Yoga

[shiso]

I was a serious yoga devotee before I got sick, and I find that I can do a very, very toned down version of certain poses I used to do. I have been very cautious not to overdo it or do poses that increase my heartrate, and have found that it doesn't make me crash.

Has anyone else benefited from some form of gentle yoga practice while being sick? Or anything similar (i.e., non-aerobic and with a meditative bent) like tai chi (though I don't know much about tai chi)?

 

[IntuneJune]

Yoga and tai chi

I took a tai chi workshop years and years ago, I ached a lot afterwards, too much vertical work.

I do some yoga at home following DVD's. Are anyone's eyes rolling because I am not in a formal class?

What has helped me the most is myofascial release. Not all practitioners are the same, though. I was fortunate. With positioning and moving and stretching the muscle at its end point, and then holding that position for a period of time, I felt a release of restriction, felt the muscle relax, a sense of warmth, and ease of motion in moving that muscle.

Yoga poses, held for a period of time accomplished to a degree the same response in a targeted muscle.

In myofascial release, the whole body is relaxed, as the therapist is doing the work. In yoga, your body is doing the work, the body is not completely relaxed... though some of the supine poses are.

So, I find yoga helpful.

Interestingly, I do a tai chi routine in the pool which I like, but now, although vertical, the water is supporting my body in this upright position.

I am approaching these techniques from the physical aspect only though, not the mental. EXCEPT it is a mind/body experience. I am present, attention only to my body, searching out tension, and working to release tension.

June

 

[Dreambirdie]

I've been practicing yoga since I was in high school, which is over 30 years. I have always been very athletic (especially when I was younger and healthier), and have participated in a lot of outdoor sports--like skiing, swimming, hiking and kayaking. But yoga is my absolute favorite. It has an amazing effect on my body and mind, in ways that other exercise (even Chi Kung and Tai Chi) does not. Every little bit of yoga I can do makes me feel more grounded and happier in my own skin.

Prior to my last big setback (due to HC in 2009), I had been doing a full hour long routine every day, following Tracey Rich's and Ganga White's Aerobic Yoga Flow Series video. It's a fairly vigorous yoga work-out, that includes lots of chatarangas. (I got that tape in 1996, and kept it up almost daily for ten years!) In case anyone's interested, it's hard to find this anymore on VHS (there is no DVD version), but I found a copy here: http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=3795275

I found that once I built up my muscular strength, it stayed with me, and even on some of my low energy days I could pull off what initially felt to be a very tiring routine, as long as I modified it according to my needs in the moment. Right now, I can't get away with pushing myself at all, or I pay for it GRANDLY the next few days. Amazingly, I still have the strength to do all the poses I did before, including the chatarangas, but I don't have the stamina for long routines. So I keep my practice limited to what I CAN DO. On a good day now I can do the vipassana flow series on Rodney Yee's Yoga For Strength tape. It's about 15 minutes long. I really like that one--it's also a VHS and also hard to find: http://www.oncesoldtales.com/?record_id=1641637 On my really low energy days, I do whatever I'm able to do, usually just 5-10 minutes of assorted sitting and stretching poses, followed by 10 minutes of assorted yoga breath work.

There is a fantastic Yoga DVD, Shiva Rea's Yoga Shakti,that I've used a lot this past year, which lets you pick, create, and program your own yoga routine each time. It was filmed in the Maldives and is stunning to watch. Check it out! http://www.google.com/products/cata...ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCIQ8wIwAg#ps-sellers

And if all I am up for is breathwork, this Rodney Yee DVD, Relaxation and Breathing for Meditation, is a really good one for that. http://www.gaiam.com/product/gift-g...elaxation+and+breathing+for+meditation+dvd.do

I think my long history of doing yoga from such an early age enables me to maintain some semblance of a practice, even during the worst of setbacks. However, I know this will not be true for everyone... SO please check in with yourself before you begin any yoga practice.

 

[biophile]

I personally found the capacity to perform such exercises, along with the degree of positive benefits and the severity of adverse effects, are largely dependent on CFS status.

 

[Lesley]

I have really benefited from restorative yoga.

Restorative yoga might best described as a supported, conscious body/mind relaxation practice. When supported with props, the body relaxes and opens, releasing tension and stored-up toxins that can cause illness. Restorative poses offer benefits to both the body and mind, for conditions ranging from insomnia to asthma to chronic pain to migraines to depression.

Chest-opening poses, for example, encourage breath and prana (energy) to flow through the entire body. Forward bends gently lengthen all the muscles of the back body. Done in sequence, a restorative yoga practice will bring your whole body into a deeply relaxed state, and allow your mind to become quiet and reflective, with your mental, psychological, and emotional bodies in blissful balance.

Click through this slideshow to get an idea of the poses: http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/Emotional-Health/Bipolar/Restorative-Yoga-for-Body-and-Mind.aspx

The poses I did were all lying down, and fully supported, so there was no "exercise" involved. Slides 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are the kind of thing that works for me. With the proper use of props, the poses should be completely comfortable.

 

[HopingSince88]

I use Rodney Yee's - AM / PM Yoga. I only do the AM part. It has a very easy 5 minute Relaxation segment, then a very gentle 20 minute yoga section. There are two poses I can't do as it puts the head below the rest of the body...so I skip those. If nothing else, I like listening to Rodney's voice, which I find to be very soothing.

 

[carolwxyz99]

I was a serious yoga devotee before I got sick, and I find that I can do a very, very toned down version of certain poses I used to do. I have been very cautious not to overdo it or do poses that increase my heartrate, and have found that it doesn't make me crash.

Has anyone else benefited from some form of gentle yoga practice while being sick? Or anything similar (i.e., non-aerobic and with a meditative bent) like tai chi (though I don't know much about tai chi)?

Hi Shiso, I benefit from yoga and I do a gentle remedial version. I belong to a yoga for ME group in the UK. If you go to our website www.sheffieldyogaforme.org.uk and go onto the information page, there is some info there including tape/CD/DVD reviews, and an article on yoga nidra. Yoga nidra (which means yogic sleep) is very popular with most of us.

 

[paddygirl]

zzzzzzz

I use Rodney Yee's - AM / PM Yoga. I only do the AM part. It has a very easy 5 minute Relaxation segment, then a very gentle 20 minute yoga section. There are two poses I can't do as it puts the head below the rest of the body...so I skip those. If nothing else, I like listening to Rodney's voice, which I find to be very soothing.

I was going through a pretty bad patch but was told not to go to my regular yoga class after a car crash and neck injury. I was eventually told I could do a starter class, which was like a moving form of guided meditation.

It completely removed my 'wired but tired' feeling, to my classmates amusement, I curled up under my blanket at the beginning of class and snored gently for an hour and a half. In her wisdom, my teacher let me be.

PS. love Rodney Yee

 

[serenity]

i do gentle yoga or other exercise, very mild - nothing hard core at all. but it's helpful, keeps the majority of my pain at bay. (primary diagnosis Fibro)

 

[Vega]

I've done yoga for about 10 years and stick to easy poses. I like it because it's not strenuous and allows me to relax. I have noticed that it does help me to calm down in busy environments.

 

[willow]

Has anyone else benefited from some form of gentle yoga practice while being sick? Or anything similar (i.e., non-aerobic and with a meditative bent) like tai chi (though I don't know much about tai chi)?

I started some gentle yoga during a spell when i was less ill.

Now there's poses I avoid compleltely and some I've adapted but I still adore the feelings it gives me. Usually the various aspects of both my body and of my mind feel more cohesive and sort of communicate better, and mind, body, spirit feel more integrated with each other too.

My favourite sensations are the ones when I feel there's a release of blocked energy and a block to energy... maybe... feels something like that. It's a great feeling, cleansing in a way that feels refreshing, renewing and totally safe (unlike say herbal cleansers etc which are nearly always a struggle and my body can't elminate the toxins quickly enough).

I'm very grateful I'm well enough to do this and your question has made me wonder if i can find more time and energy for it.

Enjoyed watching the various slide shows and now off to Lovefilm.com to see if they have Dreambirdie's recommendations

 

[willow]

Tracey Rich's and Ganga White's Aerobic Yoga Flow Series video.....it's hard to find this anymore on VHS (there is no DVD version)

Is this is Dreambirdie? http://www.lovefilm.com/search/results/?query=total+yoga+flow+series (dvds)

It sounds too demanding for me but if I can rent it rather than buy I thought why not see.

 

[lululowry]

I am taking a therapeutic yoga class developed by Manjula Spears, whose husband has CFS and is also the doctor who diagnosed me. The whole practice can be done sitting in a chair and she demonstrates how each movement can be modified according to your ability. I have a very hard time holding my arms out for more than a few seconds. I love being able to do sun salutation in a chair. :Retro smile: If anyone is interested, she has made a 2-cd audio recording of her program. Part 1 is guided exercises and part 2 is guided meditation.

 

[Dreambirdie]

Is this is Dreambirdie? http://www.lovefilm.com/search/results/?query=total+yoga+flow+series (dvds)

It sounds too demanding for me but if I can rent it rather than buy I thought why not see.

This is not the tape I used. Aerobic Yoga--The Yoga Flow Series (which I posted back on the other page--see post #3 for more info) is actually very demanding. I can only do it during times of recovery.

 

[willow]

This is not the tape I used. Aerobic Yoga--The Yoga Flow Series (which I posted back on the other page--see post #3 for more info) is actually very demanding. I can only do it during times of recovery.

Aah got it... Thanks. I only searched the practitioner (not the right word) names and flow series.

 

[Esther12]

Just a quick note - for really flexible people (hyper-mobility etc, which might be linked to CFS) Yoga is probably not a good idea.

 

[L'engle]

If I'm at a basic level of health and can do yoga, it does seem to help to not lose basic fitness. It's getting easier to do some these days.

 

[rebecca1995]

When I was stronger, I did several restorative Iyengar poses each day, like supta baddha konasana and other supported postures. I found that the yoga helped with flexibility and relaxation, but didn't increase my overall activity level.

Now that I'm essentially bedbound, I can only do an abbreviated stretching routine, lying down. I try to incorporate yoga principles, though I can't do yoga, per se. And I keep it brief because deliberate movement siphons energy I need for self care.

 

[carolwxyz99]

I am taking a therapeutic yoga class developed by Manjula Spears, whose husband has CFS and is also the doctor who diagnosed me. The whole practice can be done sitting in a chair and she demonstrates how each movement can be modified according to your ability. I have a very hard time holding my arms out for more than a few seconds. I love being able to do sun salutation in a chair. :Retro smile: If anyone is interested, she has made a 2-cd audio recording of her program. Part 1 is guided exercises and part 2 is guided meditation.

Thanks, that is interesting. I belong to a yoga for ME/CFS group in the UK. Most people with ME/CFS prefer to do yoga adapted for lying down. When doing things with arms out, the floor supports the arms to make it less strenuous. However, there are some people who prefer to sit. We have some tape/CD/DVD reviews on the information page of www.sheffieldyogaforme.org.uk

Do you have any info of where you can get the CD from?

 

[Danielmarkwogh]

I always to use this yoga exercise for my good health. Yoga is one of the best exercise with can do regular so you can get better result from that.
There is a so many yoga exercise are available for different illness. Its not a heavy exercise so every one can do it.