Category Archives: Pain Management

The benefits of yoga are widely known and experienced. Some of these benefits include pain management. Yoga provides a handful of pain management techniques.

Yoga’s chronic pain management can keep aches from defining your life

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Chronic pain is a problem that is more widespread than nearly any other. What can we do about it? Rather than taking powerful painkillers or just gritting your teeth and bearing it, individuals with this problem may consider trying yoga's pain management techniques.

The American Pain Foundation (APF) states that pain affects more adults than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined! This prevalence can really take a toll on our pocketbooks. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Americans annually spend $100 billion on chronic pain.

Evidently, much of this money is going to waste, since the incidence of chronic aches is not dropping. If anything, it's rising. The NIH estimates that eight in 10 Americans suffer from chronic pain in a lifetime.

Rather than letting aches run your life, consider taking the horse by the reins. Most yoga studios offer at least a few instructional classes on chronic pain management. You can even find DVDs that walk you through the basics in the comfort of your own home.

Many public health organizations are getting in on the action. The APF recently released a poster promoting the use of basic "chair yoga" for soothing aches and pains. The illustrations walk beginners through deep breathing, meditation, stretching and palm rubbing.

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Pain management techniques often include yoga

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Finding effective pain management techniques can be a real chore, especially when chronic aches have no apparent physiological source. If you've looked for a way to soothe tension and pain without resorting to pharmaceuticals, perhaps you've come across yoga stretching as a mode of chronic pain management.

Though it may sound rudimentary, yoga is in fact a multifaceted, targeted, pain-fighting system, one that has been in almost continual use for millennia.

The studies are there to prove it. A seminal 1991 report in the Internal Journal of Psychosomatics noted that the yogic approach to pain relief takes several tacks. Besides stretching out tired or tensed muscles, the holistic health system also utilizes the body's own tension-coping mechanisms.

Among other things, students of yoga learn a laundry list of techniques. The author said that these include modulating breathing, easing into relaxation, reflecting on one's place in the world, becoming more self-aware yet less self-conscious, meeting others, forming social bonds and relocating the center of one's pain outside of the body.

This last method is called "changed context of pain," in the study, and it is a vital part of the mental side of pain management.

Visualizing and externalizing pain can make it feel as though the ache is at a remove. This may be one reason why the U.S. Army continues to look into yoga as a way to channel away mental and physical pain.

According to a recent article published on the Army's official webpage, this branch of the Armed Forces is seriously exploring the value of adding yoga, acupuncture, meditation and other alternative health techniques to its repertoire of therapeutic techniques.

Between stretching, posing, deep breathing and meditating, people who suffer from chronic pain may be able to assuage their aches in an effective, lasting way.

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Millions use yoga for chronic pain management

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Suffering from long-term aches and pains is no joke, since millions of Americans lose work, as well as sleep and peace of mind, over it. However, all is not lost, since yoga offers a number of tools to people looking for methods of chronic pain management.

Billions suffer from chronic pain

One fact about chronic aches that is both encouraging and tragic is that, if you suffer from them, you are by no means alone. A recent survey determined that approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide experience chronic pain. That's about one-quarter of the human population on Earth!

Plenty of conditions qualify as chronic pain or as a direct cause of it. These include cluster headaches, migraines, lower back pain, arthritis, neuropathy, slipped discs, poor posture, spinal damage, sciatica and bursitis, according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Of course, getting focused clinical care for such conditions is critical, since eliminating the source may improve one's pain levels. However, complementary and alternative treatments like yoga may also soothe aches away.

Yoga stretching benefits people with chronic pain

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke states that a number of holistic practices are good for chronic pain. The agency reports that many Americans turn to acupuncture, acupressure and relaxation techniques to quell throbbing joints and lancing pains.

Yoga exercises are particularly effective at reducing pain because there are so many of them, giving a person with aches many options for reducing their pain level.

Individuals who take yoga classes often report significant reductions in back, neck, shoulder and knee pain. In part, this is due to the sheer number of yoga stretches and poses that address these specific areas of the body.

The bottom line…

If you haven't tried yoga for chronic pain, now may be a good time to start. After all, some aches can persist a very long time. The National Institutes of Health states that, without treatment, some chronic pains can last for months, years or even decades.

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You can ease aches with massage, yoga stretching for back pain

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Having aches, pains or outright injury in one's back can be a serious problem, one that should not be taken lightly. After all, lower back pain is the leading cause of missed work and job-related disability in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). With that in mind, researchers have conducted a number of studies into massage and yoga stretching benefits for the back.

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (AIM) determined that individuals who received massages for back pain were more likely to have improved function and fewer aches, compared to those who received typical care.

The research team, which hailed from the Group Health Research Institute, noted that after 10 weeks of regular massage, one in three participants with back pain felt greatly or entirely better. By contrast, just one in 25 people who received the usual care felt the same way.

However, massage is not the only way to loosen the kinks in one's back and assuage aches. Another study in the AIM compared the effects of using a physiological self-help book with yoga stretching for back pain.

The results were plain to see. After 12 weeks of yoga classes and another 14 weeks of health monitoring, patients who performed yoga exercises were much more likely to experience improvements in back function. Likewise, this group tended to report less back-related bother than those given the book-based self-treatment.

A similar study appeared in the journal Pain. Scientists from West Virginia University tested the effects of yoga on people who had suffered from backaches for at least a decade. Many of the participants took pain medications prior to the investigation.

The team found that the yoga-based interventions reduced pain intensity, disability and medication usage in a majority of patients.

In all, Americans spend around $50 billion per year on back pain, according to the NINDS.

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A healthy lunch is vital in the business world

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While breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, in the business world the same could be said of lunch.

From lunch meetings to brown-bagging it at one’s desk, lunch can take many forms in the office but the same is true of all iterations: it is important to have a nutritious meal that gives one the energy to get through the rest of the day.

Going out for lunch can seem to be a tempting option. When noon rolls around, many workers’ thoughts turn to what sort of delicious meal they could find in the area around their office. However, often times the lunch options near offices are not only unhealthy but pricey as well. Even if one only spends $5 each day at a local lunch spot, that total can add up quickly, putting a strain on his or her finances.

Often times the best option is to pack one’s own lunch. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a piece of fruit and a small bag of chips might not sound too exciting but it is a healthy and low-cost option.

However, while bringing one’s lunch has many advantages, one should be sure not to eat at his or her desk every day. Taking one’s lunch to a nearby park is not only fun and a change-of-pace but a relaxation technique as well.

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Practicing Dahn Yoga while engaging in online education may benefit busy adults

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Dahn Yoga boasts a range benefits, including sound mind and body. While mindfulness and exercise may be necessary for good health, obtaining higher education is also beneficial.

Physically active adults who wish to launch careers in a fun and exciting field may want to consider earning a degree in sport management. This week, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) announced that it will offer an online bachelor's degree in business studies with an emphasis in sport management.

The program may be attractive to those who are looking to enter positions as players, officials, athletic directors, athletic trainers, fitness instructors, professional managers, facilities managers, sporting goods manufacturers and club managers as well as sports card retailers.

The degree track's online format is designed to accommodate nontraditional students, such as military members, working adults and parents, who require a flexible schedule and anytime access to coursework.

Individuals who work, raise children or participate in the military while earning a degree may benefit from practicing Dahn Yoga exercises, which can provide stress relief. 

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Practice your asanas in Ibiza

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Those who are in need of an escape from the everyday stresses of life may want to enjoy a relaxing yoga retreat in the beautiful Mediterranean island of Ibiza. Its gorgeous landscape offers the perfect serene background for one to work on their personal development and healthy lifestyle.

Although the island has a reputation for being an energetic destination for nightlife, travelers can find a remote spot on the northeastern region of Ibiza, where numerous quiet beaches are located. One great place for one to find personal peace is Benirras Beach – a secluded stretch of white sand where visitors can absorb the sounds of the waves crash against the shore.

The European island is perfect for those who want to enjoy a yoga retreat in a pristine setting. Vacationers may find nothing more relaxing than rooting their feet in the sand and working on their asanas, strengthening their bodies as they simultaneously improve their nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Ibiza is a premier destination where those who want to use their Dahn Yoga exercises in a paradisiacal atmosphere.

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Difference in my health

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Libby F. (Houston, Texas)

My name is Libby F. I have been coming to the Dahn Yoga Center since January of this year, 2002. The reason I began looking for a yoga center was because I knew major changes in my life had to occur. I was diagnosed with cancer on February 7, 2001. I had a tumor in the muscle of my right thigh which measured 18 centimeters long. My cancer was a Sarcoma, specifically a myxoid lyposarcoma, which is a very rare cancer. A sarcoma consists of 1% of all cancers.

My first treatment was chemo and radiation for five weeks to try to shrink the tumor. Then I had surgery in June, 2001. The tumor was successfully removed from my leg along with one hamstring and muscle from the inside of my leg. From this point, I had to learn to walk again with my right let. Following surgery, I had cheomo again beginning in August and completed in November, 2001.

My cancer survival was obviously a life changing event for me. I knew that changes had to be made in my life style, and one of the major changes was to reduce the stress in my life. I decided I must learn how to meditate and learn how to control and calm my mind. I looked in the yellow pages and found the Dahn Yoga Center which advertised yoga methods. I made an appointment for a session with Instructor Oh on New Year’s Eve of 2001.

Oh took his time explaining the mission of the Dahn Yoga Center and how I could really benefit from the teachings here. I have always been very physical all my life with activities which include aerobics, jogging, water skiing, snow skiing and scuba diving. For the first time in my life I was now physically limited, and I was apprehensive of my ability to do the required exercises. But my goal was to learn to meditate and learn to calm my self. Oh encouraged my by telling me that I would work at my own physical ability, and that everyone here was at their own level, whatever that level might be.

I decided to give this a try, and I am so glad I did. Through the practices here I have learned how to be still and calm my self, and I have learned that energy is around us everywhere. The classes have taught me how to become centered with my energy. The blockages in my body are being released, and this had made a world of difference in my health. I am stronger everyday not only from the healing of my cancer, but also from the energy that I am now aware of in my body. I give a lot of credit to the Dahn Yoga Center for helping in healing my mind and my body.

I look forward to even more positive experiences that will come from my being here. Thank you to the Instructors for your guidance, and thank you to the members for the positive energy you have passed on to me. I believe that to be the best you can be is when you are healed first in your heart and your mind.

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Transforming of the human condition in our time

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Jean Houston, Co-director of the Foundation for Mind Research

In Brain Respiration, Ilchi Lee offers potent and profound methods to affect both evolutionary as well as revolutionary changes in human life and consciousness. Here are revealed secrets to unlock the portals of consciousness. Here too, in clear and precise instructions, are the keys to the unfolding of many latent potentials we all contain and fail to use. If applied widely and seriously, the spiritual technology offered here could affect the transforming of the human condition in our time.

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Techniques for enhancing human consciousness

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Barbara Marx Hubbard, President of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution

We are at the threshold of a new form of consciousness. I call it evolutionary consciousness and conscious evolution. That means we have  to come into choice about our acts because it is affecting everything. To be able to make those choices, you need more Brain Respiration techniques for enhancing human consciousness are essential for consciousness evolution to work.

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