_{Therapeutic Chair Yoga
Therapeutic Chair Yoga and IIH}

Therapeutic chair yoga "includes breathing practices, body postures and movements, deep relaxation, guided imagery and meditation to help cope with stress and pain management". Illness, stress, and chronic pain have detrimental effects on our bodies and the way they function, so this is another alternative therapy that I have found helpful. I don't know about you, but I tend to hold my breath and withdrawal into a tortoise shell position when I'm in pain. I've found that just exacerbates the problem..yoga has helped me find my breath and break that pattern.

I found the best summary at the Kachmann Mind Body Institute. They noted "Yoga practices help to relax the body and develop greater awareness of our thoughts and feelings, which will increase our energy and vitality, and allow the body to heal from the inside-out" and summarized each aspect as follows:

Yoga Movements- Counteract the muscle tension and stiffness that follow anxiety, poor posture, previous injury and inactivity. Stretches
strengthen opposing muscle groups, increases bone strength, balance and coordination, and helps improve blood flow to the organs.

Breathing practices-Help us restore a natural breathing rhythm, help to calm and balance the Nervous System, increase the amount of circulating oxygen, and help increase awareness of internal states and deepen the benefits of other yoga practices.

Relaxation and Meditation will help the body to recover from exertion, reduce muscle tension and help to calm the mind and lower blood pressure and heart rate. Deep relaxation improves sleep and enables us to use imagery and meditation more fully.