Guest Post by Joniel Suezo
A chronic condition or illness is a health problem that is long-lasting or persistent and significantly disrupts an individual’s way of life. Chronic health conditions can develop in time, but the term is generally applied to a condition after around three months of severe symptoms. There are many different types of chronic conditions, from arthritis to diabetes, and according the the National Health Council around 40 percent of the American population is currently diagnosed with ongoing and often incurable chronic diseases.
Suffering from a chronic condition is often a difficult diagnosis to get your head around and more people are finding solace and relief from their conditions in yoga. Many people have found yoga to be a helpful tool when it comes to improving their overall wellbeing and easing common chronic symptoms such as anxiety, stress, and pain. Therefore, if you suffer from a chronic condition and are interested in finding relief, here are some of the ways that yoga may be able to help you.
You Can Take Yoga at Your Own Pace
When you suffer from a chronic condition, you can often find that medical professionals encourage you to get involved in physical activity and exercise, in order to help ease any pain or other symptoms that you suffer from. However, having a chronic illness can make this difficult as your symptoms can change from one day to the next. Even though one day you can feel great and able, the following day you can be in the middle of a flare-up and unable to move. Yoga can be very beneficial because it encourages you to listen to your body and set your own comfortable limitations for each posture that feels right for you.
Anyone Can Get Involved
Despite your age or health condition there is a style of yoga that will help you benefit physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you enjoy practicing yoga on your own and maybe suffer from arthritis, you might consider investing in a medical alert system, you can safely practice yoga. These alert systems are good for active seniors who live alone.
Yoga Can Help You Cope with Chronic Illness
Having a chronic condition can be life-changing, and not always in a positive way, so it is natural for you to feel like you need your own coping mechanisms to get you through the bad times. There are many different elements of yoga, from hatha yoga which focuses on the physical type of yoga, to restorative yoga which focuses on deep relaxation. Therefore, no matter what chronic illness you suffer from, there is a strand of yoga that you will be able to benefit from.
Clears Your Mind
Research has shown that there can be a link between suffering from a chronic illness and having difficulties with your memory, due to symptoms such as stress and phases of slow cognition. Therefore, yoga can provide you with the much-needed opportunity to clear your mind and fully relax. With the added pressures that a chronic condition puts on your everyday life, such as medication side effects, yoga is a great chance to breathe, relax, and refocus your mind on things other than the constant health problem that you are suffering from.
Living with a chronic condition isn’t easy, so it is important that you find relief wherever you can, and by engaging in yoga you will be able to take the time for yourself that you need, while also engaging in a form of exercise that may help to ease your symptoms.