5 Most EffectiveYoga Exercises For Lymphedema

Tolerating a heavy and ugly swollen limb can be quite pathetic! Not only your limbs, but the other parts of your body such as the neck or head, may swell due to Lymphedma, which is believed to affect around 140 million people around the world today. Lymphedema is essentially characterized by the accumulation of fluid in specific parts of the body.Caused by heredity or by injury, lymphatic obstruction may lead to bodily infection and elephantiasis, if timely treatment is not given. It can also lead to general ill-health and other discomfitures such as severe fatigue. However, Lmyphoedema is treatable and various medical treatment options such as compression, surgery, laser therapy and decongestive therapy are available for treating this condition.

Yoga exercises cause movement in the body and promote free flow of body fluids. While performing yoga exercises, always remember to breathe, as that will strengthen your diaphragm and facilitate free flow of lymph. Wearing your compression garment will aid the benefits of yoga exercises by ensuring free flow of lymph in your body. You must remember to not strain your muscles which will restrict the flow of fluids in your body.

Yoga Exercises For Lymphedema

Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall Pose)

Viparita Karani is a yoga inversion pose that is performed by lying on the floor and raising your legs up against the wall. This is particularly helpful in the case of swollen feet where the flow of the fluid accumulated in the feet will gravitate towards the body.

Perform this exercise by lying flat on the floor and raising your feet up against a wall. Raise your tailbone and rest it on a bolster for an elevated variation of the Legs Up The Wall Pose. Maintain this pose for 60-120 seconds. Return to resting pose.

Ardha Uttanasana (Standing Half Forward Bend)

Ardha Uttanasana is aimed at reducing the swelling in the neck, head and limbs. Perform this exercise by standing with your feet slightly apart, bending your body forward to a horizontal position, and stretching out your hands in front of you in the Indian salutation pose.

A variation of this exercise is taking the support of a chair or a counter top to rest your hands, with your hands stretched out and resting on the table.

Marjariasana (Modified Cat Pose)

The Cat Pose is performed by standing on your hands and feet in a Yoga Table Top pose and pulling your torso in an inward stretch.

This asana can be modified by resting your arms on a chair while in the Yoga Cat Pose. This exercise improves the flow of fluid that is accumulated in the arms.

Yoga Hand Movement Exercise for Lymphedema

A simple hand movement exercise in the seated-position can be performed to improve the flow of fluid in the upper arms. Sit cross-legged on the floor and hold a long band with your hands.Your hands should be a couple of feet apart from each other.Now, holding the band and inhaling, raise your arms to the top of your head. Now, bend them down slowly at the back while exhaling.Again raise your hands behind your back inhaling and bring them down in front of you, exhaling. Repeat the movement several times.

Pranayama (Yoga Breathing Exercise)

Pranayama de-stresses and detoxifies the body. As stress and body toxicity aggravate lymphatic obstruction, by performing Pranayama you can blot out these lymphedema causal factors from your body.

Prananyana consists of a set of 4 types of Pranic breathing, i.e. Bhastrika (The Bellows Breath), Kapalbhati (Shining Forehead Breathing), and Nadi Shodhan Pranayama( Alternate Nostril Breathing). These exercises cleanse the body off impurities. They improve blood and lymph flow in the body and heal infections which may be aggravated due to Lymphedema.