If you’re like most people, you probably think of yoga as a way to get in shape or relax. Those are certainly valid reasons to practice yoga, however, there’s much more to it than that. Yoga can be incredibly beneficial for people who suffer from trauma and chronic pain. In this blog post, we will discuss how yoga can help release emotions, stress, and tension that have been building up over time. We’ll also provide some tips on how to get started!
How is yoga beneficial for trauma survivors:
If you’re dealing with trauma or chronic pain, yoga can be a
very effective way to help you cope. Trauma often results in feelings of
disconnectedness. It is not uncommon for trauma survivors to not always know
what they are feeling in their bodies, or, know how to describe their emotions.
They often describe themselves as “feeling numb” or they tell you ” I don’t know
what I am feeling”. People with trauma experiences’ often feel a void within since they
are not sure of how or what they are feeling. Yoga is a great tool to help you to
reconnect with your body. It helps slow down the “uncomfortable”, emotions that
one feels and begins to help you to refocus on other things instead of ‘getting stuck in the
emotions. It helps you to get “out of your head”. In addition, the effects of trauma can show
up in physical chronic pain and physical conditions. The constant hyper-arousal and
hyper-vigilance is the alert mode in the body that looks for bad things to come your way and to be ready to prepare you to “get safe”. The constant results of being in this state; looking for the next bad thing to occur wear on the body and your emotional well-being. Anxiety, emotional upset, sleep disturbances, etc. are huge stressors on the body that hold the tension in the body. Through time, the tension and stressors wear on your physical well-being. Our bodies can only take so much wear and tear before deterioration occurs.
Chronic pain is incredibly frustrating. The low dull grinding pain is always running in the background and it is hard to ignore. Yoga helps you to relax and restore energy.
It helps to diminish inflammation in the body as the body, mind, and spirit relax. You learn to
control your breath and focus on being present in the moment. In both cases, yoga
helps to release emotions, stress, and tension that have been building up over
time. Yoga helps to ground and center you, which can be very helpful, especially
when you’re feeling lost or disconnected. It increases your awareness
of what’s going on in your body. Once you tap into that, you can work on
releasing built-up emotions, stress, and tension.
If you’re ready to give yoga a try, here are some tips to get started:
Choose a yoga class that feels right for you. There are
many different types of yoga classes out there, so it’s important to find one
that meets your needs. If you’re not sure where to start, ask a friend or yoga
teacher for recommendations. Often, restorative and gentle meditative type yoga
practices are great ways to get started. This is true especially if you are suffering
from chronic illness and chronic pain. A vigorous type of yoga may not be for you in
the beginning as one is trying to awaken the brain and learn how to feel connected.
The body and mind are in a lot of duress from the effects of trauma. The brain only
knows to focus on the discomfort and gets locked in the brain processing, leaving one
to be in difficult emotional and physical pain.
Listen to your body. Yoga is not about pushing yourself to the limit. It’s about listening!
So we learn to listen to our body and do what feels good for healing. If something doesn’t
feel right, you don’t do it. Be good to yourself. Take yoga at your own pace.
It is not a competition. It is ok to take breaks and/or modify poses as needed.
Note: You do not have to be flexible or an athlete to practice yoga.
This is a very personal activity.
Breathe deeply. One of the most important things in yoga
is the breath. Make sure to breathe deep and slow throughout your practice. Breathe in
from the nostrils and out from the nostrils. Fill the upper chest, the lungs, and the abdomen
to full capacity and gently let out the breath through the nostrils, feeling the body relax and slowly getting you to being grounded. This will help you relax and let go of any tension you may be holding onto.
Be patient with yourself. Learning how to cope with
trauma or chronic pain is a process. It takes time and there will be ups and
downs along the way. Know that yoga can be a helpful tool in your journey.
Yoga can also help alleviate some of the symptoms of PTSD.
When the symptoms of PTSD are prominent, the brain is in trauma mode (fight, flight, freeze) and not at the moment. Yoga is one way to teach the brain that the trauma is over and not
occurring in the present time. It helps to ground you, which feels safe. By
teaching people how to control their breathing and heart rate, you will
feel calmer, more in control of their emotions, and increase your awareness of your body.
Yoga helps to improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety levels, both of which are often disturbed in people with PTSD. Of course, healing is a process. It decides to give it a try for some time before one may recognize results. I say, stay with it. In my opinion, give it at least 8 weeks to get yourself in the groove and begin to gain understanding. You are worth the effort.
If you’re interested in trying yoga but don’t know where to
start, there are many online resources or you could even ask your doctor for a
referral to a local yoga studio. If you have any questions or would like to share your own
experiences with yoga, please leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from
you.
Namaste.
References:
– Yoga for PTSD (n.d.). Retrieved from: – Bessel van der Kolk.
(2014). The Body Keeps the Score: brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma.
(Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute)
– How effective is yoga for treating PTSD? (2015, September 22).
Retrieved from: – McManus, E., & Jaster, D. L. (2016). A Systematic Review
of Yoga
So, what are you waiting for? Yoga may just be the key to
helping you release emotions, stress, and tension! Give it a try today!
