Rainbow Bridge Coaching and Healing

FMS pain carries frustration and anxiety with it because you contract your muscles and your breathing when we feel pain.  When you have constricted your breath, you may  begin to feel anxiety which may make the pain worse.  Tightening your muscles also makes the pain worse. 

Because you don’t feel well, you don’t want to do anything – and that leads to a sedentary lifestyle – which makes the situation even more injurious to the entire body.  Your muscles weaken, your immunity levels drop and you can move quickly from frustration to depression.  Your situation can be a vicious cycle, or for some, a downward spiral.

As always, check with your physician(s) before starting any exercise program. 

People with chronic pain from Fibromyalgia deal with pain most of the time, with little to no relief.  Yoga can relieve some of that pain when you practice the gentle movements with caution and awareness.  There are a number of studies that show that a consistent practice of Yoga can reduce the amount of pain in those who suffer from chronic back pain, arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Because the practice of Yoga includes deep, slow breathing as you move into and through the postures, you can reduce the constriction in the muscles and bring a larger quantity of oxygen to the parts of your body in need of healing.  In addition, deep breathing helps you calm the anxiety caused by the pain, helping you relax and send a greater flow of energy and blood into the limbs that are most affected.

Yoga is not a cure for FMS, but it can provide you with a smaller amount of pain, resulting in better sleep, more strength, endurance and stamina, and increased your ability to look at your situation in a more positive manner. 

The most important component of the practice of Yoga is that you are in charge.  You do as much or as little as you can tolerate.  Some days you may be able to do more than others.  You never want to push the stretch further than you can tolerate; feel the stretch, but don’t push it so far as to feel sharp pain in the joints.  Listen to your body and adjust your poses and the intensity of the stretches.

I have found that I always get immediate pain relief with Yoga stretches and deep breathing.  For me, it’s because I sit in front of my computer for a good share of the day and my muscles get tight from not moving enough.  I’ve determined that this is also why I am so stiff and achey when I get up in the morning. 

When I first started practicing Yoga, I only did the standing exercises because it was too painful to lie down on the floor.  Quite frankly, I often had a hard time getting up off the floor.  But, with daily practice, and persistence I often finish my routine on the floor and then relax with some meditation at the end.

Yoga may not be the answer for you, but I encourage you to give it a try.  Just a few light stretches at a time.  Just until you begin to feel it.  Go a bit further each day. 

And, let me know how it goes, okay?

Blessings,

Georgia

Georgia Feiste, owner of Collaborative Transitions Coaching, Inc., located in Lincoln, NE, is a personal growth coach, writer, and workshop facilitator.  She is also a Usui Reiki Master, living with Fibromyalgia.  While Georgia specializes in career, business and personal life transitions for people seeking change in their life, she is also passionate about working with people with chronic pain associated with FMS.  She is uniquely skilled in providing support and encouragement as her clients set intentional goals to attain their desires, holding open the space they need to stretch and grow. Her passion is success grounded in purpose and passion, standards of integrity and priorities in life.    Her websites are http://www.collaborativetransitions.com, where you can find her blogs about business and career, http://www.rainbowbridgecoach.com , where she and many other coaches blog about mind, body, spirit and emotion, and http://www.georgiafeiste.com where you can catch her thoughts on a wide variety of topics.  Georgia can be reached at (402) 304-1902 or you can schedule a 30 minute consultation via Automated Appointment.