| Do you feel spasms of pain or occasional pins and needles in the back of the neck, shoulders, arms and forearms? Do you feel giddy or feel as though you might just faint any moment? If you experience any of these symptoms, it may be due to cervical spondylitis. The onset of cervical spondylitis, if noticed and dealt with in the initial stages, can be reversed by doing yoga. Medicines may give you instant relief and reduce inflammation. If the pain is severe, injection of steroids can also provide short-term relief but remember, they have side-effects. Physiotherapy also gives relief, but its benefits will, at best, be temporary. So you eventually have to become your own doctor-cum-healer and, in these circumstances, yoga can work wonders. | ||||
| rajju karshanasana | ||||
Sit comfortably with your eyes open. Imagine a rope hanging from the ceiling in front of your body. Breathing: Inhale, look up towards the rope, grip it firmly with the right hand, keeping the elbow locked. As you exhale, pull the right hand downward as if you are pulling down the rope. Keep your eyes fixed on the right hand as it moves downward. Make sure you really tighten the muscles in your arm and back. Repeat these movements with the left hand to complete one round. The arms should move alternately. Duration: Repeat 10 times. Benefits: This asana will help loosen up the shoulder and upper back muscles. It can also be done standing. | ||||
| SKANDHA CHAKRA | ||||
Place the fingers of the left and right hands on the left and right shoulders. Work within your present capacity and try to join the elbows in front of the body. Raise them upward to point towards the ceiling by raising your biceps past the ears. Continue the rotating action of the elbows till they come to the sides. Next, bring them down till they touch the torso and finally, complete the full circle by bringing the elbows in contact with each other in front of the body. This is one round. Breathing: Inhale on the upward movement and exhale downwards. Duration: Do five to eight rounds slowly in this direction and then five to eight rounds in reverse. Benefits: This asana relieves stiffness in the upper back, neck and shoulders. Done regularly, this asana helps significantly in the treatment of cervical spondylitis and frozen shoulder. | ||||
| greeva sanchalana | ||||
This has four distinct stages and all of them are important. However, those suffering from high BP, severe cervical spondylitis or vertigo must not attempt the forward bending of the neck in stages 1 and 4. Stage 1: Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Exhaling, try to bring the chin close to the point between the collar bones. Remain in that position briefly; then, as you inhale, move your chin upwards towards the ceiling, as you tilt your head backwards. Remain in that position briefly. This is one round. Gently repeat, five more times. Stage 2: Keeping your eyes closed, tilt the left ear towards the left shoulder and feel a stretch on the muscle connecting the base of your right ear with the right collar bone. Hold. As you inhale, return to the starting position, then exhale and tilt the right ear to the right shoulder. This is one round. Repeat five more times. The chin must not move. It must remain in line with your Adam’s apple. Stage 3: Look straight ahead and close your eyes. Keeping the neck and shoulders relaxed, turn the chin towards the left shoulder and remain in that final position briefly. Then, turn the head slowly and steadily till the chin points to the right shoulder. Hold briefly and return to the starting position. This is one round. Repeat five times. Stage 4: As you sit in an upright posture, try to bring the chin close to the point between the collar bones. Gently and slowly, turn the chin to the right shoulder and when you reach it, turn the chin upward towards the ceiling by tilting the head back. Then, turn the chin to the left shoulder; next, turn the head downwards, bringing the chin back to the centre of the chest. This is one round, anti-clockwise. Do four more rounds, but very gently. Do five rounds clockwise to complete the practice. Note: But I repeat, those with high BP, severe cervical spondylosis or vertigo should avoid the forward bend. Turning to the sides and bending backwards is absolutely fine, but please work within your limits. | ||||
| a few suggestions | ||||
| • Be positive and patient when you feel the pain. Use a cervical collar for some time if that helps. But don’t be dependent on it. Use heat to relieve pain and follow this up with a gentle massage, trying to move the circulation from the limbs towards the heart. • When you sit, try to keep the back, neck and shoulders relaxed, aligned and upright. • Sleep on a hard bed. Use a cushion to support the neck. • Have dinner early, maybe by 7 pm. Keep it light. • Skip a meal once in a while, particularly when the pain is severe. • Eat plenty of vegetables, salads and fruit (particularly bananas). Increase water intake and reduce milk and milk products. • Yoga says that we are as ill as we think we are. So try to be physically active and cheerful. |
Thursday, 29 May 2025
