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FOR PAIN RELIEF

Main Manual
Disclaimer
You must get your physicians approval before beginning this exercise program.
These recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for educational
purposes only. You must consult your physician prior to starting this program
or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates this type of
physical activity. This program is designed for individuals who are new to yoga or
are experiencing chronic pain, stress, or emotional overwhelm.
The information in this report is meant to supplement, not replace, proper
exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and
publishers advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their
limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment
(mat, straps, and blocks) is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your
level of experience, aptitude, training and fitness.
The exercises and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute
for any exercise routine or treatment or dietary regimen that may have been
prescribed by your physician.
Dont perform any exercise unless you have been shown and understand the
proper technique by a certified personal trainer or certified yoga instructor.
See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are
taking any medications, you must talk to your physician before starting any
exercise program. If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness
of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a physician.
You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you
have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, or if you are severely
overweight. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a
registered dietitian. If your physician recommends that you dont use Yoga for
Pain Relief, please follow your doctors orders. yoga

Copyright 2003-2015 CB Athletic Consulting, Inc.

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 Namaste!
Welcome to Yoga for Pain Relief! Congratulations on making a
life changing decision that will relieve your chronic pain, reawaken
your zest for life, and inspire you to dive into activities you love once
again. My hope is that this program will serve as a guide for you to
uncover the root of physical, mental, and emotional pain so that you
can reduce your suffering and be free to enjoy every aspect of life.

Im delighted and honored to be your guide as you embark

on a journey toward freedom from pain and suffering. If you
commit to exploring what yoga has to offer, you will change your
understanding of and experience with physical and emotional pain.
You will develop the personal power to shift out of patterns that
keep you stuck in chronic pain and into your bodys natural healing
responses.

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 Common Mistakes
Yoga is an incredible tool that can help alleviate myriad health
issues but it must be done appropriately and mindfully or injuries
can occur. The following are some basic guidelines to follow as you
embark on your Yoga for Pain Relief journey.

Always use your breath as your guide when moving in &

out of postures or attempting to deepen a posture. The
breath is your most intimate guide to what your practice
will look like. Be mindful and respectful of breath rate
and depth. Transitions from inhale to exhale should be
seamless, like the ebb and flow of the ocean.

Listen to cues your body gives you on how far to take a

posture or whether to skip a posture all together. Pain should
never be sharp or cause your breath to get caught or cut
short. Always ease into postures and their deeper forms with
respect for you bodys signals. Know that your practice will
vary from day to day.

Be mindful of your back in forward bends and forward folds.

Gently pull your abdominal muscles in as you fold forward
and make sure to hinge from the hips rather than the mid or yoga
upper vertebrae. To bend at the hips, you will tip your pelvis
forward/reach your sitting bones back. This will feel like a
stretch in the hamstrings. ENERGY
Backbends of any kind are meant to be a lifting and
lengthening through the spine rather than a crunching down
& back sensation. Always follow foundation cues for pelvic

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 alignment and never go farther than you can keep your
breath a steady rhythm.

Upside down poses require precise alignment. Never look

side to side when your hips are higher than your head while
your head is on the ground. Examples are bridge, shoulder
stand, headstand, plow pose, etc.

Move into hamstring stretches slowly. Listen to the feedback

your body is giving you and be mindful to warm up properly
before attempting deeper poses that stretch the hamstrings.
Bending or softening at the knees may be appropriate to
protect your hamstrings and their tendons.

Practice good alignment of the shoulders in all postures. Be

sure to not allow the head of the upper arm bone to jut
forward. Avoid any arm positions that cause pain.

Sacroiliac Issues are common among individuals who are

very flexible. The SI joint sits in between the surface of the
sacrum and the ilium in the pelvic girdle. It is most often
strained during wide leg poses or poses involving twists with
the legs separated. If you have an SI joint issue please allow
your pelvis to turn slightly in the direction of the twist so that
the pelvis and sacrum move in unison to reduce torque on
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the SI joint.

Never go into a pose that hurts your knees. Never place

torque on your knees to get into a pose. Do not hyperextend
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your knees or lock the joint. Engage in a micro-bend to
protect the knee joint in straight leg poses.

When knees are bent as in lunges or warrior poses, align the

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 knee over the two middle toes.

Modify poses that place stress or strain on the ankle joint. Try
to keep a long line of energy transitioning from the lower leg
through the ankle and out the toes.

Some poses can place a lot of pressure on the wrists such

as Downward Facing Dog, Chatturanga, or Handstand.
To avoid this, try not to collapse your wrists by letting the
weight fall onto the heel of the hands. Rather, apply pressure
through the knuckle pads and distribute that energy out
each finger. Try pressing more firmly into the thumb and
forefinger to shift the energy out of the wrists (but dont lose
the connection to the pinky).

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 Contraindications for Yoga
Practice
Permanent Contraindications for Yoga
Practice
The unstable mind, mental disorders, and epilepsy

Congenital Heart Disease

Malignant Tumors

Hematopathy

Infections of the Musculoskeletal System

Severe spinal injuries and recent head injuries

Temporary Contraindications for Yoga

Practice
Flare up periods for chronic diseases

Body overheating or over-cooling yoga

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During heavy medication or drug use

Post-operative time period (until cleared by doctor and

physical therapist)

Severe fatigue

Increased intraocular and intracranial pressure (head

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 colds, severe migraines)

Neuro-infection

Ear infections or vestibular issues

Inversions during menstruation

Chronic Hypertension: please avoid inversions

Spine Diseases (osteochondrosis, scoliosis) avoid forward

bends from standing or seated posturesor modify with
props

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 Program Contents
Daily Asana: 4-week Programs
Each week includes 4 daily poses with 1 weekly mini-sequence
composed of that weeks daily poses

Daily Asana: Building a Foundation

Daily Asana: Building Balance

This is a quick and effective

way to understand in greater
Align & depth each posture including
Alleviate alignment, weight distribution,
muscle engagement, and
breathing cues. This simple
program can be used as a
Restore & jump-start and will support your
Rebuild journey through the 12-week
Yoga for Pain Relief program

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Flexibility

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& Flow

Strengthen
& Stabilize

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12-Week Yoga for Pain Relief Program
Each Phase Includes 3 corresponding sequences

Weeks 1-3: Align & Alleviate

Weeks 4-6: Restore & Rebuild

Weeks 7-9: Flexibility & Flow

Weeks 10-12: Strengthen & Stabilize

The 12-week yoga program features 4 progressive phases of

yoga sequencing that methodically take you on a journey of
total restoration. Phase 1: Align & Alleviate introduces healthy
alignment in order to reduce stiffness and begin to alleviate pain
immediately. The second phase, Restore & Rebuild focuses on
reawakening musculoskeletal function, proprioception, and aids
in rebuilding healthy movement patterns. During Phase 3: Flexibility
& Flow invites you to begin to move more fluidly, unifying breath
and movement allowing for a deeper connection with yourself
and your environment. The final phase, Strengthen & Stabilize
combines strength and balance into an energizing and rejuvenating
experience to create a strong and stable mind and body.

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 Calendar of How to Procee d
with Yoga for Pain Relief
If you are brand new to yoga, I encourage you to take some time
to learn each posture by starting with the Daily Asana Series. They
are quick and effectively teach you how to perform each pose with
maximum alignment and engagement to keep you safe and pain
free! Even if youve practiced yoga in the past, the Daily Asanas are
a great refresher, introducing you to transformative details you may
have never even known about!

This program has many options for implementation. You can tailor
it to meet your needs and align with your schedule, goals, and
even the rate with which you progress. You may wish to stay on a
particular series longer than the suggested 3-weeks. I encourage you
to listen to your body and proceed as you are ready!

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If youre ready to dive into the 12-week program here are two
examples of how to implement each phase:

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Align & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Alleviate 1 2 3
Align & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Alleviate 1 2 3
Restore & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Rebuild 1 2 3
Restore & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Rebuild 1 2 3

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Align & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Alleviate 1 1 2
Align & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Alleviate 2 3 3
Restore & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Rebuild 1 1 2
Restore & Sequence Sequence Sequence
Rebuild 2 3 3

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 Mindset Guide
Purpose
The purpose of Yoga for Pain Relief is to teach you a new way of yoga

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thinking about the pain and suffering you may struggle with on a
daily basis. Yoga provides an opportunity for you to learn how past
trauma, illness, and stress can alter the way your mind and body
communicate. By developing a new language using breath work,
visualizations, specific yoga postures, and thoughtful sequences you
will be able to change how you relate to pain and chronic suffering.

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From this new understanding you will be able to use Yoga for Pain
Relief as a launch pad to a life free from miserable aches, pains, and
daily suffering. You will have the tools to relieve daily stresses, relax
tired muscles, and restore your emotional vitality. In addition to the
12-week program you will also be guided on a nutritional approach,
Foods for Restoration, designed to decrease inflammation in the
body. Often, inflammation of the digestive system contributes to
and exacerbates chronic pain, anxiety, gastrointestinal issues,
and depression. By consistently choosing anti-inflammatory foods,
avoiding pro-inflammatory foods, and boosting water intake you
can take control of your health from the inside. You will be removing
toxins, supplying your body with vital nutrients for tissue repair, and
restoring the gut to full function. Your energy will skyrocket and youll
feel like participating in life.

Life Improvement Expectations/Benefits

Yoga has been integral in improving numerous forms of pain
including back and hip pain, knee pain, headaches, some forms
of arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome,
premenstrual syndrome, emotional grief, stress, overwhelm and
depression, to name a few.

The Yoga for Pain Relief program is designed to teach you the basics yoga
of a yoga practice rooted in developing a connection between
physical movement and synchronized breath work. This simple act
of timing breath and movement is a powerful tool that ultimately ENERGY
teaches you to listen to your body, take care of your needs, and
restore your health so that you can participate in the life you desire.

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Breath is so powerful it can be used in any circumstance to create
a sense of safety and relief during moments of acute pain or fear.
Combined with the physical postures and stretches of Yoga for Pain
Relief you will improve your ability to move through daily life with
ease and confidence.

During the Yoga for Pain Relief program you will also learn how
to listen to your body, develop intuition about its needs, and
experience deep relaxation so that you can understand your bodys
physical limitations, understand how to develop peace around the
sensations youre observing and identify situations that contribute to
pain and stress. You will know how to relieve chronic muscle tension, yoga

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pain, sensitivity, and anxiety.

In addition, you will experience greater flexibility, range of motion, and

strength in your body. You will regain your sense of balance and control
over your bodys movement patterns giving you confidence to engage
in everyday activities with ease. You may even find yourself returning to
hobbies and pastimes you thought were to be left in the past.

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Understanding Pain & Core Science
Our understanding of chronic pain has evolved over the years
through research rooted in neuroscience, psychology, and medicine.
Initially, there was recognition that pain is a mind-body process
involving not just physical injury or illness, but also thoughts, emotions,
stress, and learning. As research progressed, we learned that chronic
pain is processed differently than an acute pain response. Finally,
advancements in our comprehension of how to access the mind
and bodys natural pain-suppressing systems through breathing,
relaxation, meditation, and movement have become commonly
accepted in the medical field and thus, opened up a whole new
vein of therapeutic protocols.

Pain is vital to our survival. It lets us know when our safety is at risk; it
motivates us to protect ourselves; it helps us learn to avoid things
that could be harmful in the future. Pain is a coordinated mind-body
response that directs attention and energy to the most important task
at hand: protect yourself!

This diagram from Yoga for Pain Relief, by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., is a
simple way of understanding this process:

Pain yoga
Injury or Threat of Response:

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Illness Signal sent sensation, Learning
Trigger to Brain thoughts, emotions,
stress, and coping

The cognitive appraisal that occurs when you experience pain not
only allows you to identify whats happening in the body but also

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triggers a part of the brain that keeps track of goals and conflicts.
This will focus your attention on what needs to be done next in
order to solve the problem of pain. At the same time, emotion-
processing areas receive the message triggering a wide range of
possible emotions, from fear to anger, which motivate you to protect
yourself. Combined, your thoughts and emotions about your physical
sensations of pain make up suffering. This is where stress gets tied
into the picture. Stress, in its highest good, motivates you to take
action against a perceived threat. Coping mechanisms are set in
placesome of which are innate responses by the body and some
that are created by you as a way of feeling safe. Even once a threat
is gone the pain response does not end. The mind and body are still
committed to making sure this experience is not repeated so the
nervous system begins the process of learning from this experience.

The protective pain response is truly an incredible system

coordinated to perpetuate survival during acute emergencies and
for handling short-term pain.

Unfortunately, this very system can work against you in chronic pain
situations. Understanding the difference between acute pain and
chronic pain will be critical to your ability to reduce and manage
your pain immediately and long term. 1
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 ACUTE PAIN vs CHRONIC PAIN

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Acute Pain is an
immediate & temporary
response to some kind of
injury, illness, or trauma
Chronic Pain is a
misunderstanding by
the brain about what is
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The assumption is that chronic pain follows the same response
patterns as acute painthat if you have chronic pain you must have
a chronic threat and if pain gets worse it must mean the threat in
the body has gotten worse. Rarely is this the case. The difference
between acute and chronic pain responses is threefold. First, the
body has become more sensitive to threats, sending signals to the
brain even when the threat in reality is minor or nonexistent (recall
coping mechanisms you create to feel safe). Second, the brain
becomes more likely to interpret situations as more threatening and
sensations as more painful than they really are thus, producing a
pain response out of proportion to any real danger which increase
the feelings of stress. Finally, with these repeated experiences the
boundaries between sensation, suffering, and stress get blurred so
that at any given moment any one of these aspects of the pain
response can trigger a full-blown protective pain response whether
necessary or not.

What this means is chronic pain is a far less reliable signal about what
is actually happening in the body. The pain you feel may reflect a
genuine threat to the body or it may be procured by the fears in
your mind. Just as easily, a traffic jam, spilled coffee, or a fight with
a loved one can bring it on. This habitual, autopilot pain response
reflects an overprotective mind-body reaction that results in chronic
physical or emotional pain. yoga
The good news is that just as these habits are created they can be
undone. Neuroplasticity is the nervous systems ability to learn in ENERGY
response to an experience and is vital to learning of all kinds. Just like
the ability to improve skills like your sense of balance or performance
in a sporting activity through repeated practice so too, does the
body become better at being in pain through repetitive triggers to

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the pain response.

Undoing the historical reaction of chronic pain using the notion of

neuroplasticity is a beacon of hope to millions of people suffering
daily. Neuroplasticity makes any response you practice more likely
including the healing response during activities such as relaxation,
breath work, self-acceptance, and gratitude. Yoga for Pain Relief
will be a guiding light to healing as you navigate a new way of being
in relationship to the pain and suffering you have been experiencing.

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