Yoga Exercises for Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain is a common problem among the urban population, attributed to lack of physical exercise, unhealthy dietary patterns, and sedentary lifestyles. Some of the causes of shoulder pain are rotator cuff tears (tendons of the rotator cuff get disjointed from the bone), frozen shoulders or stiffness of shoulder bones, calcific tendonitis (deposition of calcium on tendons, especially that of the rotator cuff), loose joint and shoulder instability, labral tears, shoulder dislocations, arthritis, and bicep tendon ruptures. One of the best remedies for this shoulder pain is to practice yoga and shoulder exercises. Some of the useful shoulder exercises and yoga poses for shoulder pain are listed as under:

• Matsyaasana (Fish Pose): Lie down on the floor with your arms on the sides and legs folded or bent with feet on the floor. Stretch your legs out and place your palms on the buttocks. Now slowly inhale while raising your back up, so that your head lightly rests on the floor. Hold the pose for a few seconds, and then exhale while returning to normal position. This is an effective shoulder pain yoga pose.

• Shoulder Shrugs: Stand straight with your feet shoulder-distance apart, and then bend the knees as much as possible. Try to raise your shoulders up towards the ears while inhaling; hold the pose for a few seconds. Return to normal state while exhaling. Similarly, move your shoulders backwards while inhaling, hold the pose, and return to normal state while exhaling.

• Garudasana (Eagle Arms Pose): Stand straight with feet wide apart and knees slightly bent. Now, raise your arms to shoulder height and cross them in front of you at the elbows. Next, move your forearms such that your fingers are pointing toward the ceiling; your arms should still be bent at the elbows. Next, interlock your wrists and clasp your hands together such that your palms are facing each other. Now, breathe out while gently lowering your elbows. Keep your fingers in line with your nose. Repeat the pose a few times, alternating your initial arms.

Yoga for Neck and Shoulders

As neck and shoulder pain are caused by similar genre of strains and movements, there are some common remedies for neck and shoulder pain relief. Some of the poses of yoga for shoulder and neck pain are listed as under:

• Chin-to-chest Pose: Inhale, and while exhaling, lower your head towards the chest. This would stretch the muscles of neck, relieving the stiffness and ultimately soreness in the area.

• Ear-to-shoulder Pose: Inhale and while slowly exhaling, bend your neck on the left side in an attempt for left ear to touch the left shoulder. Hold the pose (the ear and shoulder cannot touch each other, unless you raise your shoulder; the latter is restricted as part of this yoga pose) and return back to normal state. Repeat the pose with right part of the body.

Other exercises for neck pain relief are neck rolls and shoulder circles. These are similar to the poses above, and involve similar breathing patterns. These were some of the poses in hatha yoga for neck and shoulder pain. Hatha yoga refers to a combination of physical movements or asanas and breathing exercises or pranayama. Yoga is one of the best ways to manage shoulder and neck pain. However, the yoga poses should be performed under the guidance of an expert or trainer. Yoga, if performed without expert guidance, may lead to adverse effects, which, in turn, may aggravate the pain in neck and shoulder. Hence, it is best to must consult a yoga trainer for expert advice on yoga poses and other aspects of yoga for neck and shoulder pain.

Meditation Benefits

Health Benefits of Meditation

Meditation is usually believed to be associated with a spiritual practice, which includes various yoga, breathing and relaxation techniques, to improve your overall health. In order to meditate, you do not need any special gear or equipment and therefore, anyone can meditate even for a few minutes every day. Contrary to what many people believe, meditation is not difficult to learn and at the same time, it has several benefits. There are no known negative effects or side effects to it. Meditation can also be used in the management of some life threatening diseases, the reversal of mental illnesses, the transformation of genetic and molecular structure and the acceleration of learning programs. Therefore, through proper meditation, you can gain better ecological understanding and manage your lifestyle and problems in a better manner. Many athletes and professionals from the sports industry use meditation to help them improve concentration. This increase in concentration leads to better performance not just in sports, but in all fields. When the mind is under control through meditation, it can guide the body to carry out all the required functions more effectively. Meditation can also improve body luster. When you concentrate or focus on your attention to a particular part of your body, the flow of blood to that part increases, because of which, that part receives oxygen and nutrients in abundance.

Other benefits of meditation are that:

• It reduces the consumption of oxygen and respiratory rate.

• It helps regulate medical conditions like blood pressure or hypertension.

• It increases the production of serotonin which can improve your mood, reducing chances of obesity, depression, headaches and insomnia.

• It helps with chronic conditions like arthritis, asthma, allergies, and the like.

• It can enhance healing, after a surgery.

• It restricts the activity of viruses as well as emotional distress.

• It can reduce overall body aches, as it creates a relaxed feeling in the body, decreasing muscle tension.

• It boosts your immune system.

• It helps you preserve your energy while carrying out daily activities.

• It can boost a person’s self confidence and emotional stability.

• It enhances learning abilities as well as memory.

• It makes the mind age at a slower rate.

• It helps you focus on important matters, allowing you to overlook petty problems.

• It improves a person’s reflexes, which prompt you to react quickly in stressful events.

• As one of the main advantages is relaxation, it helps reduce aggression in a person.

• It can also work as a cure for insomnia.

Improving Concentration

Being unable to concentrate can be easy. There is always too much to do and too little time to do it in. however, there is nothing insurmountable about this affliction. Most of the time, it is simply a matter of taking the effort to collect and apply yourself to any one thing or activity. In order to do this, you should have a calm mind and a sense of purpose towards everything you do. Sometimes, this can also become difficult. You should try to improve your concentration by doing Yoga or indulging in meditation. Yoga is an excellent way to gain control over your mind as well as body. It is a slow and deep breathing based effort, which usually takes a lot of concentrated time and effort to master. You should try to find an instructor who is well learned and has been practicing for a long time. This is particularly important, since we do not want to follow the kind of Yoga which is mere physical exercise and expertise. Along with Yoga, there is also a certain amount of meditation that needs to be done, as this is the path to follow for a holistic approach.

In order to meditate the Yogic way, you should concentrate on your breathing. A simple breathing exercise can be followed. Start with sitting in the Yogic lotus position and inhaling deeply. Hold your breath to the count of three and then exhale to the count of three. This completes one breathing cycle. Repeat this as frequently as you can. Remember not to lose track of counting. This is where the powers of concentration come in. you will need to count how many cycles you have managed to complete at one go. To start with, aim for between 20 and 50. If you are a person who finds it difficult to concentrate, you will discover that it is very tough to keep a proper count. Do not be discouraged. Just keep trying and be consistent in your attempts. This is the easiest way to improve your concentration and you will begin to notice an improvement in all the smallest things. Another way to improve powers of concentration is to read books. If you are not habituated to reading, finishing a whole book can take a tremendous amount of mental effort. But you will discover that it is well worth it, as your concentration will improve and you may even enjoy the book!

Mental Stress Relief:

Mental stress is a normal physical response that takes place when you are faced with any situation that makes you feel threatened or that upsets your balance in any way. Stress isn’t always a bad thing, as small amounts of stress can help you perform under pressure and constantly challenge you to do well. However if you frequently find yourself running in an emergency mode and are always frazzled it is necessary that you get your nervous system back in balance.

It is important to find ways to release mental stress, as holding it back can have harmful effects both on the individual as well his surroundings. Mental stress could be caused by a number of factors such as marital or family problems, loneliness, unemployment, a stressful job, a career change, exams and project deadlines. Some of the symptoms are loss of appetite and insomnia, fatigue, poor concentration, excessive anger and anxiety, helplessness and hopelessness, hallucinations and delusions, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicidal or homicidal ideas.

At times you may feel like the stress in your life is out of control. Being able to manage stress is all about taking charge of your thoughts, emotions, schedule, environment, and the way you deal with problems. Managing stress involves changing a stressful situation when you can and changing your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation.

These are some tips to help you combat mental stress:

• Meditation: Meditation is an ancient relaxation technique used since ancient times to calm your mind and body. It helps bring about a deep sense of calmness and peace. The goal when meditating is to clear away any thoughts that may be occupying your mind and causing the mental stress.
• Music for Relaxation: Research proves that music helps to relieve mental stress to a great extent because it slows down the level of stress in our mind and body and hence proves to be a healing tool for the mind. Next time you face a stressful moment at work, try some soothing music to relax the mind while you work.
• Positive Thinking: It is said that thinking positively is a hundred times more effective than being negative. A person with a positive mind develops a positive outlook towards life. By telling yourself, “I am an efficient employee,” you are creating positive self-talk which is part of maintaining a positive way of thinking and avoiding stress.