Just the other day I was talking to the mother of one of my son's friends who dates back to pre-school years. We hadn't spoken in a couple of years. She told me that she had been thinking of me the past few weeks because last August she bought my book, Yoga at Home, and had recently begun her yoga practice. She shared her delight with her home practice saying she had set up a special yoga space in her home. And, to her great joy, because of her yoga practice, she was no longer suffering from migraine headaches and that the quality of her sleep had greatly improved.
What a welcome testimonial about the power of a gentle yoga practice! I personally have been fortunate in that the number of times I have had to use medications in my life has been almost nil. So, I cannot personally attest to yoga's benefits in helping to lower one's dependence on medication. However, physician Timothy McCall says in his book Yoga as Medicine that "it is not uncommon when people begin to practice yoga regularly that their need for medication decreases."
This is NOT to say that you have the green light to just any medication at any time. However, I do believe that as you practice yoga consistently over time, your ability to read your body and be attuned to its messages increases. As McCall also says, "The more you do yoga, the more you'll have access to that intuitive senses of what's good for you and what isn't." And, I would add, "you discover what you need and what you don't require to feel your best and remain healthy." You may well find that you can decrease or even eliminate your use of medications. Of course, always check first with your licensed medical practitioner before making any major changes in your medical regime to be safe.
Yours for reaping untold benefits from practicing yoga,
Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the beginner's yoga at home coach
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