The "Core" & Pelvic Floor Muscles

Healthcare providers and fitness trainers often recommend core muscle exercises in an effort to reinforce the spine and make daily activities easier and more efficient. Many people have difficulty learning how to use their core muscles in a coordinated way. The following resources are designed to help people learn to activate and coordinate their core muscles efficiently.

Gentle Tai Chi & Qi Gong

Tai Chi & Qi Gong are slow, gentle movement practices that can be accessible and beneficial to many people with chronic pain. In particular, these practices can be helpful for reintroducing the body to exercise when it is difficult to tolerate more intense physical activities.

As always, before beginning a new exercise program, I recommend speaking with your healthcare team to learn what sorts of exercise are likely to be helpful given your current fitness level and your medical history.

Gentle Yoga

While the thought of yoga might bring to mind images of contortion and gymnastics, in fact, there are several types of yoga practice that involve stillness or very gentle movement. Yoga practices typically include deep breathing and mindfulness practices, which can be of benefit to some people with chronic pain.

To learn more about yoga, or to access online yoga classes, I recommend visiting the Yoga International website: https://yogainternational.com. This website houses a large library of online yoga classes, including classes in yin yoga, therapeutic yoga, guided relaxation, pranayama (controlled breathing), guided meditation, and gentle yoga. The site also offers an online course in Yoga for Lower Back Pain, and a helpful article on how pain works and how yoga can be helpful for people with persistent pain.

Another resources of interest is a 5 part series of yoga videos designed for people with chronic pain, which is available via the Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain & Disability. You can access this video series here: http://www.cirpd.org/Webinars/Pages/Webinar.aspx?wbID=16

The following resources are presented to illustrate some lesser known yoga practices that can be accessible for some people with chronic pain. As always, if you would like to try a new type of exercise, I recommend talking to a healthcare provider who is familiar with your health history about how to do so safely, in a way that is likely to benefit your health.

Fitness Opportunities In Hants (& Online)

I do not endorse the content of any of the following resources. If you would like to try a new type of exercise, I recommend collaborating with your fitness instructor and your healthcare team to find opportunities that are likely to be helpful given your current fitness level and your medical history.