Managing Pain During Yoga Practice

A lot of people are faced with this issue: Managing pain during Yoga practice! It is quite simple, actually, even though it seems a rather daunting task.



Actually, it’s more a case of mind over matter.

The body is accustomed to a certain lifestyle, certain postures, certain movements, certain breathing patterns. Then, along comes Yoga and changes everything. It teaches you to hold different postures (often contorted), move in a set of programmed ways (not always easy), breathe in a prescribed manner.



All of this, actually, just imbalances the set mind.

For instances, all of us are accustomed to breathing at our own pace, slowly or rapidly, it doesn’t matter. We’re used to it and that is that.



Yoga breathing exercises teach to us correct wrong breathing patterns and breathe properly. Likewise, we tend to slouch throughout the day. In a bid to correct our (wrong) postures, Yoga puts us through a regimen of poses (asanas) that correct the alignment of our spine, skeletal system and internal organs.

Then, at the end of the session comes the (ostensibly) easy and relaxing Corpse Pose (Shavasana). Easy as it may seem, it turns out to be rather tedious. Imagine spending 15 minutes or so just lying down (wide-awake) doing nothing but listening to your heartbeat, watching your breath, telling every part of yourself to relax. How confounding.

True, the stretching and contorting (exercises and asanas) the slow breathing and retention add to the pain and tension, but it’s, actually all mental. The best way to manage pain during Yoga practice is to be aware of all the above mentioned facts and tell oneself not to panic. Pain is nothing but a mental perception of sensations. Once you are able to understand this, mind you, you are on your way to coping with and even surmounting the greatest of pains.

Just settle down into your practices, relax and let go. Watch your pain, observe, be the witness. Like watching a desktop object – a tomato, a TV or tape recorder. Just watch, observe, without getting involved. There are instances of people who have successfully implemented this technique to surmount pains resulting from gout, arthritis, rheumatism, even fractures and cancers.