
Can Yoga Really Help You Manage Your Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain?
The short answer is yes it can.
When I first got my diagnosis, I remember my doctor being full of advice. So, you know how it goes – “take this pill, pace yourself and exercise”. I remember thinking EXERCISE???? Really??? I had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. My muscles ached so bad and he wanted me to exercise!!
Over the years I tried swimming. Worked out at the gym. I walked, even jogged and all of it proved counter productive. I was left feeling frustrated, fatigued, in more pain and concluded exercise was never going to be for me. Right?
Then I discovered Yoga.
Not the “bendy Wendy” kind of Yoga that had the potential for tying you into knots. My yoga was gentle and allowed me to work within my limits. I quickly learnt that just a few minutes of Yoga every day would reap rewards and if I coupled it with meditation I was onto a winner.
Yoga has become the mainstay of my coping strategy whilst dealing with my Fibromyalgia and it has always been my intention to share what I have learnt along the way on this site. However, I was always conscious that I wasn’t a qualified instructor and I was nervous about me being the one to guide and instruct you. So, I shied away from getting too technical and just shared my experiences instead.
So, I am really excited to announce a collaboration with a qualified Yoga instructor who also battles chronic illness.
Introducing Sleepy Santosha
You can head over to her dedicated page here at Fibro Fantastic and check out her story. Rachel has very kindly agreed to me sharing her practices here at Fibro Fantastic. She regularly offers new practices, so make sure that you check back.
With the start of the New Year, I am sure that you will, like make many others have made the resolution to exercise more in 2018. Start out gently by signing up for Rachel’s Free Beginners Ebook today.
If you are serious about your health and pushing the boundaries of self care – Yoga is a must. Just a few minutes each day will make you feel great.
This is fab – I bought a yoga mat recently but haven’t started yet due to being ill and then cracking a rib, but a little guidance on getting going would be fab so I’ll check this out, thanks! 🙂
Sorry to hear that you have been unwell but great that you have your yoga mat and raring to go. I am sure that Rachel’s beginners guide will be really useful for you. Make sure to check back in as I will be adding more of her practices over the next few weeks. Do please let me know how you get on. Remember baby steps, especially with your cracked rib. Good luck 🙂
I really need to try this out. Exercise is hard for me because I am always so nervous about subluxing! I know it’s good for my body to stretch though. I do plenty of cardio and weights with my job working with kids and as a parent, but I need to get into a yoga routine. Thank you much for sharing!
You are very welcome. The beauty of yoga is that you can do just a few minutes a day and it makes a difference. I started off with just 10 minutes a day and I definitely saw the benefits as a result. Just some gentle stretching is a great start. Please check back as I will be adding more of Rachel’s practices to the site. Good luck 🙂