Tips to reduce muscle pain while doing yoga

Photo by Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

It can be said that yoga is a workout for the whole body.

It builds strength, flexibility, and balance.

However, like other physical activities, yoga can cause muscle pain.

The muscle often aches after doing too hard movements, especially when you start or do yoga again after a long rest.

And maybe because of these pains, you can’t keep practicing the next day.

Therefore, it is essential to relax the muscles to relieve muscle pain after yoga.

In most cases, muscle pains go away without treatment.

Also, some lifestyle changes and home remedies may help you, or your wife, relieve pain faster.

So, how can we get relief from muscle pain while doing yoga?

How to get rid of muscle pain after yoga?

Here is the point by point elaboration :

Breathe properly

Deep breathing can help relax muscles. Instruct your wife to do the following:

Place a hand on your stomach, take a deep, and slow breath through your nose, keeping your lungs as full as possible.

Your wife will feel her stomach bulge.

Hold for 3 seconds, and then exhale a long breath.

Focus on inhaling and exhaling about 10-20 times; you will feel the tension from the muscles dissipate somewhat.

Practice stretching exercises

Stretching not only relaxes your body, but it also helps stretch your muscles to reduce muscle aches.

The trick is to treat sore muscles, stretching your muscles against them.

Stretch gently, hold each stretch for about 10 to 30 seconds, then repeat a few times. Stretching should feel like mild tension, never sharp pain.

Gentle stretching after a period of rest can ease stiffness and cramping.

Deep sleep

A night of deep sleep is crucial.

During sleep, the muscles get rest and recovery.

The CDC recommends that adults get 7 or more hours of sleep a night.

When muscles recover, our bodies will be stronger and able to function with higher intensity.

Muscle massage

Massage is an ancient technique that can help relax muscles and ease soreness.

Gentle massage can relieve tension in sore muscles and make you feel better sooner.

You can massage your wife gently for about 15 minutes.

Besides, you can take her to massage weekly to speed healing.

Take a hot bath

Saunas, warm baths, or hot showers can help reduce aches and pains.

The heat helps reduce muscle stiffness and increases blood flow to the affected area. If you strained a muscle, use ice for the first 1 to 3 days, then switch to heat.

Acupuncture

When acupuncture, the doctor will use needles to acupuncture points on the body.

Some people find acupuncture helps with muscle pain, though the evidence for post-exercise soreness is limited.

If you try it, choose a licensed acupuncturist who uses sterile, single-use needles.

Take healthy foods at the house

Advise your wife to follow a healthy balanced diet with enough protein, fruits, and vegetables.

Supplements such as fish oil, vitamin C, and magnesium are often promoted for recovery, but the evidence that they prevent muscle soreness is weak. Food first is the safer approach.

Drink enough water

Drinking enough water will help relieve muscle pain.

Water and electrolytes help your muscles and nerves work properly, and dehydration can make cramps more likely.

Remind your wife to drink water regularly, especially before and after a session. Thirst and pale yellow urine are good guides.

Without enough water, your wife’s body will not function at its best.

If it still doesn’t work, take medicine

If your wife doesn’t feel better after the remedies listed above, over-the-counter pain relievers can help, such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen. Follow the label dose, and check with a doctor first if she has stomach, kidney, or heart problems or is pregnant.

Also, meditation can help to relax muscles faster.

As MedlinePlus advises, see a doctor if muscle pain lasts more than 3 days, is severe, or comes with swelling, redness, or weakness.

Although yoga is healthy, it does not mean that practitioners should push it as hard as possible.

Please advise your wife to start fundamental to advanced exercises and follow the above tips to relax muscles after practicing yoga.

Only when appropriately practiced, yoga will make the body healthy.

Sources

• Muscle aches, MedlinePlus
• About Sleep, CDC