10 Simple Yoga Poses to Relieve Chronic Pain | Cracked Nails and Split Ends

Yoga Mat — 10 Simple Yoga Poses to Help Relieve Chronic Pain

10 Simple Yoga Poses to Help Relieve Chronic Pain

Living with a chronic illness and chronic pain is debilitating, challenging and ubiquitous, but I’ve found that incorporating gentle yoga poses into my weekly routine offers some relief. Even if the relief is small, I'm going to embrace it. I always make sure to listen to my body, modify the yoga poses as needed, and adapt.

Yoga not only helps improve flexibility and strength, but it can also reduce stress and inflammation in the body, which are common contributors to chronic pain conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia, as well as spinal stenosis. I particularly find that practising yoga helps a lot with my cervical neck and shoulder pain. If I skip a few sessions, I start to feel the pain in my neck getting worse, so yoga is super important to me! However, as I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (MECFS), doing yoga is also challenging for me. I have to be careful not to overexert myself, as it can lead to a PEM crash. Therefore, I only practice a few minutes of gentle, slow-flow yoga in each session.

Here are 10 simple yoga poses that I incorporate into my routine to help with my chronic pain.

Child's Pose: A calming pose that gently stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles, while also helping to release tension in the back and shoulders.
Cat-Cow Stretch: This gentle flow between two poses helps to warm up the spine and increase flexibility in the back muscles.
Downward-Facing Dog: This pose helps to stretch the entire body, particularly the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, and arches of the feet.
Seated Forward Bend: A soothing stretch for the lower back, hamstrings, and shoulders that can help calm the mind and relieve stress.
Supine Twist: This gentle spinal twist.
Cobra Pose: By strengthening the spine and opening the chest.
Puppy Pose: Similar to the Child's Pose, Puppy Pose stretches the spine, shoulders, and chest, providing relief.
Legs Up the Wall: This restorative pose helps improve circulation and can alleviate tension in the legs and lower back.
Supported Bridge Pose: By gently opening the chest and stretching the spine.
Corpse Pose: This final relaxation pose allows for total relaxation of the body and mind, reducing stress and tension that can contribute to chronic pain.

I have found that gentle slow-flow yoga has been incredibly beneficial in managing my symptoms. The slow and deliberate movements in these types of yoga moves allow me to gently stretch and strengthen my muscles without exacerbating my pain. By focusing on my breath and moving mindfully through each pose, I am able to soothe my nervous system and reduce overall tension in my body.

Final Thoughts

Moreover, practising gentle slow-flow yoga regularly has helped me improve my flexibility and range of motion, which are often compromised by chronic pain conditions. The emphasis on relaxation and stress reduction in this form of yoga also aids in alleviating the mental and emotional toll that chronic pain can take. Overall, incorporating gentle flow yoga into my routine has been a soothing and empowering way to manage my chronic pain and foster a sense of well-being.

About me

I am a married mother of four children, in my mid 40's. I run a small business and enjoy writing, which is why I blog. My blog focuses on my experiences of living with chronic illnesses and disabilities such as ME/CFS, spinal stenosis, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia.