Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels
By Janus Tsai
When someone suffers from chronic pain (persistent pain), why might yoga therapy be a worthwhile option to consider adding to their conventional healthcare? For starters, Western medicine often takes a specialized approach to treating various conditions, but pain is a symptom closely linked to physical, psychological, social, and lifestyle factors, making it difficult to alleviate through a single method.
Different doorways to common challenges
Yoga therapists are trained to provide assistance for multiple dimensions of a person’s well-being, through any one of a number of entry points. They listen to and understand the experiences of those in pain and help individuals develop the ability to coexist with both their pain and emotions.
By offering strategies to regulate the nervous system, including breathing, yoga therapists can help to alleviate pain symptoms, improve stress resilience, and boost sleep quality. Through physical practice, they can also enhance body awareness, adjust muscle tension, and improve mobility. Yoga therapists also assist people in developing practical skills to better cope with pain and manage daily life challenges.
Simple techniques, profound results
One client in my own yoga therapy practice, Lawrence,* came to understand that pain is merely a protective signal from the body. He was able to re-establish a connection to his whole self, including his body, through yoga techniques like body scanning. He learned to regulate his breathing and adopt appropriate muscle tension that would be less likely to trigger pain during his daily activities.
Additionally, the awareness practices we did in our yoga therapy sessions enabled him to gradually recognize the emotions and stressful situations that tended to trigger his pain. This understanding helped Lawrence to adopt a more positive approach to handling stress and fostered better interpersonal relationships. Over time, his back pain diminished, and he regained normal daily functioning.
Yoga therapists like me employ comprehensive pain care strategies, working collaboratively with individuals experiencing pain to explore personalized approaches that empower them to take control of their well-being. Because pain responses vary from person to person and everyone’s lifestyle is unique, personalized plans are essential for yielding great benefits—this is why I do what I do!
Janus Tsai, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, is a Pain Care Aware lead trainer and IAYT-certified yoga therapist based in Taipei, Taiwan. Find him on Facebook and Instagram.
Learn more about yoga therapy’s approach to chronic pain on the yogatherapy.health blog.
*Client’s name has been changed to protect their privacy.
