Chronic pain is common in Australia. 1 in 5 Australians aged 45 and over are living with persistent, ongoing pain. This pain can be disabling and stressful, making it hard for a person to work and do the things they enjoy. More people are seeing their general practitioner (GP) for chronic pain. In 2018, chronic pain cost an estimated $139 billion in Australia, mostly through reduced quality of life and productivity losses (www.aihw.gov.au).
Chronic pain is complex and can affect a person’s use of health care, their ability to work, exercise and socialise (Hadi et al. 2018; Duenas et al. 2016). People with chronic pain are more likely than those without chronic pain to experience mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and fatigue (Painaustralia 2019a).
Restorative Yoga is a yoga practice that is known to reduce stress and pain perceptions. It is currently being used as a part of pain management treatment within US hospitals, alongside other well-known treatments such as pharmaceutical intervention, psychology and exercise. Tamsyn, our Osteopath and Yoga Instructor practices this form of yoga as well as the gentle mobility style of yoga, which she has seen firsthand influence her patients pain levels. She is passionate that pain science and the latest understanding of neuro-modulation validates the ancient yoga practice.
What is restorative yoga?
It is a slower and more restful version of yoga. It is deeply relaxing and nourishing. Poses are held for longer periods of time using props to support the body. This takes the effort out of the pose, helping the muscles to relax and the mind to settle.
How can it help with the management of my chronic pain?
Restorative Yoga may help reduce pain interference by promoting slower and deeper belly breathing. It enhances your ability to heal by downshifting the nervous system response - shifting from ‘survival/ flight / fright’ mode to the ‘rest/ digest/ heal’ (parasympathetic) autonomic nervous system response.
Other benefits of this downshift include: heart rate to slow, this improves efficiency of airways to lungs – calming the breath; blood pressure to slow down; soft tissue relaxation; supports digestion, immune, neuro-endocrine and hormone function.
All of these nervous system changes will help to reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue, thus improving the quality of sleep, which helps to modulate pain receptors.
Restorative yoga will give your mind time for deep rest and recovery. This can give rise to an opportunity to reflect on tendencies and patterns that contribute to stress, and a chance to step away from a busy and hectic, fast-paced world. Within our practice, you’re encouraged to connect in with yourself, no matter where you are at on your journey and develop a lens of self-compassion.
Restorative yoga can be a simple, cost-effective, low-risk, accessible option to downshift nervous system which will help you manage and modulate your pain experience.
To learn more about Tamsyn, click here. To join in our yoga classes - please email us at info@fundamentalhealth.com.au to join our classes/waitlists. You can check out our class options here.