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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 21 June 2019

Can Yoga help people manage their chronc conditions? We picked out a wide range of conditions where patients have benefitted from practice of yoga. 

It is fairly well known that people with certain conditions like Diabetes, Hypertension and Arthritis benefit from regular practice of yoga. You can also download our ebooks on the same from our E-Books Resources Page. 

But the benefit of yoga goes beyond that to neurological conditions like Parkinson's and  Epilepsy, auto-immune conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriasis and even mental health conditions like Depression. 

Shaila Bhagwat - Parkinson's 

I have been doing Yoga for the last 25 years. I think that has helped me cope better with my Parkinson’s both mentally and physically. I have also started meditation and listen to soft music to help me relax and ease my mind. 

Ignatius Misquitta, Epilepsy 

I have also made it a routine to rise early (5 a.m.) and go for a long walk as well as sleep early (10 p.m.) and practice yoga 3 times a week. I have learnt never to give up hope.

Ravi (name changed)-  Psoriasis

One of the biggest triggers of Psoriasis, I found later, was stress. I noticed that whenever I was stressed and tense, my Psoriasis would get worse. There would be more itching and inflammation and the lesions would reach a point of bleeding. To reduce stress, I joined yoga a year after I got psoriasis. I embraced yoga wholeheartedly. In the last 20 years, I have rarely missed any of my yoga sessions.

Now, I do more often than not the shoulder stand (sarvangasana) and I feel extremely good. There are many benefits of the shoulder stand. It improves blood circulation. It is good for the heart, eyes, endocrine glands, etc. It is particularly good for those with Psoriasis. I think it worked wonders for the psoriasis on my scalp. The shoulder stand helped to keep it in control. Sarvangasana doesn’t only direct enriched blood to the brain, but also the scalp.

Shubhrata Prakash - survived Depression and authored a book on Depression

When asked to to choose a few of the more successful strategies that worked for her, she picked yoga and meditation as one of them: 

Exploring safe complementary and alternative medicine options that were compatible with my medication, like massage, yoga and mindfulness.

Vidya (name changed)- Rheumatoid Arthritis

I have tried deep breathing and meditation on a particularly bad day and have realized, increasingly over the years, that meditation, guided meditation and other relaxation techniques can reduce pain and calm our mind. I do yoga, Upa yoga and other stretching and strengthening exercises from time to time. The trick is to do some kind of movement and stretching in whatever stage of the illness you are. 

Related Reading:

Extraordinary tales of Yoga complementing management of chronic conditions