YOGA EASES FIBROMYALGIA PAIN, RESEARCHERS SAY

GENTLE STRETCHING, BREATHING AND MEDITATION FIBROMYALGIA PATIENTS CAN BENEFIT FROM YOGA

www.webmd.com - Women who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia can reduce symptoms of the disease and improve their function by practicing the mind-body techniques of yoga, a new study says. Researchers in Oregon who enrolled 53 women aged 21 or older for the study say that women who participated in a “Yoga of Awareness” health program showed significantly greater improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms. Their findings are published in the November issue of Pain, the journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
Classes included 40 minutes of gentle stretching poses, 25 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of breathing techniques, 20 minutes of teaching presentations on using yoga principles for coping, and 25 minutes of group discussions, in which participants talked about practicing yoga in their homes.

“Although yoga has been practiced for millennia, only recently have researchers begun to demonstrate yoga’s effects on persons suffering from persistent pain,” researcher James W. Carson, PhD, of the Oregon Health & Science University, says. “The Yoga of Awareness program stands in contrast to previous multimodal interventions with [fibromyalgia] patients in that it integrates a wide spectrum of yoga-based techniques - postures, mindfulness meditation, breathing exercises, application of yogic principles to optimal coping, and group discussions.” As drug therapies are only 30% effective in relieving the pain of fibromyalgia, and 20% effective in improving function, this study provides “promising preliminary support for the beneficial effects of yoga” for patients with fibromyalgia, authors say.


According to this study, the Yoga program has given the participants several strategies included engaging in activities despite pain, acceptance of their condition, the use of philosophy as a coping mechanism, and the ability to relax. Apart from provides relaxing tecniques to people suffering from chronic pain, the yogic positions or "asanas" are designed to restore the vital balance of the body, from the point of physical, mental and spiritual, and achieve personal fulfillment by means of meditation. The asanas are also a step on the spiritual path, within the Ashtanga Yoga's system.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Hatha yoga is a system of handling the physical body so that the mind and the nerve system are calmed and quieted. It is primarily a means to prepare oneself for meditation. Hatha yoga is founded on a principle of putting the physical body into a position so that the nerve currents in the physical body get tuned up to a perfect pitch. It is like tuning the strings on a violin; if you tune the violin just right, then each string will be in harmony with the other strings. ... For the very best results, Hatha yoga should be taught personally by a qualified teacher. ... Asanas elongate, tone and strengthen muscle tissue, massage the organs, stimulate the nerves and balance the pingala and ida nadis. ... As maximum stretch and flexibility are approached, a subtle stimulation of the physical and psychic nerve system begins to occur. ... With practice, you will find the body becoming suppler, reflecting the mind’s flexibility, alertness and freedom from subconscious repressions.

“What Is Hinduism?” :
Chapter 34 “Hatha Yoga”
“A 24-Posture System of Body Tuning and Preparation for Meditation”
Hinduism Today Magazine
Himalaya Academy, India - USA - 2007
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/wih/