Inflammation can happen to us all, whether a short term effect from a bump or bruise, or long-term more debilitating inflammation from diseases such as fibromyalgia or an injury to the back or joints.
Here are five yoga poses that can assist when the pain becomes a bit much to bear. You’ll find them wonderfully relaxing, too.
Child’s Pose
Child’s Pose a gentle inversion that stretches the body all the from ankles up to shoulders. It gives a great stretch at the hips, while gently relieves tension and fatigue, thereby creating a healthy inflammation response. Child’s Pose brings an overall feeling of wellbeing and of being uplifted and helps relieve fatigue, anxiety and stress, while promoting relaxation.
You get such a great stretch, especially along the spine, lengthening and stretching it. By stretching the spine, it also helps ease neck and back pain. Child’s pose is also fantastic for healthy digestion.
Standing Forward Fold
Amazing for calming and de-cluttering the mind, Standing Forward Pose also stretches and nurtures your whole body, in particular the neck and the shoulders. It’s a full-body stretch, which should always be performed at your own pace.
Allowing your head to be below your heart calms your mind helps to relieve stress, as well as aids with headaches and fatigue. Standing Forward Pose is an excellent stretch for your whole body, but you will likely feel it more in your hamstrings and calves. It can also improve digestion.
Legs Up The Wall
This inversion pose is relaxing, calming and soooo good for centring your mind. Who wouldn’t want this? Legs Up The Wall, or Viparita Karani, is a restorative yoga pose that allows your mind and the body to relax. You can give yourself permission to completely let go physically, mentally, and spiritually.
It has such a calming effect, can help with anxiety, and encourages meditative breathing. This yoga pose also soothes swollen or cramped feet and legs, stretches the hamstrings and relieves tension in the lower back. Legs Up The Wall can help with pelvic floor muscles as well as help ease restless leg syndrome.
Downward Facing Dog
A wonderfully grounding and stabilising yoga pose, Downward Facing Dog also allows for a quiet meditation. While in the pose, breathe in and out through the nose, deeply, slowly and rhythmically. This yoga pose is an inversion, where your head is below your heart. It directs blood flow and oxygen to the brain as you stretch and strengthen your entire body – your hamstrings, calves, arms and hands, shoulders and back.
Downward Facing Dog also improves digestive system functioning, relieving back pain, headaches, insomnia, and fatigue. This yoga pose boosts your mood and opens your mind.
Savasana
Also referred to as shavasana, or Corpse Pose, this is an important restorative pose and is most commonly used at the end of a class for relaxation and mindfulness.
In Savasana, the body and mind integrate and you feel the effects of the practice. It’s also a very important time for the nervous system to find the reset button and relax, which is so important in today’s society.
Savasana helps to calm the body and mind, reduces anxiety and fatigue and improve coordination. It helps to lower blood pressure, calms the central nervous system and aids the digestive and immune systems.
Always be kind to yourself, move with ease and grace. You are the most important person in your life.
