Australian Yoga Journal – August 2019

Your yoga practice can be

a therapeutic tool for pain

management and prevention.

Try this gentle sequence to

target your nerves and protect

their signalling powers.

WITH ALL OF THE NEW AND EMERGING

INFORMATION on pain science, yoga

students and teachers have the

opportunity to apply modern research

to their practices and help alleviate

and prevent pain.

Preliminary research suggests

that gentle movement of your nerves

is vital to both managing pain and

supporting the general health of

your nervous system. The idea is

that healthy nerves should be able to

gently slide, elongate, and angulate

within neural tissues (some nerves

can move as much as 1.5cm) in order to

adapt to different loads and minimise

pressure that can worsen existing pain,

alter sensation, or lead to new pain

patterns. Sometimes, tone and tension

around neural tissues can be a problem.

These tissues are bloodthirsty and rely

on an important pressure gradient

around them to maintain adequate

blood flow. So even small changes in

tissue tension around a nerve can be

enough to block nerve mobility and lead

to compression that disrupts blood flow

and nerve signalling back to the brain,

contributing to pain.

To help you keep your nerves

adaptable and protected, try the asana

technique on the following pages based

on an understanding of neurodynamics

(the study of nerve movement through

its surrounding tissues) and nerve

pathways. We have the ability to

alternately put tension on different

ends of the nerve to create a movement

of the nerve through the tissues, often

referred to as nerve gliding. As you

floss the nerve, you potentially allow it

to move more freely so that it can

communicate more efficiently with

your brain. For example, the sciatic

nerve runs through the back of your

leg, so in Supta Padangusthasana

(Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) if

you bend your knee (raised leg) and

flex your foot, you’ll put tension on

one end of the nerve (by your foot)

and slack the other end (by your knee).

This action draws the sciatic nerve

and its branches toward your foot.

Then, as you extend your knee and

point your toes, you’ll reverse the

areas of tension and slack. This

action draws the branches of the

sciatic nerve toward your knee. When

NERVE

GET UP THE

you put these movements together

you can encourage the sciatic nerve

to move back and forth through its

tissues more effortlessly. You also

may down-regulate local inflammatory

responses, restore healthy blood flow

to the hard-working nerve,

and encourage more efficient

communication between your brain

and body. Optimal signalling is

crucial if you want your immune and

nervous systems to function at their

best, which is another reason to add

nerve gliding to your repertoire.

The key to nerve gliding is to

move gently within an easy range

of motion. Since your target is the

pain-free movement of your nerves,

not of your muscles and fascia, you

want very little sensation or stretch.

It’s a great reminder that even in the

physical body there’s clearly more to

what we do than just sensations or

the feel-good endorphins associated

with them. Another thing

I love about this approach is that, in

addition to being a safe way to work

with pain, it’s very accessible since it’s

about simple, gentle movements. 35

august/september 2019

yogajournal.com.au

By Tiffany Cruikshank

PHOTO: 568363753 / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

yj77_32-37 get up the nerve.indd 35 19/7/19 1:24 pm

Youryoga practicecanbe

a therapeutictool forpain

managementand prevention.

Trythisgentlesequenceto

targetyournerves andprotect

theirsignallingpowers.

WITHALLOFTHENEWANDEMERGING

INFORMATIONonpainscience,yoga

studentsandteachershavethe

opportunitytoapplymodernresearch

totheirpracticesandhelpalleviate

andpreventpain.

Preliminaryresearchsuggests

thatgentlemovementofyournerves

is vitaltobothmanagingpainand

supportingthegeneralhealthof

yournervoussystem.Theideais

thathealthynervesshouldbeableto

gentlyslide,elongate,andangulate

withinneuraltissues(somenerves

canmoveasmuchas1.5cm)inorderto

adapttodifferentloadsandminimise

pressurethatcanworsenexistingpain,

altersensation,orleadtonewpain

patterns.Sometimes,toneandtension

aroundneuraltissuescanbea problem.

Thesetissuesarebloodthirstyandrely

onanimportantpressuregradient

aroundthemtomaintainadequate

bloodflow.Soevensmallchangesin

tissuetensionarounda nervecanbe

enoughtoblocknervemobilityandlead

tocompressionthatdisruptsbloodflow

andnervesignallingbacktothebrain,

contributingtopain.

Tohelpyoukeepyournerves

adaptableandprotected,trytheasana

techniqueonthefollowingpagesbased

onanunderstandingofneurodynamics

(thestudyofnervemovementthrough

itssurroundingtissues)andnerve

pathways.Wehavetheabilityto

alternatelyputtensionondifferent

endsofthenervetocreatea movement

ofthenervethroughthetissues,often

referredtoasnervegliding.Asyou

flossthenerve,youpotentiallyallowit

tomovemorefreelysothatit can

communicatemoreefficientlywith

yourbrain.Forexample,thesciatic

nerverunsthroughthebackofyour

leg,soinSuptaPadangusthasana

(RecliningHand-to-Big-ToePose)if

youbendyourknee(raisedleg)and

flexyourfoot,you’llputtensionon

oneendofthenerve(byyourfoot)

andslacktheotherend(byyourknee).

Thisactiondrawsthesciaticnerve

anditsbranchestowardyourfoot.

Then,asyouextendyourkneeand

pointyourtoes,you’llreversethe

areasoftensionandslack.This

actiondrawsthebranchesofthe

sciaticnervetowardyourknee.When

NERVE

GET UP THE

you put these movements together

you can encourage the sciatic nerve

to move back and forth through its

tissues more effortlessly. You also

may down-regulate local inflammatory

responses, restore healthy blood flow

to the hard-working nerve,

and encourage more efficient

communication between your brain

and body. Optimal signalling is

crucial if you want your immune and

nervous systems to function at their

best, which is another reason to add

nerve gliding to your repertoire.

The key to nerve gliding is to

move gently within an easy range

of motion. Since your target is the

pain-free movement of your nerves,

not of your muscles and fascia, you

want very little sensation or stretch.

It’s a great reminder that even in the

physical body there’s clearly more to

what we do than just sensations or

the feel-good endorphins associated

with them. Another thing

I love about this approach is that, in

addition to being a safe way to work

with pain, it’s very accessible since it’s

about simple, gentle movements. 35

august/september 2019

yogajournal.com.au

By Tiffany Cruikshank

PHOTO: 568363753 / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM