How Yoga Supports Overall Health and Wellness in Injury Rehabilitation
The practice of yoga has been used for centuries to keep the mind and body connected and help the body stay strong. It is now being adapted as an integral part of the healing process for those who are recovering from injuries. Whether it’s a sports injury or an injury from an accident, yoga has been proven to help speed up recovery and make it easier on the body. Check out the information below about how yoga supports overall health and wellness in injury rehabilitation.
Complements Physical Therapy
Most people who have been injured badly require physical therapy sessions to regain range of motion and flexibility after having to be still for weeks while recovering. At the beginning and end of sessions, physical therapists have been known to integrate some yoga poses and stretches into the routine to encourage flexibility and tranquility after intense work. Physical therapy can be a grueling process with physical therapists pushing you to the limit to get you to your goals, so using yoga as a warm-up and a cool-down is a great way to ensure that you leave each session feeling accomplished and strong.
Mindfulness
Yoga is a very mind-body connective activity with many of the poses requiring mental strength as well as physical. Recovering from any injury, especially if it is due to something like a car crash, can be a very stressful experience. On top of focusing on your physical health, you must also consider getting compensation for your medical fees. You may even be fighting with your insurance company while using it to get better, which can be a mental nightmare. While you are trying to get legal help for car accident in Denver from lawyers who care about your well-being after your accident, it is good to practice mindfulness through yoga to reduce stress. The practices you use through the discipline of yoga can transcend to other parts of your life and help you center yourself during stressful circumstances.
Faster Healing
Different yoga poses can help your blood circulate better through your body, allowing more oxygen to be carried from place to place. This can speed up the healing process and cells are regenerated quicker with more access to oxygen supply. Because yoga is a form of exercise, it will also help you build your strength without the intensity of other kinds of workouts. Pairing yoga with regular walks and stretching exercises will get your injured body parts back to their original state faster. You might even end up stronger than you were before your accident if you stick with your yoga journey.
Some injuries may persist for months or even years, so sticking with a yoga routine that will keep you flexible and strong will make up for the areas of your body that may be weaker as they heal. As the injured tissue is growing back, you can learn new and different yoga poses that help with things like draining lymph nodes, which helps to reduce swelling and inflammation.
Helps Regain Balance and Coordination
Expert yogis are always willing to show off just how flexible they are and it really is a good feeling to get to a point where you can move your body with so much control. Integrating yoga into your daily routine to help with injury rehabilitation can mean different things for different people, but if you stick to it, you will see an improvement in your balance and coordination.
Oftentimes when an injury occurs in the lower limbs, people have to retrain their brain to walk again or do simple actions. With the mind-body connection that yoga provides, patients who use these techniques find themselves regaining control and using these skills to move through the world again. Balance is a big factor when it comes to injury recovery because it is essential for things like going back to work, picking up your kids, and playing sports again. Many yoga positions take weeks or months to master, forcing learners to focus all of their energy on their balance and coordination. When a position is accomplished in a yoga session, the mind-body connection grows stronger.
Low-Impact Exercise
To regain full strength back after an injury, it is encouraged to get out there and exercise to the best of your ability. This is a bit tricky, though, because a lot of exercise is high-impact and can lead to further injury if you are not careful. The act of doing yoga is generally a calm and slow-moving endeavor, making it a great choice for people who want to build their strength back up, get exercise, and be aware of positions that do not work for their recovering injury.
With yoga, you are usually on the floor and can go as slowly as you need to achieve your goals. Working towards different positions requires slow, intentional movements that build your flexibility each time you do them. Because you move slowly, you can identify quickly if something doesn’t feel right and can stop the movement before hurting yourself. With a guided yoga instructor, this can be a manageable process that will help you still feel like you are getting a good workout without putting pressure on injured areas of your body.
Holistic Healing
Yoga is a practice that is approached by looking at the human body as a whole. This means that as you use it to heal from your injury, you will not only be focusing on your physical health but your mental and emotional health as well. Having a good mental attitude towards healing can make all the difference in the rehabilitation process. If you choose to integrate yoga practices into your healing journey, they will not only help your outward injuries get better but also give you the time and space you need to heal from the trauma of the experience and move on with your life.
Yoga is an all-encompassing practice that works both your mind and body, leading to breakthroughs in physical and mental health. This is why it is the perfect addition to your injury rehabilitation process because it will contribute to faster healing, a better mental attitude, and the gradual building of strength around your injury to help you become better than ever.