Yoga for Psoriasis – Relieve Stress to Relieve Your Symptoms Yoga for psoriasis has been shown to help some people keep their outbreaks in check. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone since yoga combines stretching, deep breathing, strengthening exercises and meditation all into one activity.
The end result for many people that both suffer from psoriasis and do yoga is increased strength and mobility, weight loss, lower stress levels and more blood flow to the skin. All of these are things that can limit the severity of psoriasis outbreaks and flare ups.
Where do you find a yoga teacher to help you explore yoga for psoriasis? This is a question that many people have. If you’re not really familiar with yoga as a form of medical treatment then it can be difficult to find a teacher that specializes in that field. The Yoga Alliance Directory is one place to find a teacher in your area. YouTube and other videos are also a great way to get professional instruction in your own home. Some places that may provide pain focused yoga classes in your area are hospitals, the YMCA and local medical centers.
How long will you have to dedicate to yoga a day? Somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes a day seems to be recommended by most people. More hard core yoga instructors recommend going for longer to see the most benefit. I would suggest not looking at it as “How long do I have to do this for?” but instead see it as getting to relax for 15-30 minutes at a time. As you learn to focus on yourself and ease your stress and tension, yoga becomes very relaxing and enjoyable for most people.
Where should you start if you’re new to yoga?
Don’t let some of the crazy yoga moves you’ve seen people doing in the past intimidate you. You don’t ever have to do those unless you decide it’s something that you want to do. You can get the full stress relieving and flexibility benefits from yoga by just doing simple exercises.
Deep Breathing Deep breathing exercises are a great place to begin. These breathing exercises relieve stress and are one of the keys to entering a meditative state.
You can begin by finding a quiet place. Then sit on the floor with your legs crossed, back upright, and arms relaxed on your knees. Breathe in as deeply as you can, pause for a second, and exhale all of the air out of your lungs. Do this for 5-10 minutes. If you’re finding that your mind won’t calm down or you can’t relax then you can try this. Think to yourself “my body is relaxing” as you inhale. As you exhale think “my body is relaxed.” I find talking to myself like that really helps me relax and is one of the best yoga techniques for psoriasis relief.
Child’s Pose Child’s Pose is another relaxation pose. It also stretches and lengthens the spine which can help relieve back pain.
Start by sitting back on your heels. Then, lean forward until your torso is on your thighs and forehead touches the floor.
From here, lay your arms along your sides and breath evenly, feeling your spine and lower back release and any tension washing away. You can stay in this pose for up to several minutes. It’s normally used as a counter for back bend style stretching.
Other Poses Just going online will let you quickly find some poses that you can try at home. Just be sure that you’re not going to aggravate any preexisting injuries by doing yoga for psoriasis. With any exercise routine, it’s always best to talk to your doctor before trying this for the first time.
Conclusion I don’t like to say that yoga can cure psoriasis since that’s just not true. What yoga for psoriasis can do is drastically increase your mobility and help lessen the symptoms you experience. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results right away. Like most things, this will take some time before you see and changes to your psoriasis. Just stick with it and you should see results eventually. Combining yoga with Revitol Dermasis Psoriasis Cream can work wonders when you’re experiencing a flare up. I highly recommend using the two together. Head to the home page to see my full review of Revitol Dermasis Psoriasis Cream.