Yoga is an ancient system of well-being that includes asanas (physical poses), pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation and ethical codes. Yoga classes in the United States and the rest of the Western world usually focus on asana. Yoga exercises can be combined with traditional therapy and medication to help people with schizophrenia. Regular group yoga classes are not recommended for patients with psychotic symptoms, but private yoga sessions with a qualified yoga instructor or yoga therapist can help alleviate symptoms and improve a schizophrenic patient's quality of life.
Research
A 2007 study published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica tested the effects of yoga on schizophrenic patients for a period of four months. The study compared the group doing yoga to a control group of schizophrenic patients assigned to a regular physical-exercise regimen. Both groups showed improvement in functioning, but the yoga group showed more significant progress in their overall quality of life, as well as a reduction in schizophrenic symptoms.
Body Awareness
One of the most common benefits of regular yoga practice is increased body awareness. People who suffer from schizophrenia often have trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy, and tend to have distorted perceptions of their own bodies, which can contribute to depression and psychosomatic symptoms. For these reasons, yoga poses may help schizophrenic patients establish a stronger tie to reality.
Standing Poses
According to Ayurveda, sometimes considered a "sister science" to yoga, some schizophrenic symptoms correspond to an imbalance in vata dosha, one of three internal energies. Symptoms of vata imbalance include anxiety, insomnia, memory problems and a lack of focus. An article in Yoga Journal by Dr. Timothy McCall suggests that standing poses provide benefits for vata imbalances by helping "ground" the practitioner. However, though there is ample evidence for the benefits of yoga overall, there is little research to support the benefits of standing poses for schizophrenia compared to other types of poses.
Compression Poses
According to the website Schizophrenia.com, there is a correlation between thyroid disorders and schizophrenia, and psychotic symptoms may be reduced by treating hypothyroidism in schizophrenic patients. Stimulating the thyroid through yoga poses such as shoulder stand (sarvangasana), plough (halasana) and standing head to knee pose (dandayamana janusirasana) may help alleviate some symptoms.
Breathing Exercises
Yoga poses are correlated with the breath, and yoga encourages practitioners to breathe more consciously than they normally would. Deeper, longer breaths soothe the sympathetic nervous system, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. This action helps lower cortisol levels, decreases blood pressure and relaxes muscles. A 1999 article published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology confirms that schizophrenics tend to have abnormal parasympathetic functioning. Yoga poses and breathing exercises improve the body's parasympathetic responses and may help reduce stress in schizophrenic patients.
Tags: schizophrenic patients, breathing exercises, help alleviate, nervous system, Poses According, psychotic symptoms, quality life