Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
The
MyMS Yoga® program is designed to be accessible to almost anyone with multiple sclerosis. You can adapt your practice to fit your needs and to help manage the symptoms that most affect you. Below is an interactive list that can help you find the best ways to address your specific needs while practicing yoga.
Fatigue
- A gentle practice such as Restorations will avoid overheating the body and provide a deep, restful, relaxed series of poses. It's especially effective for fatigue, combining movement, rest and stress reduction.
- The Restorations series includes poses such as waterfall, child's pose and savasana to help you refresh, relax, renew and energize.
Spasticity
- Passive or assisted yoga postures can invoke a relaxation or "release" phenomenon throughout your trunk and extremities. Your muscles then become more adept at balance control and active operations. Passive and breathing poses are also important to release muscular tension, thus relieving spasticity.
- Doing forward bends stretches the entire back of your body, especially your hamstrings. Forward bends are also often used to release tension in the lower core. Similar to back bends, forward bends help keep your spine strong and supple.
- The Transformations and Foundations practices include poses such as downward dog, ragdoll and seated forward fold to help you release muscular tension.
Limited Range of Motion
- People with limited range of motion are good candidates for yoga chair poses. These are yoga exercises that have been modified so they can be done while sitting or using the support of a chair. People who are unable to lie down or find getting up difficult can benefit by using a chair.
- Chair yoga poses like the modified warrior pose, balancing poses and simple seated twists can be as challenging as you want them to be.
Muscle Weakness
- Weight-bearing yoga poses may improve your strength and muscle tone. The modified flow series of standard postures linked by a sun salutation help strengthen core muscles. To avoid tiring, practice the sun salutation series slowly, mindfully, and with complete awareness.
- Poses that may improve your abdominal strength include balances, such as boat or high plank, because the core must be engaged for these poses.
- The downward dog pose may strengthen the upper body, triceps, and biceps. Most standing poses improve leg strength.
Loss of Balance and Coordination
- Standing poses can be beneficial for strengthening your legs, opening your hips and improving your sense of balance. People who experience problems with balance or coordination may find it helpful to use a chair, a wall or a partner for these poses. Twists can also be helpful as they stretch your spine in the opposite direction from a previous pose.
- Balancing poses are designed to improve balance and coordination as well as develop the ability to remain grounded in a pose. Keeping your body balanced encourages you to focus, quiet and balance your mind.
Mood
- Yoga practice focuses on creating inner peace. Because of the mind-body connection, many practitioners experience physical health benefits, too. Self-realization, relaxation, focus and harmony are the cornerstones of yoga. Overall well-being can improve with yoga practice.
- The combination of creating a strong mind-body connection, creating a healthy body, and focusing inward can all lead to improvement in your mood. The concentration required during yoga practice tends to focus your attention on the matter at hand, thereby reducing the emphasis you may have been putting on the stress in your life.
- Poses that may help with the mind-body connection include the waterfall, centering tree and savasana.
