Yoga for Recovery and Coming Back from Injury

If you’re putting up with aches and pains, or if you’ve recently suffered a muscular injury, you’ll likely do anything to find relief. For many people, though, yoga doesn’t readily come to mind as a therapeutic tool to help provide that relief. In this article, we’ll shed light on the benefits of yoga therapy for injury recovery.

Introducing Yoga Therapy

Yoga therapy is built upon the principle of realignment. It is used to help a person de-stress both mentally and physically with gentle movements that improve flexibility, restore balance and range of motion and enhance mobility.

Yoga therapy can also reveal postural problems and other physical anomalies that, unless corrected, can lead to long-term issues such as carpal tunnel and piriformis syndrome.

If you suffer an injury, you should seek medical help first. Then ask your doctor if he advises adding yoga therapy to your recovery treatment plan. If the doctor thinks it will help, you can then consult a yoga therapist who will work with you on specific asanas to help identify underlying problems that may cause chronic pain.

A yoga therapy session will start with an assessment of posture in basic poses like warrior and mountain. A sequence of poses is then created to help overcome the underlying problem.

The Best Yoga Poses for Recovery and Injury Prevention

You don’t have to pay for a session with a therapist to benefit from the relieving effects of yoga. Here are 3 poses designed to strengthen and stretch the muscles that support common injury sites.

Chair Pose

Counterintuitive as it may seem, the chair pose is actually done in a standing position. You stand with feet together and assume a semi-squat position with knees slightly bent and the spine in a neutral position. Your hands are placed above your head with your palms together. Pull in your belly button as you stretch up. Hold the pose for 60 seconds, feeling the burn in the thighs and stretching through the back.

This is a great pose to stretch out and increase strength in an injured quadricep muscle. It will also help to bring relief to lower back pain.

Mountain Pose

The mountain pose is another effective stretcher and strengthener of the quads. It will also help to bring relief from sciatica pain and correct postural problems. To do this pose, stand with feet together and stand tall with your arms stretched above your head with palms touching. Now arch back to bring the hands behind your head. Stretch through your upper body as you drive your lower body into the floor.

Breathe in through your nose as you hold the pose for 60 seconds.

Extended Triangle Pose

The triangle pose is a full-body stretch that is also great for stress relief. This pose opens up all of your joints while also relieving pressure on the spine. From a position with your feet close together, extend your right leg out to the side as far as it will comfortably go. Now hinge at the hips as you move your torso to the right side. Bring your extended right arm down the side of your right leg. Your extended left arm should be above your head. Hold the pose for 60 seconds then repeat on the other side.

Wrap Up

Now that you know how beneficial yoga therapy can be for recovery and injury rehab, you’ve got no excuse not to make use of it. Start with the three poses described here. If you need further assistance, consult a qualified yoga therapist in your area.