What Are The Best Yoga Poses for Fibromyalgia?
If you have fibromyalgia, your body experiences distress at a different level than most people. You have chronic pain and other symptoms that impact your life — but it doesn’t mean you can’t take an active role in improving how you feel. Complementary activities such as yoga are great ways to manage the challenging symptoms of fibromyalgia. Not only do they help increase strength, flexibility and balance, but they also reduce stress and increase focus. Best yoga poses for fibromyalgia involve slower movements that help you stretch and improve strength while relaxing the body. This will ease stress on your muscles, joints, and tendons while also reducing pain from other conditions.
Gentle Yoga Routine to Ease Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness. It affects approximately three million people in the United States. In addition to pain, fibromyalgia can cause fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression or anxiety, and cognitive issues. While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, treatments can help improve pain symptoms and quality of life. Yoga has been shown to reduce the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. It works by strengthening and stretching muscles, which helps to relieve stress in your body. Yoga also increases blood flow, which helps your blood to reach your muscles more easily. As a result, your muscles are more likely to receive the oxygen they need to heal.
6 Best Yoga Poses for Fibromyalgia
1. Legs Up the Wall
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, relaxing your upper body. Place your hands on your abdominal area. Tighten your core, slightly bend your knees and raise both legs up against the wall. To intensify the stretch, move your seat closer to the wall, keeping your legs straight. Hold this position for several seconds. Close your eyes and take several deep belly breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax and return to the starting position.
2. Supported Bridge
For this Fibromyalgia exercise, use a yoga block, pillow, rolled blanket, or anything that can elevate your pelvis.
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, around shoulder-width apart. Shift your heels out and bring your toes together, letting your knees fall inward. Position the yoga block or pillow under your low back area and extend your arms out at your sides, relaxing your upper body. Hold this position for several seconds. Close your eyes and take several deep belly breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax and return to the starting position.
3. Baby Cobra
Lie on your stomach with your feet shoulder-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs. Place your hands at your sides at chest-level. Breathe in, then press up and arch your back, using your glutes and back muscle strength with minimal assistance from your arms. Hold this position for a couple of seconds. Close your eyes and take several deep belly breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax and return to the starting position.
4. Supported Child’s Pose
For this Fibromyalgia exercise, use a bolster, pillow, rolled blanket, or any soft object to support your upper body.
Begin in an upright kneeling position in front of the bolster with your knees wider than shoulder-width apart. Tighten your abdominal area. Shift your hips back to your feet and place your arms at your sides or around the bolster. Drop one ear down to the bolster, relaxing your mid-back area for a light stretch. Hold this position for several seconds. Close your eyes and take several deep belly breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Repeat the movement with your head turned to the opposite side.
5. Eagle Arms
Begin in an upright kneeling position, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Place a pillow between your calves and thighs and shift your hips back to rest on your feet. Engage your core and cross your arms in front of your body at shoulder-height, wrapping at the elbows and wrists. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Close your eyes and take several deep belly breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax and repeat the movement on the opposite side.
6. Forward Fold
Sitting Position:
For this Fibromyalgia exercise, use a bolster or pillow to support your pelvis in a forward fold position.
Begin in an upright sitting position on the bolster, keeping your upper body in good alignment. Extend both legs in front of your body with your feet together and your toes pointing up. Contract your core, then hinge through your hips to bend your upper body forward, reaching for your toes with both hands. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Take several deep belly breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax and return to the starting position.
Standing Position:
Stand up straight with your shoulders aligned with your hips and legs and your head, shoulders, hips, and legs aligned with one another. Begin by lowering your head and arms slowly to the ground while contracting your core and hinging through your hips. Take several deep breaths through your nose and out through your mouth as you relax and return to the standing position.
Forward Fold (Standing Position)
Conclusion
