Yoga for Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Pain by Kayla Kurin

Disclaimer: I was sent these yoga books free in exchange for an honest review 

Hi everyone and today I have the first of two reviews for those of you who have an interest in yoga but also suffer from chronic health conditions. Kayla, the author of these books, was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), lived with the symptoms for over six years then chose to try and change her life and help her symptoms through yoga – and these books are the result.

My Experience of Yoga

Although I dabbled in yoga a few times in my twenties, my exercise preference was for running and aerobics – in fact, anything that got my heart rate up.  However, now, as a person with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) who can’t run or coordinate my body easily, I regularly use yoga and stretching as a way to both prevent and alleviate my MS symptoms – particularly my sore, spastic legs.  As my MS has progressed, though,  I have sometimes found it tricky to adhere to regular practice and have had to learn how to adapt many of the traditional poses.  No longer can I do the tree or plough!

The Books

1) Yoga for Chronic Fatigue – 7 Steps to Aid Recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Yoga by Kayla Kurin

Although I do not have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), many of its symptoms can overlap with MS – especially functional limitations, fatigue and physical symptoms – so I jumped at the chance to review this book.  I really wanted to cultivate a daily practice that takes into account my symptoms and had the hope that it would increase my motivation and energy.

The book is divided into seven chapters:

Understanding Chronic Fatigue

An easy-to-follow explanation of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including medical evidence of increased stress hormones in those with CFS and the gaps still evident in the research. Over the past 10 years, CFS has been classified as a neurological disorder involving both the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous Symptom (PNS).

The Yogic View of Chronic Fatigue

This chapter talks about the author’s experience of learning about Ayurveda – an ancient medical system – whilst in India. Yoga forms part of this, alongside diet, lifestyle, emotional health and environment.

Mindfulness as a Tool for Healing

Kayla discusses the science behind mindfulness and meditation and also provides ideas for the different types of meditation, including a body scan and visualisation. It was really interesting learning about how meditation can further develop the grey matter in your brain which is linked to learning, focus and memory!

Using the Breath as an Energy Source

This chapter focuses on the breath as an essential part of yoga. It provides examples and how-tos of Pranayama (‘breath control’ in Sanskrit), such as Lion’s Breath and Alternate Nostril Breathing.

Yoga Poses to Reduce Fatigue

I was so pleased that Kayla included both a morning practice and an evening practice in this book. She includes clear instruction and pictures of the poses from beginning to end and also ideas on how you can use props, such as chairs and pillows, to help you with the practice. Kayla also introduced me to ‘Yoga Nidra’, which almost like a yogic sleep, aiding deep relaxation without the use of traditional yogic postures. She also addresses yoga during flare-ups; essential for anyone with a chronic illness.

Building Daily Self Care Rituals

A brilliant chapter on how to cultivate a healthy lifestyle, with ideas for sleep, exercise, creativity, food and morning routines, amongst others.

Living Mindfully

A short chapter about living in the moment and the benefits that this can bring.

2) Yoga for Chronic Pain – 7 Steps to Aid Recovery from Fibromyalgia with Yoga by Kayla Kurin

Again, though I do not have fibromyalgia, I do have a lot of chronic pain. My body suffers from cramps and spasms and it is stiff from often sitting down.

Like the previous book, this one is separated into seven chapters that detail the steps to aid recovery:

Step One: Understanding Your Pain

A chapter which explains the importance of keeping your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) healthy in order to try and reduce pain – taking a holistic view of pain management and not just popping a pill.

Step Two: Understanding the Science of Yoga

Kayla again discusses Ayurveda and how yogis use this holistic system in order to support health. Yoga is only just part of Ayurvedic medicine, it is important to look at your body and environment as a whole in order to be as well as you can be, whether this is through diet, sleep or meditation, for example.

Step Three: Taming the Mind

Kayla discusses the science behind mindfulness and also talks about ‘primary’ (the initial shock and pain) and ‘secondary’ suffering (the pain we experience after the initial shock) – and how the negative thought patterns that can come with secondary suffering can actually make our pain worse. In my case, with my MS, it might be something like ‘oh, I’ve woken up with painful legs again, I’m never going to feel normal again’. She discusses how mindfulness can help both with the secondary suffering, which can then lead to an acceptance of what might not be able to change, and with our stress response.

Step Four: Using the Breath as an Energy Source

This chapter focuses on the breath as an essential part of yoga. It provides examples and how-tos of two kinds of Pranayama (‘breath control’ in Sanskrit), Bee Breath and Alternate Nostril Breathing.

Step Five: Yoga Poses to Relieve Pain

Again, Kayla included both a morning practice and an evening practice in this book. She explains clearly, though written instruction and pictures of the poses from beginning to end and also discusses use of yoga during flare-ups. The poses shown are not extreme yoga poses; they are nurturing and focus on holding the pose for the most benefit.  Poses include corpse pose, cat pose, warrior and extended child’s pose.

Step Six: Self-Care

This chapter focuses on how to build slow, nourishing activities into your day in order to complement the yoga practice.  it provides both yogic ideas and Western ideas on how to structure your activities for the most benefit – sleep, massage, creativity and exercise.

Step Seven: Living Mindfully

A chapter about how living mindfully, and taking the time to stop and observe, can be so beneficial to those of us with chronic pain.

My Thoughts

I was keen to receive these books as someone who was already ‘into’ yoga but wanted to make it more of a regular part of my day.  I was was really pleased when I read them to realise that they are more than books about yoga; they are books to set you forward into a lifestyle where holistic care and mindfulness is at its core.

I really appreciated the fact that Kayla is a yoga teacher who knows.  She knows what it is like to live with a chronic illness and how it can affect our everyday lives.  As such, she makes it very clear that the yoga poses are only one part to take away from these books; on a ‘bad day’, meditation, visualisation and pranayama (breathing) are just as restorative as physical yoga practice and benefit our chronically ill bodies just as much. I appreciated the ‘how-tos’ on the different breathing techniques and have been using them at various points through the day when I feel myself a little het up with stress and it really does make a difference to calming everything down.

These books have also reminded me just how much I love meditation and I have been doing it even more regularly (5 times a week instead of 3) since reading the books.

Each chapter has ‘Action Points’ to take away and try – for example, settings goals and recording results in a journal to help you reflect on whether it helps and how you feel. I feel that this is a great way to see the benefit of your practice.

I liked the fact that each pose was gentle and restorative – and that Kayla showed how to use props, such as cushions, to help. As someone with mobility problems, it might have been helpful to have pictures of Kayla doing the ‘tricker’ postures for people with balance issues (such as warrior) in a chair – as I sometimes need a prop to stop me falling. But she does lean on a stool in some of the pictures to help those who find it difficult to get low to the ground.  Kayla stays longer in each pose than I normally would and I found this a really beneficial way to relax fully into the pose.

Reading these books was like talking to a good friend – Kayla has a really informal, ‘chatty’ way of writing, which I really enjoyed, and explained medical terminology in a simple way for the average person to understand.

At first, I wondered if I had done the right thing by requesting these books to review as I do not have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia – but, ultimately, I don’t think that this matters at all. I do have fatigue (albeit differently from those with CFS) and I do have pain.  The exercises were just as helpful to me as someone with Multiple Sclerosis and I hope that having specific conditions in the book titles do not stop people from buying them, as I really feel that the books suit everyone.

I love Kayla’s holistic approach to yoga and wellness and I highly recommend these books! As both of the books have a similar layout and much of the advice is the same, I recommend choosing the one that sounds like it would be most pertinent to your needs.

Kayla sells the books via Amazon US, Amazon UK, iBooks and Kobo.  You can also listen to the books on Audible.

Kayla also has a brilliant website at Aroga Yoga, where she offers free videos and blogs about insomnia, travel and pain management. Definitely check it out.

Thanks Kayla for these books and for the time that you put into your website.

Next on my list of reviews is Kayla’s ‘Chronically Kind’ yoga course, which I am in the middle of completing, after putting back my practice due to my recent broken collarbone. I’ll be sure to post as soon as possible; I have to say that I am feeling very chilled out after all this yoga and these books and videos have definitely reignited my love of regular practice. It is so beneficial for me, not just with my sore MS-body but also for my mental health.

Nameste!

Till next time