Chronic Pain and Yoga, the Yin Way with Mandy Ryle
In this episode, I’m talking about chronic pain and yoga with my guest Mandy Ryle. Mandy is an evidence-based Yin Yoga teacher, and this is an information-packed conversation about how Yin Yoga fits into the pain care equation for her students.
Episode Details:
We talk about what is (and is not) part of a pain care-informed approach to Yin Yoga, and how it is much more than finding the “3 magic poses” for whatever part of the body is in pain.
Mandy also talks about her experiences with hypermobility and Yin Yoga, and we have a great discussion about how Yin Yoga actually affects our muscles and connective tissues, according to the research on static stretching (it may not be what you’re expecting).
What you’ll hear about chronic pain and yoga:
- defining chronic pain and what makes it so complex
- how Yin Yoga practice can help you unwire habits and beliefs that perpetuate pain
- using Somatic exercises and Yin poses to build back confidence in movement, and decrease fear
- how Yin Yoga contributes to restoring your body image if it has been distorted by prolonged pain experiences.
Listen for an eye-opening and hopeful conversation on chronic pain and yoga, from a Yin perspective.
Guest Bio:
Mandy Ryle is an experienced Yoga teacher and personal trainer who specializes in chronic pain. She brings a love of science and learning into her teaching and coaching by adhering to evidence in her offerings. Mandy’s teaching is guided by biology, biomechanics, pain science, movement science and neuroscience. Her offerings are diverse as she incorporates Yoga, strength and fitness training, somatic practices, pain education and nutrition into her coaching.
Mandy is the founder of Sound Method Yoga in Omaha, Nebraska and The Shift School, an online source for evidence informed pain care. She is also the host of The Yin Yoga Podcast and the YouTube channel, Moving Beyond Pain.
Resources & Links from this episode:
- A thorough article co-authored by Neil Pearson (founder of Pain Care Aware Yoga), “Reconciling movement and exercise with pain neuroscience education” in the Physiotherapy Theory and Practice journal
- An example of some of the research on Mindfulness Meditation and chronic pain, “Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Chronic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial” in Pain Medicine
- If you enjoyed this podcast episode, you can hear more in Episode 37 with Kristine Weber, where we talk about yoga therapy as a public health strategy to deal with chronic pain and the opioid crisis. You might also like Episode 27 on working with pain in meditation practice.
You can also check out Mandy Ryle’s free 7-day email course, Introduction to Pain Care Yoga. It’s a great way to learn the foundations of pain science and how traditional Yoga practices can fit into your pain care plan. At the end of 7 days you will have 4 go-to, evidence informed practices for your self or for your students!
Hear more from Mandy on The Yin Yoga Podcast, on her YouTube channel Moving Beyond Pain, and find all of her offerings, including the Shift School Membership on her website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok!