Written by: Valerie Long, RN

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about two years ago. I had so much pain it hurt to put my feet on the floor in the morning. Activities of daily living were a chore for me. The doctors put me on several medications, which brought some relief, but not as much as I’d hoped. Someone told me Yoga might help. I joined the local gym and started taking Yoga classes. After a couple of weeks I noticed a big difference in my pain and emotions. With fibromyalgia, I suffered anxiety, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain, insomnia, fatigue and stiffness. I noticed each one of these things gradually getting better. I still have “flare ups,” but they don’t last as long and they are not as severe. I wanted to share Yoga with others who have chronic issues so they might get relief like I did. In my essay, I will define fibromyalgia and its impact on health. I will cover the benefits of Yoga for a client with fibromyalgia and how it helps with chronic pain.

“Fibromyalgia is an arthritis-related condition that is characterized by generalized pain and fatigue.” (Crotzer, 2008, pp. 17) Symptoms of fibromyalgia vary widely from person to person, but the most common symptoms include: pain (regional or all over), fatigue, insomnia, depression, anxiety, cognitive difficulties, headaches/migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness/tingling in limbs, and temporomandibular joint disease (jaw pain). It is easy to see how yoga can benefit one with fibromyalgia.

Yoga means union of the mind, body and spirit. Refining the mind, body and spirit through poses (asanas), breathing and meditation or relaxation. Fibromyalgia affects the mind and body, therefore affecting the spirit. This is one reason why I believe Yoga is so effective in treating fibromyalgia. When one suffers from chronic pain, they undergo a vicious cycle. Chronic pain causes tension, stress, guarding and stiffness, anxiety, shallow breathing, which in turn causes more pain and then the cycle begins. Yoga helps break this cycle by helping one to take deep breaths, bringing in more oxygen; stretches the tense muscles and releasing the tight, sore, stiff muscles; relaxation and tuning into your mind and body helps relieve stress and anxiety. There is a complicated chemical reaction that takes place when one has chronic stress and pain and Yoga helps to change the chemical reaction.

One of the recommended treatments for fibromyalgia is low or non-impact aerobics or exercise. Yoga is the perfect form of exercise for someone with fibromyalgia because it is gentle, non-competitive, non-impact, relaxing, and you can go at your own pace with your own abilities. It stretches out stiff, sore muscles, which feels very good to a fibromyalgia client.

The fibromyalgia client has many imbalances which cause all of its many symptoms. Yoga helps bring the body, mind and spirit back into balance. “Asanas balance the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, hormonal, digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems perfectly. The equilibrium in the body then brings mental peace and enhances intellectual clarity.” (Iyengar, 2008, pp.39) Some specific asanas are used to help relieve symptoms. Since fibromyalgia causes a multitude of symptoms I thought it would be helpful to show how certain poses help with certain symptoms.

People who suffer from fibromyalgia often have multiple muscle aches and tension throughout the body. Muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back can be relieved by performing the cat/cow series. This particular series stretches the muscles of the spine and relieves tension in the shoulders. Doing a neck stretch series (rotation, forward and backward, and ear to shoulder stretch) increases range of motion (ROM) of the neck, relieves neck tension and improves posture. The seated Eagle Pose relieves tension in the shoulder blades by stretching the muscles around the shoulder blades and upper back. It also improves ROM in the shoulders. Downward-Facing Dog lengthens the spine and opens the shoulders. (Crotzer, 2008)

The lower back, hips and pelvis area is also a place of great tension and pain for one who suffers from fibromyalgia. Again the cat/cow series is beneficial because it stretches the muscles along the spine, relieves tension in the lower back and improves mobility of the pelvis. Downward-Facing Dog lengthens the spine. Reclining hamstring stretch releases the pelvis. Reclining and Seated Twist Pose rotates the spine and can help relieve back pain. My favorite pose for opening the hips and relieving pain in the piriformis is the pigeon pose folded forward. The reclining thread-the-needle increases hip mobility, and stretches the buttocks and outer hip muscles. (Crotzer, 2008)

Tension in the legs can be relieved by performing downward-facing dog because it stretches the back of the thighs and calves. Forward folds stretch the hamstrings. Pose of the dancer stretches the quadriceps. (Crotzer, 2008)

Fatigue is another symptom of fibromyalgia that a lot of people suffer from. Poses that relieve fatigue include downward-facing dog and standing forward folds. Theses poses brings a fresh supply of blood to the heart and lungs. Doing relaxation pose (corpse pose) before going to bed can help one fall asleep faster and improve the quality of sleep. This in turn helps with fatigue. Plough Pose increases self confidence and increases energy. Half Moon can relieve fatigue when done against a wall. (Iyengar, 2008)

Insomnia is when one has a hard time getting to sleep or staying asleep. There are a few Yoga poses that can be beneficial for a person suffering from insomnia. Shoulderstand relieves insomnia by helping you feel calm and the body light. Performing relaxation or progressive relaxation before going to bed can induce sleep and improve quality of sleep. Standing forward folds can help with insomnia by calming the mind and body, and by resting the heart and lungs. (Iyengar, 2008)

Anxiety also goes along with fibromyalgia. I believe it is partly due to the chronic pain that one lives with everyday. Anxiety causes more tension in the body, which increases pain, in turn, causing more anxiety; again, another vicious cycle. So, by decreasing ones anxiety, it is possible to also help with pain. Poses that are helpful in relieving anxiety include the following. Downward-facing Dog helps relieve anxiety by bringing fresh blood to the heart and lungs. This helps oxygenate the brain. Plough Pose reduces anxiety because the chinlock soothes the nerves and relaxes the brain. (Iyengar, 2008)

Most people with fibromyalgia suffer from depression. There are many poses in Yoga to help with depression. Mountain Pose reduces stress, increases alertness, and boosts self-confidence. Standing Forward Fold calms and soothes the brain and body. Wide leg forward fold stretch cools the brain and body. It produces a feeling of tranquility. Downward-Facing Dog also calms and soothes the mind which relieves depression. I feel Yoga helps with the depression because it changes the chemical imbalance that causes the depression. Doing Yoga on a regular basis can ease some of the symptoms of depression. (Iyengar, 2008)

Irritable Bowe Syndrome is often times presented with diarrhea, bloating, and/or constipation. Yoga can help regulate the bowels and ease some of these symptoms. Constipation can be eased with standing forward folds, wide legged forward fold, downward-facing dog, and triangle pose. Shoulderstand, Reclining Hero, and Reclining leg, foot, toe stretch are all useful in diarrhea. Other poses specific for irritable bowel syndrome include: headstand, inverted staff pose, shoulderstand, plough, bridge, inverted pose with the wall, reclining hero and reclining fixed angle pose. (Iyengar, 2008)

Fibromyalgia causes some people to have “Fibro Fog.” This is difficulty with cognitive abilities or mental fatigue. Inversion poses are good for this because it brings in fresh oxygenated blood to the brain. Downward-Facing Dog, standing forward folds, shoulderstands, and plough are great poses for mental fatigue.

Headaches affect people with fibromyalgia. Some poses that are good for headaches include: supported child’s pose, reclining hero pose, corpse pose, standing forward folds, and downward-facing dog. (Iyengar, 2008)

In addition, Yoga helps flush the body of toxins which make fibromyalgia worse. Breathing, Asanas, and meditation are all very beneficial for treating fibromyalgia. It does not cure people of the syndrome, but can relieve the symptoms enough to give people relief. Some days I actually forget I have fibromyalgia!!!! Never in a million years would I have dreamed I would have a day go by that I did “NOT” suffer. I am so thankful that I discovered Yoga when I did, and now it is my passion to reach out to others. My mission is to help others who are suffering the way I did. What a difference we can make, not only in their life, but also in the lives of their family and friends. I am 38 years old and my kids are 5 and 8. When I was in the middle of my suffering I couldn’t even play with my kids. They’d say, “Mommy, will you play with me?” I’d have to say, “Not right now honey, mommy doesn’t feel good.” Now my kids can barely keep up with me. I am on the third month of doing P90X, an intense workout program that gets you fit in 90 days. My body has gone from feeling like a 60 year old cripple, to a 20 year old athlete. And I owe it all to Yoga.

References

Crotzer, S. L. (2008). Yoga for Fibromyalgia. California: Rodmell Press

Iyengar, B.K.S. (2008). Yoga the Path To Holistic Health. United States: DK Publishing

Valerie Long is a Registered Nurse and is currently training to become a Yoga teacher.

Tags: become a yoga teacher, yoga class, yoga classes, yoga for fibromyalgia, yoga helps, yoga is, Yoga relieves

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