Many types of pain respond well to gentle movement, which can include yoga poses (asana). Research shows that fibromyalgia and arthritis are among the painful and potentially debilitating conditions that can be helped by moderate physical exercise. Yogic breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation, and other tools can also change people’s relationship to pain and the way they experience it.
Pain that lasts 3 months or more—well beyond the time most injuries take to “heal”—is usually considered to be chronic. Chronic pain, including low-back pain, results from the interaction of many causes. This complexity makes it difficult to treat and is one factor behind the opioid crisis in the United States and elsewhere.