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For people recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion
or head trauma, yoga offers gentle exercise with therapeutic benefits.
Many survivors find themselves unable to pursue former ways of staying
in shape. Balance difficulties, loss of motor control, vertigo,
and neck injuries limit physical activity, further restricting an
already curtailed lifestyle. Fortunately, a yoga practice can adapt
itself to any illness or injury, lending itself particularly well
to TBI recovery.
Where to start? With yoga's recent popularity in the West, students
can now choose anything from hot yoga to Kundalini to Ashtanga.
People with neck or back injuries in addition to head trauma probably
want to begin with a teacher trained in Iyengar yoga, which uses
props to support proper alignment without strain. Kripalu trained
teachers also tend to offer calmer, restorative classes. Any yoga
class that emphasizes flow (not too fast, though) will help retrain
sequential processing-an advantage for people who suffered damage
to their left-brain or rational side. A vinyasa sequence links breath
and movement, emphasizing step-by-step progression in a set order.
Learning and remembering such movements through repetition becomes
a form of cognitive therapy.
Before beginning a yoga practice, survivors should talk with their
treatment providers, as well as their intended yoga instructor.
Most teachers ask about injuries in the beginning of class, but
few people understand the intricacies of TBI on their own. Explain
any unusual sensitivities or restrictions you experience and ask
the instructor for recommendations within his or her own class,
or for suggestions on where to find more compatible classes. Yoga
is supposed to support and nurture growth, not exhaust the body
and nervous system.
For this reason, survivors might initially want to stay away from
Kundalini Yoga or Bikram Yoga, both of which offer intense workouts.
Kundalini Yoga aims to awaken dormant energy potential, which sounds
like a good thing for TBI survivors. Indeed, it can help tremendously--once
neurons have stopped misfiring and "short-circuiting." Most survivors
inaccurately gage their stamina, though, easily over-stimulating
themselves. Kundalini Yoga works powerfully on subtle levels, making
energy levels more difficult to monitor. Sometimes the rapidly awakened
kundalini proves too much for a sensitive TBI survivor. Bikram Yoga
takes place in a very hot room, moving rapidly through poses that
encourage the sweating of toxins. As with Kundalini, adherents of
Bikram rave about its benefits. For a hypersensitive survivor, though,
the excessive heat, body odor, and physicality of Bikram make it
a less safe option. In the beginning, look instead for class titles
like: "Restorative," "Beginner," "Iyengar," "Kripalu" and "Gentle."
Yoga Journal offers many DVD's, in case survivors prefer to learn
in the comfort of their homes. Start with short sessions to build
up mental and physical stamina. Twenty minute DVD's allow survivors
a sense of accomplishment, without the potential fatigue caused
by hour or hour and a half long in-person classes. Downward Dog
Productions with Sarah Bates also offers accessible yoga DVD workouts
designed especially for people with disabilities. At-home yoga workouts
take most of the expense out of learning yoga, too, since survivors
can invest in one or two DVD's to practice every day, rather than
paying for class each time. On the other hand, a good yoga teacher
can personalize routines to support survivors' own unique health
challenges.
Besides sculpting lean, strong muscles and naturally realigning
the spine, yoga offers TBI survivors a chance to reconnect with
their bodies in a positive way. Robin Cohn, a TBI survivor and Vice
President of the New York State Brain Injury Association, recognized
the transformative effects of yoga in her own recovery: "I began
with a beginner's gentle yoga class, where I slowly started to get
atrophied muscles moving once again. The more I went, the better
I began to feel." Inspired, she began co-teaching yoga classes designed
especially for other survivors. "These students are so thrilled
to have the opportunity to be practicing yoga and reaping the wonderful
benefits of asana and pranayam (breathing). ... The happiness, tranquility
and peace that yoga brings to them is so rewarding! Their smiles
just say so much about how happy they are to be practicing."
Yoga brings awareness from 5000+ years of connecting human body,
mind and spirit. It began as a means of calming the endocrine system
and relaxing the body so that practitioners could sit longer in
meditation. These calming, strengthening and relaxing effects make
it an ideal practice for TBI survivors whose systems run on constant
overload. Slowing down and bringing oneself to center can help anyone
deal with stress. For TBI survivors, though, yoga offers a glimpse
of not just "normal" functioning; yoga also brings the chance for
optimal health and well-being. Many practitioners experience peace
and self-acceptance for the first time in their lives, including
pre-injury. Yoga becomes part of a greater awakening (facilitated
by TBI)-helping survivors to find and appreciate the hidden blessings
of their journey.
Author information: Laura Bruno is a Life Coach, Medical
Intuitive and Reiki Master Teacher from Sedona, Arizona. In addition
to private coaching and intuitive sessions, she teaches Conscious
Eating 101 classes, Intuition workshops and Reiki Certification
classes around the country and in beautiful Sedona. http://www.internationalrenaissancecoaching.com
Laura also authored the long-awaited book If I Only Had a Brain
Injury: A TBI Survivor and Life Coach's Guide to Chronic Fatigue,
Concussion, Lyme Disease, Migraine or Other "Medical Mystery," now
available at http://www.ifionlyhadabraininjury.com
Article Source: EzineArticles.com:
Yoga for Brain Injury
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