Inside Yoga 131 (9/3/15)

I firmly believe that yoga can help everyone and anyone, whatever their health situation, it is just a case of tailoring the yoga to help their physical and emotional needs. Today I came across an interesting story about how Help for Heroes, a charity formed to help those who have been wounded in Britain’s current conflicts, has been introducing yoga to those who have been wounded.

At the Help for Heroes recovery centre in Tedworth House, Wiltshire, former military personnel who have been severely wounded, such as amputations, have been introduced to yoga. The article in the Daily Telegraph says that a former corporal said he was very cynical at first, asking “why would a soldier do yoga?”
The yoga sessions at this centre not only focus on rebuilding strength, but also aim to alleviate post-combat symptoms such as insomnia, depression, phantom pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The story reports that although “the top brass were initially sceptical, the army Surgeon General Paul Evans last year declared yoga to be a fundamental part of military rehabilitation.”
The yoga teacher who works at the centre, Suzie Jennings, says that there is now scientific evidence that shows yoga helps PTSD, citing a study published last October 2014 that compared war vets who did regular yoga with those who did not, found the former had fewer PTSD symptoms such as anxiety.
Yoga has been shown to help injured soldiers to sleep at night, and to work with the pain they experience most, if not all, of the time. The article mentions one of the soldiers had sleepless nights, until he tried the yoga classes. “I began sleeping much better,” he says. “I feel great after the yoga, and at night when I can’t switch off, Suzie’s breathing techniques calm me down.”
The yoga teacher, Suzie explains: “Simple moves like lifting their legs work because holding the pelvis higher than the heart calms the mind,” she explains. Meditation and deep breathing are incorporated, with results that have astounded her. “The guys sleep better and have less pain, anxiety and grief,” she says. “I’ve seen such big changes.”
As this story illustrates yoga is adaptable and focusses in a holistic manner on what the individual needs, in this case, improved mobility, reduced pain and ways of reducing their stress levels.
If you struggling with injuries, whether they are due to warfare or other causes, and live in the Bristol area, I might be able to help you. Contact me for more details: gary@yogabristol.co.uk .
To read about the article mentioned click on http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/11449805/The-broken-heroes-healed-by-yoga.html
To see what Help for Heroes does click on http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk
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