Gentle Yoga For Neuropathy

Today's post from neuropathylandolakes.com (see link below) takes a look at yoga as being a possible help with neuropathy pain. We often hear about yoga, or acupuncture, or Tai Chi and others as being useful for neuropathy sufferers but very few sites show us exactly how. This article isn't that much better but does provide one or two ideas for getting you started. As you've probably heard from yoga fanatics; yoga is anything but gentle although the benefits are said to be awesome. Here it's advised that you do use the more gentle yoga poses to help relieve your symptoms and as any neuropathy sufferer will tell you, gentle can be strenuous and painful enough. Maybe worth further investigation. 
 

A Simple and Effective Treatment for Foot Neuropathy: Gentle Yoga Posted by john on September 4, 2014

Ease the pain of neuropathy in feet with a simple yoga practice—even if you’ve never done yoga before.

Peripheral neuropathy can be an aggravating and chronic condition, and it’s tough to treat using traditional medications. But there’s a treatment you can do on your own—in a class, or at home—that can be very beneficial over time, and that’s gentle yoga.

Yoga isn’t just about spiritual growth or physical fitness anymore. Many neuropathy patients are finding that simple yoga poses can alleviate uncomfortable tingling or numbness in the fingers and toes. Best of all, many basic yoga poses are easy to learn and don’t require special equipment.

Some of the benefits of a regular yoga practice include: 

Increased circulation to the hands and feet. Many yoga poses use the pull of gravity to shift habitual blood flow patterns, particularly to the feet. (Don’t worry, this doesn’t require a headstand!)

Improved body self-awareness. A regular yoga practice can help you connect with your body sensations and really notice what your body is telling you.

Relaxation and peacefulness. A simple, non-strenuous yoga practice for 10 to 30 minutes before bed can help you relax and sleep better. Or, if you prefer, use yoga as a gentle wake-up practice in the morning to set a peaceful tone for your day.

In general, yoga is a wonderful form of self-care that can be modified for your own unique physical goals and needs.

If you have no experience with yoga, it’s best to begin with assistance from a teacher. You can look for a local “gentle yoga” class or use a beginning yoga DVD as a guide at home.

Here’s one very simple yoga technique to get you started with relief for your feet. Sit cross-legged with your shoes and socks off. Weave your fingers one by one through the toes of the opposite foot, and hold this position for about 20 seconds. Then, switch to using the other hand and foot. You may want to do this 2 or 3 times for each foot.

http://neuropathylandolakes.com/a-simple-and-effective-treatment-for-foot-neuropathy-gentle-yoga/