Stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis are the most common non-invasive and disabling diseases. The above-mentioned diseases severely limit the patient’s ability to engage in basic daily activities, have a negative impact on emotions, personality, and behavior, and hinder their reintegration into the community..
Yoga’s physical and mental practice is a potential therapeutic intervention that can be used in various clinical settings and can be easily carried out to meet the complex needs of neurological patients. Yoga is a spiritual element training that includes many different elements, including physical activities (postures), breathing exercises (breathing exercises), meditation (meditation), meditation exercises, and improvements in psychological and self-discipline lifestyles. Therapeutic yoga refers to the use of yoga specifically to address clinical symptoms and alleviate clinical symptoms for patients. Yoga addresses functional deficiencies in neurological disorders through various physiological mechanisms related to physical activities, breathing, and meditation techniques practiced in yoga. Therefore, regular practice of yoga has been proven to improve muscle strength and endurance, balance, flexibility, and motor coordination. Research has found that breathing and meditation yoga interventions can improve sensory awareness and internal sensation, increase parasympathetic nerve activity, enhance the regulation of autonomic input, and regulate the body’s pain response system. In addition, emphasizing mindfulness and relaxation exercises during the yoga process may help improve cognition and psychology, such as enhancing the ability to maintain attention, enhancing executive function and problem-solving, promoting personal acceptance, and enhancing the ability to cope with adversity..
The holistic nature of yoga indicates that it can simultaneously promote the physical and emotional recovery of individuals with neurological disorders. In addition, yoga is widely accepted by the vast majority of elderly patients affected by neurological disorders. Recently, many studies have investigated the use of therapeutic yoga to control symptoms of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. For example, in post-stroke populations, treating yoga can improve balance, strength, and lower limb range of motion. When treating yoga training in patients with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis, the widespread use of yoga props (such as chairs, mats, blocks, straps, sandbags, blankets) can provide patients with sufficient stability and comfort throughout the entire exercise process. Placing the yoga mat and chair against the wall can ensure sufficient support for standing and balance postures. Placing a sandbag on the affected limb during a relaxed posture can help alleviate spasms or reduce resting tremors. Providing a rolled up blanket under the neck can provide comfort for patients with stiff kyphosis. At the same time, studies have found that patients who participate in yoga have significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, and their mental health and quality of life have been greatly improved..
The effectiveness of the intervention measure of treating yoga provides new ideas and models for medical rehabilitation professionals in the field of neurological rehabilitation in the future. This will greatly enhance the confidence of patients who face physical dysfunction and psychological distress due to neurodegenerative diseases, etc..
