one day.

Kelly

Filed Under: Basics, In The News, Teaching, Wellness Tagged With: ,
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