Osteopathic Yoga - Healthy Structure, Healthy Function

Though the two terms overlap, there are also important differences which will help to clarify the nature and benefits of each

Broadly speaking, exercise has a dual function of helping to improve your structure and level of fitness: 

1 – Structural fitness deals with factors such as muscle tone, stability, mobility and alignment, all essential elements for your health and wellbeing. Though interested in the whole body, osteopathic yoga pays special attention to the spine. This is because the spine is closely related to the 31 pairs of nerves connecting the central nervous system with every organ, tissue and cell

2 – Aerobic type exercise, by contrast, involves exertion to stimulate and condition your heart, circulation and breathing. Benefits include, but are not limited to, improvements in cardiovascular health and protection against heart disease and stroke

Yoga is also great at optimizing your structure. Yet, as cardiovascular exercise, even the most vigorous forms barely make the aerobic threshold

And yet, gentle or vigorous, yoga has been shown to convey virtually all of the benefits of cardiovascular exercise, and more besides. How can this be?

Yoga is essentially a mindfulness-based practice, with a focus mind-body connectivity and stress reduction. And it turns out it’s this ability to lower stress that’s yoga’s ultimate weapon – and most valuable gift

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain may arise from muscles, tendons, ligaments and bone. Only cartilage is insensitive to pain, although altered mechanics and irritation of adjacent tissues produce plenty of pain and swelling

Thinking of the body frame as a mechanical entity, we are tempted to assume that pain arises from injury and strain. A fall, bad posture, a sports´ injury. But the reality is rather more interesting

The MSK has mechanical properties, certainly. But it is also as much a vital organ as your heart or liver. Muscle conducts electricity in the same way as nerves. Bone is alive, ever remodeling to stresses and strains; the marrow producing blood and immune cells. Further, the relationship between pain and underlying structural abnormality is surprisingly loose

For example, nearly 80% of people of all ages with xray evidence of hip wear and tear walk around pain free. Around half of all people in their 60s with a full width tear of the rotator cuff in the shoulder equally experience no pain

The picture is hardly better for younger groups with acute injuries. 30% of 30-something year olds with positive evidence of spinal disc injury experience no pain. This figure rises to 60% for people in the 50s. And over 80% of 80+ year olds with a bulging disc have no pain

Things are no less interesting the other way round: up to 9 in 10 people with ongoing or recurrent hip pain showing no evidence of wear on xray.

Non Specific Low Back Pain

Back pain has many causes, including serious injury and internal disease. Yet up to 90% of people experiencing low back pain show no detectable abnormality on imaging or blood tests. This type of back pain has been labeled non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). Its alternative name of mechanical low back pain is ironic, given that stress is one of the main players in NSLBP

Even where injury and altered mechanics are evident, musculoskeletal pain maintains a close relationship to psychological stress. With its fusion of movement, postures and meditation on body and breath, osteopathic yoga embraces the whole mind-body spectrum. And is an excellent way for you to get fit, healthy, and free of pain

Individually and together, osteopathy and yoga work with your structure to support the processes needed for optimal vital and mental health

Circulation

Blood is entirely responsible for delivering nutrients to your tissues and cells. Nutrition is delivered by arteries, high pressure vessels with thick muscular coats, capable of resisting mechanical impingement Drainage and waste removal is the province of veins and lymphatics. Their thin walls and lower internal pressure make them more easily compressible by surrounding structures. Compression compromises drainage. And when tissues become full, or congested, nutrition suffers: This is because the nutrients are exchanged at the level of capillaries. These extremely thin vessels barely feel the driving force of the heart. Instead, fluid simply moves from a high pressure to a lower pressure environment. And what maintains this pressure differential between the inside and outside of capillaries? Drainage. Block off the drainage, the tissues fill up and nutrients just pass on by What prevents optimal drainage? Gravity and lack of movement. This puts movement at the centre of tissue nutrition and health

Movement

Movement is essential in health in other important ways. Nearly every cell in your body has receptors sensitive to mechanical forces. As you move, these mechano-receptors signal to your DNA allowing the cell to adapt to its mechanical environment. Here, too, whole-body movement in multiple directions provides the greatest benefit

Exercise and movement have been shown to boost mental health, with measurable improvements in anxiety levels, self-esteem and sleep.

The World Health organization recommend 150+ minutes of moderate exercise per week. While longer practice periods yield greater results for cardiovascular health, depression, and others, shorter practices have their own advantages.

Just 20 minutes of yoga three times weekly lowers stress hormones and raises GABA, a molecule that promotes calm and lowers anxiety. Yoga also stimulates the Vagus nerve, shifting your system from fight-flight to rest-and-repair. To get the full benefits, regular practice is essential. And here, micro-practicing winds hands-down. Studies show you are more likely to stick with regular 20 minute sessions than longer, more intense workouts. So, join our online classes for that weekly boost. Then roll out your mat and get practicing

Virtually every study on the efficacy and safety of yoga concludes that yoga has an low incidence of serious side-effects. Nevertheless, there will be times when your body might be too vulnerable for yoga

Although the causes of back and other pain most often benign, serious injury like fracture and disc injury with nerve entrapment are a fact of life

Generally speaking, when pain is recent and acute, gentle day-to-day movement interspersed with rest is your best option

Back or neck pain radiating to the lower and upper limbs respectively are best investigated. This is especially so when accompanied by numbness or tingling. Sensory disturbance suggests a possible nerve entrapment and should not be ignored

Pain that is constant and not relieved by moving or changing position is best investigated

Pain accompanied by feeling feverish and otherwise unwell also needs medical attention

If you develop any of these symptoms, or if you are new to the osteo yoga classes, please contact Manuel for your free 30 minute online assessment. It’s obligation-free