Yoga: Can movement be your medicine?

    I have previously talked about how exercise can be very beneficial to the healing process. However, my favorite form of exercise throughout my journey has been yoga. It can be difficult to find yoga classes that are POTs friendly (sitting, slow positional changes, vertical etc.) but once you are able to find classes you're able to do, yoga can be a game changer! When my doctor first told me that yoga is one of the best things you can do for POTs I was a bit skeptical. I instantly thought of standing yoga poses and questioned how that would work for someone like me. However I searched around on YouTube and found many floor level yoga classes that are very POTs friendly. 

    I find that not only am I able to do the movements, but I also feel very relaxed after I do yoga. What I suggest is to find a video on YouTube that says "floor yoga" or "POTS yoga" and follow along with the video. The deep breathing is very good for POTs patients and can really help ease any stress or anxiety of the day even if it is only for a few minutes. While doing these exercises you are both stretching and straightening muscles that may not get as much movement as they used to. Yoga is a mind body experience that I cannot recommend enough to patients with POTs. 

Image result for yoga clip art

Image link: young-woman-practicing-yoga-in-lotus-pose-vector-id516948166

My favorite creator I have found that does very POTs friendly videos is Yoga With Adriene on YouTube. Her videos are very easy to follow and she has a whole playlist of restorative and gentle floor yoga practices. I linked one of her videos below if you would like to check her out! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuOLow1urcU&list=PLui6Eyny-UzzdSfyHJAfj7QiG8bGI1gpU&index=2


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