Yoga & CFS/ME

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Yoga and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Putting Energy Back Into Your System

Unlike many exercise programs, Yoga practice does not take energy away

from the system; instead, it puts energy back into the system. Contrary to most

exercise programs that leave you exhausted, your Yoga exercise period will

leave you refreshed and renewed. When Yoga exercises are combined with

breathing and meditation techniques, the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patient

has a daily support system that makes a productive life possible.

Here's how it works:

Physical and emotional tension and fatigue lodge in muscle tissue, making it

knotted, hot, and the circulation sluggish. Yoga exercises systematically

stretch and relax the major muscle groups and push fresh blood/oxygen

through the tissues, which releases the tension and allows the muscles to

relax and cool. The exercises are done slowly, and the breathing patterns

with each exercise allow for maximum oxygen intake and for the release of

toxins.

Poor circulation also means the brain and other vital organs get less blood

and important nutrients. Yoga exercises improve all-over circulation by

limbering the spine, by movements which improve elasticity in the blood

vessels, and by selected inverted poses, which use compression to pump

more oxygen throughout the body.

Breathing techniques improve concentration and awareness, and help to

reduce stress reactions. Extreme reactions to stress - especially when they

are triggered by a past event or a future fear, or by a situation that cannot be

changed - cause energy demands to increase rapidly. Your breathing

techniques put you in touch with an unlimited source of energy that lies within

you. By constantly returning the mind to the present moment, you allow the

body to deal with what's happening now.

Relaxation and meditation teach conservation of energy and build self-

confidence. The student learns to completely relax every muscle in the body

and then to forget about the body while turning attention toward the mind in

meditation. In meditation you simply stop all thought momentarily, allowing

the strength within you to express itself.

Source: American Yoga Association