Held in the gymnasium of the Humanitas Medical Care outpatient clinic, in via Domodossola in Milan, it is held twice a week and left in November. The first course of Therapeutic Yoga at Humanitas was started by Dr. Chiara Ponti, physiotherapist at Humanitas Medical Care.
Similar to classical yoga but at the same time with important differences in results, therapeutic yoga is able to bring many benefits to the physical and mental health of patients, so as to be considered an instrument of treatment complementary to the medical-pharmacological. We talked about it with the course coordinator, Dr. Chiara Ponti.
The objectives of therapeutic yoga
“The therapeutic yoga lesson is not a simple session of motor rehabilitation, but a complete work that induces psycho-physical relaxation, acting synergistically on the body, mind and breath,” explained the expert who every week holds the course on Tuesdays from 13.30 to 14.30 and on Thursdays from 16.30 to 17.30. The course can also be developed in individual sessions (which, if necessary, provide a wider time slot) or group sessions, in which a maximum of four to five people can participate.
The offer includes a package of 10 lessons for the price of nine, which take place in the gym. Each person, who only has to wear the change of clothes, is provided with a mat and the tools necessary for the execution of the exercises. “During the individual session a selective work is done, calibrated on the patient – added Ponti -. The group sessions, however, can include a complete work on the spine and breath, both for preventive purposes and for muscle rebalancing, or a targeted work, specific to a particular problem: for example, back pain or back pain.
Pathologies treated
They last about an hour each and include a first “moment of recollection”, in which you try to free yourself from all the thoughts and problems that interfere with the psycho-physical well-being. Then there is a warm-up phase, in which the whole body moves, concentrating mainly on the back. “A sequence of positions, feasible by all, will allow to treat those critical areas of which we have spoken – explained the expert -. There will then be a final part of relaxation in which you lie down to rest your body. Breathing is the most important component of this practice, because it accompanies the movement and promotes awareness.
Just like the classic one, therapeutic yoga uses the correct execution of movements, maintained positions and breathing techniques but uses them for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal disorders, mainly related to the spine, or produced by situations of emotional stress, for the improvement of overall well-being and quality of life.
“Therapeutic yoga – concluded the physiotherapist – aimed at the treatment of low back pain, back pain, pronounced kyphosis, neck problems, muscle shortening, blocked chest breathing. In addition to the treatment of chronicity, therapeutic yoga helps to acquire balance and self-perception, thus also acting as a preventive tool for healthy subjects.
