Yoga: A path to reduce stress in a busy world

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Yoga is a mind and body exercise, touted to reduce stress. But how does it really work in our mind and what should we do to maximize its benefits in our body? There’s no better time to explore these questions as we celebrate National Yoga Awareness Month in September.

I invited a highly regarded (also my favorite) yoga instructor, Wes Linch to write this article to share his knowledge on how practicing yoga can strengthen our nervous system and how to get the most out of your yoga journey! 

From Wes….

Yoga has certainly become a household name the world over and it’s now more popular than ever.  As a result of the pandemic, yoga has become even more available through social media and Zoom, giving people access to amazing teachers that they never would have studied with before.  What is it about this practice that makes people want to get on their mat every day for an hour of moving, breathing, and stretching their bodies?

I think it’s pretty safe to say we live in a pretty stressful world these days.  The last few years have been especially trying for just about everyone.  Human beings intuitively know that when we feel fit and healthy, we manage stress a lot better.  When most of us think about health and fitness, probably what comes to mind are things like cardio, strength training, maybe even diet and nutrition.  However, how many of us consider bolstering and nurturing our nervous system as a critical part of our health and fitness?

When I tell a random stranger that I am a yoga teacher, their typical response is “Wow!  You must be so flexible!”.  This always gives me a bit of a chuckle.  I’m certainly more flexible than when I started yoga, but I’ll probably always be a pretty stiff guy.  Don’t get me wrong, stretching is a very important element of muscle fitness; but, so much of our flexibility is genetic.  So, let’s just get this out of the way and make it clear that extreme range of motion and super fancy poses are not the goal of yoga.  

Strengthen our Nervous System

I really believe that the true gem of yoga has more to do with strengthening our nervous system than it does stretching our hamstrings.  When we strengthen our nervous system, we manage stress better.  So, how exactly does yoga accomplish this?  What makes it better suited than other forms of exercise towards this end?  Believe it or not, it has more to do with our breath and our mindfulness than it does with the postures themselves.  This is also what makes yoga so universally accessible.  Whether you are an athlete, young or old, have an injury or suffer from a chronic illness, yoga can meet you exactly where you are at and present to you an opportunity to be with your body and breath in a really creative and nurturing way.  

So, how exactly does our breath affect our nervous system?  And more specifically, our autonomic (automatic) nervous system.  This is the part of our nervous system that is somewhat out of our direct control.  It controls much of our vital organs, hormones, heart rate, digestion, etc.  It’s a great thing that we don’t have to think about it all the time.  It would be rather tedious for us to think about digesting our food or pumping our blood.  However, much of how our nervous system works in the background gets affected by our environment (rush hour traffic, what we had for lunch, social media, lack of sleep, etc).  This can certainly feel a bit frustrating at times

Our nervous system is regulated by two separate branches, sympathetic and parasympathetic.  The sympathetic side of our nervous system is the alert, wakeful, “get stuff done” side of our nervous system.  It also happens to regulate our fight or flight response as well as our immune function (think about fighting off a cold).  The parasympathetic side of our nervous system is sometimes called the “rest and digest” side.  It helps us feel calm and relaxed (its like recharging our battery).  We can think of these two dual sides as like yin and yang to each other.  What’s most important to understand is that when we nurture our parasympathetic nervous system, it essentially recharges the sympathetic nervous system.  You may have heard of phrases like adrenal fatigue or sympathetic burnout.  This is when we overtax that side of our nervous system making us more susceptible to stress, fatigue, and illness.

This is where our breath comes into play.  Even though we can’t directly “control” our autonomic nervous system, we can indirectly affect it when we slow down our breathing.  When we breath slowly in yoga and focus on being mindful and present in a yoga posture, this has an amazing ability to calm and regulate our nervous system.  This is the true brilliance of the practice.  To make it even more fascinating, when we create a mild to moderate “stressful” situation in practice (think challenging yoga pose) and we learn to breath and relax, we are essentially retraining our nervous system in how it relates to stress.  This is an incredibly useful tool that we can take into any stressful situation of our life.  I personally believe that when we learn to breath and relax in stressful situations, we are better equipped to respond to these situations in a more healthy way.  

The Take Away

So, if you have been practicing yoga for many years, are a beginner, or have never stepped on a yoga mat, consider that it has more to do with how you do it rather than what you do.  If you can show up to your yoga practice, try new things, move your body in fun and interesting ways while encouraging yourself to breath slowly, deeply, and mindfully, you are bound to leave your practice feeling better than when you started.  

Wes Linch

About Wes

Thank you to Wes for teaching me the science and art of yoga for over 10 years! He is responsible for instilling passion in my yoga practice. I hope you will find time to discover his yoga classes. You can find Wes’s class offerings, workshops, and events both online and in person at his website: www.weslinchyoga.com

Wes is a Hatha Yoga instructor, with over 15yrs of practice and having received over 1200hrs of training.  He has studied extensively modern Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Shadow Yoga, and Viniyoga.  Currently, he is continuing his training and studies with Nicki Doane (Maya Yoga), Kristin Bosteels, and Eddie Modestini(Yoga on the Inside).  He has had the privilege of studying in-depth with Mynx Inatsugu(Yogaworks and Viniyoga) and Mark Horner (Shadow Yoga).

Wes focuses primarily on bridging the gap between breath, alignment, and awareness.  He aims to make the energy of the practice relevant on and off the mat by introducing traditional yogic teachings with a modern twist.  His classes are fun, sweaty, challenging, and full of great humor and heart.

How to Manage Fibromyalgia Symptoms

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Fibromyalgia is one of the most common chronic pain conditions. Although there’s no cure at this time, we do know that self-care is very effective in managing Fibromyalgia symptoms and minimizing the impact on daily life. 

Individuals with Fibromyalgia experience pain or tenderness that is very sensitive to the touch and in greater intensity than others, even under gentle pressure. Therefore, Fibromyalgia is considered to be a “pain regulation” or “neurosensory” disorder.

The pain can happen just about anywhere throughout the body, and lasts for days, weeks, months, or longer. It can also come and go throughout the body in “flares” and it often occurs along with stiffness, fatigue, “fibro fog,” and mental health issues. It can sometimes feel debilitating and cause a lot of distress.

In the U.S., it’s estimated that up to 7.7 percent of women and 4.9 percent of men experience fibromyalgia. These rates are higher than in Europe or South America. 

Researchers still don’t know exactly what causes fibromyalgia, but it does not seem to be the result of physical damage to the bones, joints, or muscles. The pain may be triggered and worsened by infections, injury, inflammation, or emotional stress. Fibromyalgia tends to occur in families, however no specific genes have yet been found that predispose someone to getting it.

Typical symptoms of fibromyalgia

Some of the common symptoms of fibromyalgia include

  • Pain or tenderness in the muscles, soft tissues, and/or bones throughout the body (muscle pain, joint pain), including the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, and buttocks
  • Numbness or tingling in the arms and legs
  • Fatigue, inability to get a good night’s sleep, restless leg syndrome, feeling stiff upon waking up
  • “Fibro fog” (memory problems, confusion, inability to pay close attention or concentrate)
  • Headaches (migraines, tension headaches)
  • Pain in the face or jaw, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome
  • Increased sensitivity to light, odors, noise, and temperature
  • Mental health issues (anxiety, depression)
  • Gut ssues (bloating, constipation, IBS, GERD, difficulty swallowing)
  • Painful menstrual periods
  • Overactive bladder, pelvic pain

The risk for fibromyalgia is higher in people who experience other conditions such as chronic back pain, lupus, polymyalgia rheumatica, spondyloarthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory myopathy, systemic inflammatory arthropathies, hypothyroidism, endometriosis, and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). It is also possible to experience several of these at the same time. Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose because there isn’t a definitive test for it, however your doctor will likely do a physical exam and medical tests to try to determine which of these you may be experiencing.

Nutrition and fitness strategies to deal with fibromyalgia

There are many things that you can do to help alleviate these symptoms and reduce the impact of fibromyalgia on your life. The first thing is to know that even though it’s difficult to diagnose and doesn’t have a definitive test, fibromyalgia is a real disease and research is being done to try to better understand and eventually cure it. 

While there isn’t a cure just yet, there are ways to manage fibromyalgia symptoms and self-care plays an important role in reducing its impact. According to the American College of Rheumatology, “patient self-care is vital to improving symptoms and daily function. In concert with medical treatment, healthy lifestyle behaviors can reduce pain, increase sleep quality, lessen fatigue, and help you cope better with fibromyalgia.”

Exercise

While more research is underway, physical exercise is currently considered to be the most effective treatment for fibromyalgia. Cardiovascular fitness training (“cardio”) can ease symptoms by helping with pain and improving sleep. Ideally, doing 30 minutes of cardio three times each week is recommended. Low-impact exercises like walking, biking, stretching, yoga, tai chi, and water-based exercises are helpful. If regular exercise is new for you or feels like a lot, simply start low and go slow to create a comfortable routine. It may take time to build up your endurance and the intensity of physical activity that you can do.

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Nutrition

Eating a healthy and nutritious diet is also highly recommended. While there currently isn’t a huge amount of strong evidence to recommend one comprehensive dietary strategy to help with fibromyalgia symptoms, a few small studies show promising results for the following nutrition recommendations:

  • If you are low in vitamin D, taking a supplement can help reduce fibromyalgia pain. As with any nutrition supplement, ensure you are buying yours from a reputable source. Check out professional brands recommended by doctors and nutritionists in my wellness store. 
  • Additional supplements that may help include Chlorella green algae, Coenzyme Q10, acetyl-L-carnitine, magnesium, iron, vitamins C and E, probiotics, and Nigella sativa (Black cumin) seeds.
  • Different types of elimination diets have helped different people, such as the vegetarian diet (eliminates meat, poultry, and fish), vegan diet (eliminates all animal products including dairy and eggs), the low FODMAP diet (reduces intake of short-chain carbohydrates that are fermentable oligo-di-mono-saccharides and polyols), a low calorie diet (reduces calorie intake), gluten-free diet (eliminates the protein gluten), or a diet free from both MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame (an artificial sweetener).
  • Reducing inflammation will provide some pain relief. An anti-inflammatory diet has been demonstrated to be effective for many people in my clinical practice.
  • The Mediterranean diet has been shown to decrease fatigue and improve moods.
  • The replacement of some foods may also help, including replacing non-olive oil fats with olive oil and replacing non-ancient grains with ancient grains such as Khorasan wheat, also known as Kamut. 
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This is a long list of potential dietary strategies and more research is needed. Because many of these should not be combined together, it’s wise to approach these dietary changes cautiously and work with a registered dietitian who is knowledgeable in dealing with your symptoms and can work with you to choose the best path forward.

Lifestyle tips to deal with fibromyalgia symptoms

Improving sleep patterns and sleep hygiene can also be very helpful if you’re dealing with fibromyalgia. For example, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day and limit stimulants like caffeine and nicotine as much as possible, especially in the evenings. Establish a relaxing nightly routine that may include reduced screen time, dimmed lights, soft music, meditation, and a warm bath. Also, keep your bedroom comfortable for sleeping by keeping it dark, quiet, and cool. If you suspect you may have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, reach out to your healthcare provider.

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Managing stress and moods can also help relieve symptoms. If you experience symptoms of fibromyalgia, pace yourself and balance your need to work and rest by taking breaks when necessary. Also, make time to relax each day and try deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, and stress reduction techniques. If you feel lonely or isolated, consider joining a support group that you find to be positive and encouraging—one that shares helpful coping techniques. Cognitive behavioral therapy with a therapist or counselor may help by focusing on how thoughts and behaviors affect pain and other symptoms. If you have any mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression, seek out professional help.

Final Thoughts

Fibromyalgia is a complex condition of chronic widespread pain. It’s thought to result from the brain becoming more sensitive to pain signals, as if even a small signal becomes amplified and feels much stronger. In addition to the pain, people with fibromyalgia tend to also have difficulty sleeping and experience fatigue, stiffness, changing moods, and “fibro fog.”

The American College of Rheumatology recommends that you “look forward, not backward. Focus on what you need to do to get better, not what caused your illness.” Self-care is the mainstay for improving symptoms of fibromyalgia. Current research suggests that the most effective treatment is physical activity. In addition to that, there are several dietary and lifestyle strategies that can help, including certain diets and supplements, improving sleep, and managing stress.