Sudden Acute Traumatic Injury

by Shelly Prosko

“Hey I did it! Look everyone, I’m doing it!” was what I remember thinking when I was Double Dutch skipping at our recent family Christmas function.  I was feeling confident, smiling and showing off my superb skills at age 41. Even though I hadn’t skipped in 25 years, I could still keep up with the kids because I take such good care of myself—I’m fit, agile, do yoga for healthy aging, meditate, eat healthy, create joy, educate and inspire others to do the same. Life is good. I’m so perfectly healthy. Then I remember a sudden intense “hit” to the back of my lower calf at my Achilles tendon that accompanied a loud pop. I went down in excruciating pain—and shock. I was looking around to see what steel object had hit me at such supersonic speed. But I couldn’t find anything. My cousin said, “Nothing hit you, you just went down.” It was then that I knew from experience as a physical therapist that I had completely ruptured my Achilles tendon. This is an example of an acute unexpected orthopedic traumatic injury. I have treated several of these types of injuries over my career, but when you are the patient, it’s a completely different ball game.

Shari’s post on Acute Orthopedic Injuries defines what an acute orthopedic injury is and how it is managed. Today I’d like to discuss the process that you may go through after sustaining an unexpected traumatic injury and how yoga can help you through the process. This is based on my experience in treating these injuries over the past 15 years in an outpatient orthopedic setting, as well as my recent personal experience.

Immediately after my injury, I was in shock for about an hour after. I was also in denial, and not thinking clearly. I didn’t even go to ER that night. Intellectually I “knew” the treatment protocol and prognosis, but for some reason, I wasn’t relating it to my own situation. This makes me realize how important it is to have support and allow people to help you when you are going through trauma. I wasn’t in a balanced mental or emotional state, and I certainly wasn’t equipped to be making important decisions. However, it’s in this state, that we are asked to make a decision: Do you want to treat this surgically or take the conservative, non-operative approach?

The benefits of my regular yoga and meditation practice were becoming evident as I embraced the truth of the situation, surrendered and became completely present in the moment. The combination of increased mental clarity and wonderful support from family and friends led me to finally go to the ER the next morning.

I was informed that the recent literature shows that there is not much difference in the long-term outcome between surgical vs. non-operative approaches and that they don’t commonly do surgical repairs to the Achilles anymore. I would be placed in a plaster cast for two weeks, then transfer to a boot cast for six to eight more weeks after that. The surgeon said, “Okay?” I replied “Okay.” Then he left the room and started working on making my cast. I don’t remember asking many questions. Typically, I would ask many! But I was not my usual self. I was still overwhelmed with emotion: fear, anger, guilt and sense of loss. Everything was just happening so fast. I remember hearing similar stories from patients. I would guess many people go through this type of experience.

Over the next week, the question lingered: Should I get surgery or not? There are so many factors to consider when you are deciding whether or not to undergo surgery. For the first several days, I was using vijnanamaya kosha (intellect, wisdom) to aid my decision: researching evidence-based results online, reviewing my own anecdotal evidence from clinical experience, analyzing other PT’s opinions, having discussions with family members and spending time in self reflection. These methods certainly played a huge role in my decision. We must use our mind as a tool to process all the information, so that we make an “informed” decision. But as many of you know, when you have a difficult decision to make, and you’ve analyzed it over and over again from all angles, sometimes your mind is no longer of service to you. You just need to make the decision, and, as Shari said, “make the right choice for me.”

I want to share the role that meditation can play in making decisions. Simply observing all thoughts and emotions without trying to “fix” or “decide” for a few minutes each day helped me in my decision.  I found that connecting to that space where my true self lies—without expecting or looking for an answer to my dilemma—was very beneficial to creating a clear mind. Often times the answer comes effortlessly after this (although it’s not wise going into the meditation expecting the answer because then you have defeated the intention of the meditation practice in the first place).

A yoga therapist/PT friend recommended that I try accessing pranamayakosha (energetic body) to help with the decision, an approach you might want to try for yourself. He recommended that I visualize each scenario in detail, and simply watch how my breath responds. I also brought awareness to how each scenario physically felt in my body. It was astounding to see the difference between the two scenarios. In the end, I opted to stay with the conservative approach to treatment and I can say that I finally feel at peace with my decision.

But it’s not over. I was told that rehab would not START for another eight weeks. As a physical therapist and yoga therapist, I intuitively know that there are SO many other areas and issues that can be addressed immediately post injury, even if we cannot touch or move the injured body part.
Allow me to briefly outline how I’ve been able to immediately use yoga for rehabilitation of this acute traumatic orthopedic injury. Keep in mind that yoga is not simply asana practice. “Yoga” means to “yoke” or unite body, mind, breath and spirit. In yoga, we can address all five kosha layers to optimize healing:

Annamayakosha (physical body):

• Asana practice involving non-injured body parts will help me maintain overall physical conditioning, to prevent overuse injuries of areas being overworked due to abnormal mobility patterns and to improve overall feelings of well-being. My practice includes Cat/Cow pose, Thread the Needle hip opener, One-Legged Downward-Facing Dog pose, One-Legged Plank pose, Happy Baby pose, and modified standing poses with a chair and bolster (Warrior II, Extended Side Angle pose Resolved Extended Side Angle pose, Reverse Warrior pose, Eagle pose arms, Cobra pose, Supported Side Twist with bolster, and Legs Up the Wall pose. Here’s the first in a series of videos that show my practice (you can find the rest here on my youtube channel):

Vijnanamayakosha (intellectual/wisdom):

• Injury Education. I researched recent literature about my injury. 
• Meditation methods for pain and anxiety control. I’m using a variety of focused mantra meditations and mental/visual imagery via a body scan.

Pranamayakosha (energetic):

• Breathing methods to address pain and/or anxiety. I’m using belly breath, nadi shodana, and bee’s breath.
• Focused meditation on breath.  Simply watching/observing without trying to change pattern has been one of my most powerful tools for finding peace during times of intense crying and frustration.

Manomayakosha (mental/emotional):

• Resources and support for grief/loss (injuries resulting in any form of loss are traumatic regardless of ‘severity’). What is working for me includes conversations with trusted family and friends and readings from “Untethered Soul,” including this interpretation of Yoga Sutra 2.16: “Painful effects that are likely to occur should be anticipated and avoided.” (See here for more info.) 
• Meditation. I’m practicing observing and watching emotions without trying to change them, but knowing they are “not me.”

Anandamayakosha (spiritual):

• For me, spirituality is connection to that space within that is true self, therefore connecting us to nature and all living beings. Injuries commonly cause a reduction of participation in normal social activities, resulting in feelings of isolation, loss and even depression. Connecting to ourselves, to others and to nature (even a daily brief outdoor meditation) can help us continue to feel this deep connection to spirit, which I believe is essential in any healing process.

I will continue to address all five koshas over the next eight weeks of waiting for “official rehab” to begin. Of course, this outline is unique to my current situation and it obviously does not serve as medical advice for your injury. However, I hope this sheds some light on how you could use yoga to help promote your healing in similar ways, even after an acute unexpected orthopedic injury!

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or act as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider for clearance and guidance before following or participating in these activities. 

Shelly Prosko is a Licensed Physical Therapist, Professional Yoga Therapist and a Certified Pilates Instructor. She received her Physical Therapy degree at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada in 1998, her Yoga Therapist training through Professional Yoga Therapy Studies in North Carolina and her Pilates certification through Professional Health and Fitness Institute in Maryland. Currently, Shelly resides in Sylvan Lake, AB and travels across Canada and the United States offering specialty Physio-Yoga Therapy workshops, yoga classes, private PhysioYoga sessions, lecturing at University and College programs, instructing at Yoga Teacher Trainings and actively promoting the integration of medical therapeutic yoga into our current healthcare system. She believes that bridging the gap between Western and Eastern healthcare philosophies is essential in order to achieve optimal health. Her treatments are individually based and are a unique blend of both approaches. Please visit www.physioyoga.ca for more details and information.

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More

Changes in the Blog Format: Healing in Progress

A Sign on the Trail by Melina Meza

Sorry I changed the format of the blog so suddenly! It was actually a mistake on my part—I got a bit overly enthusiastic on Friday afternoon. I will be working on fixing the blog all weekend. But I realize that some of you may be confused.

To read the rest of this (or any article), simply click anywhere on the portion of the article that is displayed on the home page. You can still search the blog and you can still subscribe, but it may not be so easy to figure out. So here's a little help.

SEARCHING: To search with a text string, use the search box at the very top of the page. To search the archives, hover your mouse over the thin black rectangle at the upper right of the page (the dock) until you see the file cabinets. Click on the file cabinets to display the archives. To view the index (list of labels), however you mouse over the thin black rectangle at the upper right of the page until you see the tag symbol. Click on the tag symbol to see the index. For detailed information on searching, click the How to Search tab at the top of our home page.

SUBSCRIBING: To subscribe by email or RSS, hover your mouse over the thin black rectangle at the upper right of the page (the dock) until you see the "connection" symbol and the word "Subscribe." Click to open the Subscribe box. To become a Google follower, hover your mouse over the dock until you see the Followers icon and the word "Followers." Click to open the Followers box and click the Join this site button. For detailed information on subscribing, click the How to Subscribe tab at the top of our home page.

In the meantime, if you have trouble subscribing and want help, use the Contact Us at the top of the page to email me and I'll sign you up. After I sign you up, I'll send you a message telling you how to confirm your subscription (the confirmation process is one that I can't turn off). 

—Nina

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More

Friday Q&A: Can You Help Us?

Hidden by Melina Meza

Q: Baxter and I would very much like to write a book on “Yoga for Healthy Aging” in the near future. And we’re betting that a lot of you would also like to see to a book on that topic by the two of us, along with input from our crew of regulars.

However, recent discussions with an agent and a publisher made us realize that these days publishers expect you to “bring your audience along with you.” So when you write a book proposal or pitch an agent, you actually have to give provide all your numbers, including your blog subscribers and numbers of hits, Facebook followers, and so on. And while we love all the subscribers and readers that we already have, we both feel our blog has the potential to reach a much larger audience. Recently we received this lovely message from a reader:

"Just a note to thank you all at YFHA for the helpful content you publish; it's no understatement to say that your site is, I feel, one if the top five yoga resources on the web - a true hidden gem."

So how about it, dear reader? If we promise to continue being a “gem,” will you help us out come out of hiding and find a larger audience for our blog?

—Nina

A: If your answer is yes, you can help by trying to get as many of your family members, friends, students, coworkers, etc. turned on to the blog. You can do this by sending email links to our posts and sharing links on Facebook and Twitter, asking the people you’re sharing with to do the same. If you’re a yoga teacher and it feels right to you, talk about our blog to your students and encourage them to become subscribers.

Finally, we’re open to your suggestions! So if you have any ideas, let us know either by commenting on this post or using the Contact Us tab at the top of the page.

(We have already outlined the book by the way, and we’re both feeling pretty excited it!)

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More

Tension Headaches and Yoga

by Baxter

Let me start off today’s post by personally wishing you all a Happy New Year! We are seven days into 2014 already, and Nina and I are excited to continue our work here at Yoga for Healthy Aging in the coming year. Today’s post comes out of something a few friends mentioned the day after their NYE celebrations: a lot of them had hangover headaches! Surprise, surprise! But I just happen to be preparing a workshop on headaches for the upcoming Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco in a few weeks, and when I reviewed what we have written on the topic, I was surprised to find that we had not specifically talked about the most common form of headache that people experience (fortunately not hangover headaches): tension or musculoskeletal tension headaches. Sure, we alluded to it on our pretty thorough discussion on Yoga and Migraines last year, but I thought it would be well worth a focused look at tension headaches today. So here we go!

Tension headaches are indeed the most common headaches people experience, although the exact causes are not yet entirely clear. According to the Mayo Clinic website:

“A tension headache is generally a diffuse, mild to moderate pain in your head that's often described as feeling like a tight band around your head.”

Very encouragingly, the site states, “managing a tension headache is often a balance between fostering healthy habits, finding effective nondrug treatments and using medications appropriately.” Why do I find this encouraging? I am always excited when modern western medicine discovers that lifestyle and non-drug therapies are the better first choice in addressing a health concern. Bravo!

It is important, before we discuss yoga options for tension headaches (TH) to be clear on what constitutes a tension headache, and how it is different from migraines, for instance. A tension headache typically has the following qualities and presentations:

• dull, aching head pain
• sensation of tightness or pressure across the forehead and sides and back of head (headband distribution)
• tenderness on the scalp, neck and shoulder muscle

I am sure some of you can identify with this and are likely massaging those areas right now! Modern western medicine splits tension headaches into two categories, those that are episodic and those that are chronic. Episodic tension headaches can last from 30 minutes to a week. The more frequent they are, the more likely they are to become classified as chronic. If your headaches occur 15 or more days a month for at least three months, you are bumped up to the chronic camp. Let’s hope that is not in the cards for you!

Tension headaches can be hard to distinguish from the less common migraine headaches, and can even occur in people who also suffer from migraines. The Mayo Clinic points out some helpful distinguishing features between the two:

“Unlike some forms of migraine, tension headache usually isn't associated with visual disturbances, nausea or vomiting. Although physical activity typically aggravates migraine pain, it doesn't make tension headache pain worse. An increased sensitivity to either light or sound can occur with a tension headache, but these aren't common symptoms.”

The fact that physical activity does not usually worsen tension headaches is helpful to know when you are considering whether or not to do an asana practice when you already have a headache. And it is a way to test out your particular headache to see if it is tension or migraine.

It is still not clear what the underlying cause is for these common headaches. Some specialists link them to muscle contractions anywhere above the shoulders that might be encouraged by emotions, tension or stress, even though research does not support muscle contraction as the cause. The most common theories suggest that people with tension headaches have a heightened sensitivity to pain and stress. And related to that, stress turns out to be the number one trigger of tension headaches. Statistically, according to one study, 90% of women and 70% of men experience tension headaches at some point in their lives, with the peak incidence in people in their 40s.

The gang at Mayo Clinic did disappoint me a bit. Following their initial statements about non-drug treatment, they launch into medication choices before discussing lifestyle and alternative therapies—you all came so close! But when they finally do get to the non-drug options, stress management and improved posture are two of the three main recommendations. We have discussed this in many other posts, so by now we all realize that yoga rocks for addressing these options. And yoga does get the nod as a possible preventive treatment option for tension headaches.

Nina did a nice job in her headache prevention posts Preventing Migraines (and Other Headaches), Part 1 and Part 2 in outlining good yoga options for migraines and tension headaches (see also Peaceful Poses for Stress, Anxiety, Neck Pain and Headache Prevention). In general, because tension headaches are not typically worsened by physical activity, an active asana practice could be appropriate for when you have a headache as well as for headache prevention. I cannot tell you how many times students have come into class complaining of a headache, only to state on departure that their headache was now gone. And since most of the classes I teach include some short vinyasa portions, either reclining or standing, such as Sun or Moon Salutations for a few rounds, as well as static poses, a short pranayama session and a 10-minute Savasana (Relaxation pose), I can conclude that a well-balanced yoga practice can be both preventative and prescriptive.

Here are some of my favorite specific approaches for treating and/or preventing tension headaches:

Releasing muscle tension in neck and head. Even though muscle contraction does not appear to be the main cause or clear cause of tension headaches, I’d still focus much of the yoga asana practice on the area at and above your shoulders to release any excessive muscle tightness. Our shoulder series Opening Tight Shoulders, along with Owl and Curious Dog neck movements (see Neck Muscle Strain and Spasm) would be excellent additions to a daily home practice.

Refining your asana choices. Monitoring the effect of certain groups of yoga poses to see if they aggravate or improve headache symptoms is always a good idea. The more you start to understand how your body interacts with the practice, the better your personal practice will develop to support lessening your chances of getting tension headaches.

Finding the best stress practices for you. In addition to the more active practices of yoga, experimenting with quieter options is also essential in preventing and treating tension. A weekly restorative class or home practice (see Mini Restorative Practice) or the periodic use of Supported Relaxation pose (see Savasana Variations) and a yoga nidra recording (see Yoga Nidra and Deep Physical Relaxation) will work nicely for many. Pranayama practices such as 1:2 ratio breathing (the inhalation is 1/2  the length of the exhalation) or gradual lengthening of both inhale and exhale equally are great beginning breath practices to try. Short sitting or reclining meditation practices for 5 to 10 minutes are also great stress reducers.

Resetting pain sensitivity. Just as regular stretching of the hamstrings in Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) tends to lower the intensity of the perceived stretch discomfort over time, a general yoga practice has the potential to lower the heightened pain sensitivity that some people may have. There is no study to presently prove that last assertion, but it seems reasonable to observe in your own situation if adding in a regular, reasonable home practice begins to change the frequency and intensity of your tension headaches.

Please let us know what you find out if 2014 is the year you ramp up your practice with the intention to improve your tension headaches!

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More

Starting to Move Again

by Nina

Recently Shari and I wrote a post recommending a sequence to someone who had lost confidence in her body after a fall (see Regaining Stability—for Free!) Another reader left a comment on that post that made me realize what an important topic this was:

Omgosh. I ....this took my breath away. This is exactly what happened to me! I was this vibrant, moving being....then a stupid, nasty fall (via a piece of gravel on the sidewalk) ended all that. And my subsequent life mirrors your friend's. Thank you SO much for giving us hope!

It seems that after experiencing a fall, many middle-aged and older people may become fearful, which can lead to inactivity. That inactivity in turn leads to stiffness, weakness, loss of balance and/or loss of agility. So I decided to learn a bit more about the woman who left this comment, and to see if there was something we could do to help her regain her confidence and start to move again. Everyone has different issues, so before making recommendations, I asked her to fill me in on any physical problems she had. Here’s a condensed version of her reply:

My sacrum got cocked (like it often does) and that triggered a bout of sciatica - the two sent me to the ER. The cocked sacrum was the result of some incorrectly done crunches plus my bete-noire, a fibroid that spans the entire back of my uterine wall.

I've had two motorcycle accidents (about 20 yrs apart) and now just have that North Dallas Forty thing going  (the opening scene, with Nick Nolte in the bathtub - painful).  Also, I have had shoulder surgery (torn rotor cuff with a bone spur sticking through it)— that one is healed.

Last thing that happened was about 18 mos. Ago—striding down the street, I twisted my ankle on a piece of gravel and went down like a sack of potatoes.  Banged up my left knee and hip (that poor hip gets so much grief), wrenched my back, and damaged the OTHER shoulder in the fall, which is why I have no flexibility or confidence whatsoever. So I can’t extend my right shoulder much. I also have two discs in my neck that are bone on bone, though I keep those pretty limber, most days.

So that's the litany of ick.  Other than that stupid fibroid and the post-injuries I’m actually pretty healthy and very strong (except for that shoulder – but I can still lift between 50-100lbs with my arms at my sides – just not extended).  Mostly I'm just stiff and achy and need to get back to moving around - your post on 'regaining stability' resonated so deeply, Nina.  

After learning about our reader’s situation, I decided to take her case to Baxter, who pointed out to me that certain physical problems, such as the fibroid and the new shoulder injury, needed to be addressed by a medical professional. He agreed that while our reader was seeking medical help, she would also benefit from a gentle yoga practice that allowed her to start moving again. A short, daily, gentle yoga practice would be helpful to her allover physical health and would allow her to start increasing her flexibility, as well as her confidence.

In her case, because she has a history of low back and other problems, he recommended that instead of having a single sequence, she should alternate between three different sequences. I was happy to find that two of the sequences were already on the blog! (So if you’re a new reader and want to start practicing some short sequences on your own, be sure to poke around through our archives to see the various sequences we’ve been posting.)

The three sequences are:

1. Baxter’s classic Low Back Care Practice (see Low Back Care Practice). Because hip openers are helpful for low back problems, this sequence includes stretches for leg and hip flexibility.

2. Baxter’s classic Mini Restorative Practice (see Mini Restorative Practice). A restorative practice will help reduce stress. Long-held passive poses also gently stretch your muscles.

3. Our new Gentle All-Around Practice (see Gentle All-Around Practice), which I'm just posting today. This practice includes shoulder stretches to increase upper body flexibility and standing poses to improve balance and stability.

My hope is that practicing these sequences on a regular basis will, over time, restore her flexibility, balance, and feelings of self confidence, and allow her to be a “vibrant, moving being” once again.

And although we came up with this set of sequences for a particular person, all of them would be suitable for just about anyone who is starting a home practice. And it just so happens we’re in the first week of the new year! So if any of you have made resolutions to start practicing yoga at home, give any or all of these sequences a try and let us know how it goes.

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More

Featured Sequence: Gentle All-Around Practice

by Nina

This short sequence is designed for anyone who wants to get started with a short, gentle home yoga practice. This sequence is a great complement to our Low Back Care Practice and Mini Restorative Practice because it focuses on upper body flexibility, strength and balance, which are not addressed by the other sequences.

Although I originally designed this practice, Baxter reviewed it and made a modification—so it is officially Dr. Baxter Bell approved. We both hope you enjoy the practice!

1. Standing Shoulder openers (see Opening Tight Shoulders).

Releasing tight shoulders is important for the upper back and neck health, and is an important antidote for time spent in front of computers, driving, gardening, or other activities where you are reaching forward all day. If you have limited range of motion in one shoulder, just do the best you can, even if that means, for instance, taking your hand only half way up the wall rather than all the way. To make the sequence shorter, you could skip some of stretches (and alternate on different days of practice).

2. Half Dog pose at the Wall (see Half Dog Pose at the Wall). 

This pose is a wonderful all-over stretch because as it opens your shoulders it also stretches the sides of your torso, and, if you straighten your knees, it stretches the backs of your legs as well. It’s a perfect warm-up for standing poses!

3. Warrior 2 and Warrior 1 Mini Vinyasas (see Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasas).

Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 are classic standing poses that improve your balance (due to their wide leg stance), build leg strength (due to the bent front knee) and increase upper body strength (due to holding arms out to the side or over head). Practicing these as mini vinyasas (moving in and out of the poses with your breath), will improve balance and agility, and are a gentle versions of these poses. (Though this is not as strengthening as holding the poses for extended periods.)

For the Warrior 1 vinyasa, if you can’t hold your arms overhead, you can keep them in Namaste (prayer position) in front of your chest or place your hands on your hips.

4. Tree pose. 

Depending on your self confidence and your ability to balance, you can do this pose in any number of ways. If doing the pose in the middle of the room causes stress, stand in Tadasana (Mountain pose) with your left side near the wall. Shift your weight to the your left leg—if needed use your left fingertips on the wall to balance—and lift your right foot into any of the following positions:

• toes of the right foot on the floor, rest of the foot off the floor
• right foot on top of your left foot— but try not to have your right toes touch the floor
• sole of the right foot pressing against your left calf
• sole of your right foot pressing against your left thigh (above the knee)

5. Chair Twist (see Simple Chair Twist).

This pose releases back muscles that are stiff or sore from sitting at a desk or from traveling, or from everyday activities that stress the back, such as gardening and painting, and increases the rotational mobility in your spine. Twisting also helps nourish the spine—movement of the spine helps maintain the health of the discs—and also strengthens the bones themselves as your back muscles pull on the bony insertions of the spine. And it also strengthens the oblique muscles of your core. If you have a history of low back problems, please do this pose with a block between your thighs and twist only from the navel on up.

6. Easy Inverted Pose (see Easy Inverted Pose).

Resting your calves on a chair with a support under your pelvis puts your body into a slightly inverted position, so the blood flows from your legs down toward your heart making this pose a very calming inversion, which is also very restful for your leg muscles. If the support under your pelvis irritates your lower back, you can simply do the same pose without it.

NOTE: If you're reading this on the day it was posted, keep your eye out for a second post that recommends a weekly routine (including this sequence) that would be beneficial for anyone with back problems or who just wants to start practicing yoga at home.

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More

Overcoming Addiction through Yoga and Meditation

by Ram

Red by Melina Meza

Addiction is a continued repetition of a behavior or practice or action despite adverse consequences that is beyond voluntary control. People with an addiction do not have control over what they are doing, taking or using and thus resort to an addictive behavior that interferes with daily responsibilities including family, work, relationships, or health. People with an addiction cannot control their addictive behavior; they become completely dependent or preoccupied with the substance or behavior, and may not be aware that their behavior is out of control thus causing problems for themselves and others. Examples of addictions include but are not limited to smoking, drug abuse, exercise addiction, food addiction, sexual addiction, computer addiction and gambling. The difference between addiction and habit is clear. Addiction is a psychological/physical component where the individual is unable to control the aspects of the addiction while a habit is done by choice and the individual is in a position to stop it successfully if he or she wants to. Habits do not have adverse consequences or a serious psychological/physical component as with an addiction.

Furthermore, with addictions, the body and the mind “wire in” the continuous repetitive task by incorporating it as a “normal” function. This creates the conditions of tolerance and withdrawal. When the addiction is to smoking or drug abuse, the body continually adapts to the substance and requires increasingly larger doses to achieve the distinctive effects. This is “tolerance” On the other hand, “withdrawal” refers to physical and psychological symptoms that arise when reducing or abstaining from the addictive behavior on which the body has become dependent. Withdrawal symptoms kick in due to biochemical and hormonal imbalances due to the lack of the addictive behavior. Thus, an addictive behavior may be associated with an immediate gratification but is also characterized by a delayed harmful effect (short-term reward versus long-term penalty).

The consequences of an addictive behavior on the body and brain include a large range of injuries, health problems, brain damage, and birth defects. Substance abuse and dependence trigger negative outcomes including injuries, illnesses, accidents, domestic violence, disabilities, medical problems and death. Treatment options include self-help groups, detoxification-inducing drugs to combat addiction, antibody therapy, vaccine therapy, and deep brain stimulation among others. However, true recovery is a very long journey. Some individuals will remain steadfast, some will relapse, and some will always be “chronic relapsers.”

But now there’s the good news that rehabilitation therapies that use yoga and meditation are likely to have a higher success rate when it comes to helping overcome addiction and relapse. The practice of yoga and meditation exert positive influence on addictive behaviors and helps addicts to understand their true nature. In addition, yoga and meditation helps addicts develop a detached awareness of thoughts since any attachment to them becomes the cause for suffering. Individuals with an addictive behavior and who have a regular practice of yoga and meditation have less blame and disrespect toward themselves and exhibit more respectful, caring, and loving behaviors.

Yoga and meditation also appear to be beneficial in specific type of eating disorders that constitute addiction as they change the addict’s perspective of their own disturbing personalities. In one such study, Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life, female yoga practitioners not only exhibited positive feelings and sense of well-being but they also reported less self objectification, greater satisfaction with their body images and reduced messy eating attitudes compared to non-yoga practitioners. Similarly in a recently published paper A computational hypothesis for allostasis: delineation of substance dependence, conventional therapies, and alternative treatments, a group of scientists used a computational model of addiction, a literature review and an in silico experiment to suggest that rehabilitation strategies that include yoga and meditation with drug and behavior therapies are more helpful than all other methods to help people overcome addiction. The authors argue that a combination therapy that include yoga and meditation alter the reward-anti-reward states of the addict’s neural network system, which in turn help to provide higher cessation rates and lower relapse rates. In addition to overcoming addiction, yoga and meditation also stimulate the three aspects of healthy aging namely: decreased morbidity, independence and mental equilibrium or equanimity (see Meditation: Effects on Gene Expression). What a cheap but effective method to empower ourselves. A perfect New Year’s resolution is to incorporate yoga and meditation into our lives! Don’t you agree? 

Subscribe to YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook

Read More