Yoga Therapy for Epilepsy
Seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of “abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal
activity in the brain”. The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of
awareness.
The medical syndrome of recurrent, unprovoked seizures is termed epilepsy. The World Health Organization estimates that
around 50 million people in the world have epilepsy
Yoga Therapy
Epilepsy is caused out of unexpected storm or hyperactivity of the brain cells.
The purpose of practice of asana and pranayama is to develop control over the body and the mind. Asana prepares the
entire physical functioning of the body, while pranayama improves the physiology of the body.
Asana stretches the nerves system and pranayama oxygenates the brain which ultimately controls and stabilise the brain
cells from getting too excited.
Standing poses can easily be appreciated as all the asanas work mainly on the spinal muscles and nerves. Forward bends
have a soothing effect on sympathetic nervous system. The cranial nerves are completely relaxed and there is tremendous
passivity on the muscles of the face. Backbends stimulate the entire nervous system.
The most important effects on the nervous system is given by the inverted poses. Headstand relaxes and strengthens the
neurons of the brain at once.
The role of pranayama on the nervous system is very important. Fluctuations of the brain cells cause a variation in the
respiratory rate. Hence, if the brain cells are kept at optimum quietness, breathing is relaxed.
When the prana is controlled, the mind and the brain are kept under control. Electrophysiological silence has occurred in the
brain cells, and as a matter of fact, biochemistry is stabilised. When the respiratory rate changes, relaxation occurs.
Yoga is increasingly becoming a focal point of therapy and research in treating epileptic seizure disorders. It offers an
ancient, yet amazingly modern approach to treating seizures.
As therapy, the physical discipline of yoga seeks to re-establish a balance (union) between those aspects of a person’s
health that cause seizures.
Research found that meditation improved the brain wave activity of people with seizure disorders leading to a reduction in
seizures. It is found that patients who learned to control their breathing had an improvement in their seizure frequency.
The art and science of yoga is being discovered anew as a valuable approach to exercise self-control of seizures.
https://www.andiappanyoga.com/yoga-therapy-epilepsy/
Source: https://www.cochrane.org/CD001524/EPILEPSY_yoga-epilepsy
Yoga for epilepsy
Review question
This review assessed the use of yoga as a treatment for control of epilepsy.
Background
Epilepsy is a disorder in which recurrent seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain.
Most seizures can be controlled by antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) but sometimes seizures develop which are
resistant to those drugs. People may also wish to try non-drug treatments such as yoga. Between 25% and
40% of people with epilepsy treated with AEDs have uncontrolled seizures, experience adverse effects from
medication, suffer from stigmatisation and have a higher degree of psychiatric disorders as compared with
people with other chronic illnesses. For those who have epilepsy and related problems it is important to
develop, evaluate, and implement a complementary treatment model in the everyday treatment of epilepsy.
Yoga, an integral part of Indian culture and heritage, is said to bestow good health － physical, mental and
spiritual － on the practitioner. There are various types of yoga involving postural exercises (asanas),
breath control (pranayama) and meditation. In one study, the practice of Sahaja yoga, a simple form of
meditation, reduced seizures and EEG changes in people with epilepsy. The effect of meditation was attributed
to a reduction in the level of stress as evidenced by changes in skin resistance and levels of blood lactate and
urinary vanillylmandelic acid.
Results
For this update, we did not identify any new studies to add, and thus the conclusions remain unchanged.
The review included two unblinded randomised controlled trials (RCTs) recruiting a total of 50 participants
(adults) with refractory epilepsy and comparing any type of classical Indian yoga to the control groups receiving
no intervention or interventions such as yoga-mimicking exercises or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Antiepileptic drugs were continued in all the participants. The outcomes assessed were: percentage of people
rendered seizure free; seizure frequency and duration; and quality of life. Results of the
overall efficacy analysis show that yoga treatment was better when compared with no intervention or
interventions other than yoga, but no reliable conclusions can be drawn regarding the efficacy of yoga as a
treatment for uncontrolled epilepsy. The yoga group showed significant improvement in their quality of life
according to the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Blinding may reduce the observer bias. Physician blinding may be
achieved with the outcomes being assessed by a physician who is not involved in the trial.
Participant blinding may not be possible, since it would be easy to distinguish whether the intervention given is
yoga or not. It would be ideal if the seizure records are maintained by a blinded observer. Seizure frequency
outcomes should preferably be expressed as the proportion of individuals seizure free or proportion with more
than 50% reduction in seizure frequency, since meanvalues of seizure frequency are often skewed and difficult
to analyse. Seizure duration may be measured in seconds or minutes (per episode or month). Validated
quality-of-life measures (disease specific) may indicate whether there is overall improvement in the quality of
life as a result of the intervention, besides seizure control.
Conclusions
No reliable conclusions can be drawn at present regarding the efficacy of yoga as a treatment for epilepsy. In
addition, quality of the evidence to inform outcomes is limited and of low quality. Yoga can be considered as a
complex intervention, similar to other forms of complementary and alternative treatments. Yoga can only be an
add-on to AEDs at the present time and cannot be used as the sole method of intervention. Finally, no reliable
evidence was found to support the use of yoga and further trials are needed.
The evidence is current to 3 January 2017.
Authors' conclusions:
A study of 50 subjects with epilepsy from two trials reveals a possible beneficial effect in control of seizures.
Results of the overall efficacy analysisshow that yoga treatment was better when compared with
no interventionor interventions other than yoga (postural exercises mimicking yoga). There was no difference
between yoga and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. However no reliable conclusions can be drawn
regarding the efficacy of yoga as a treatment for uncontrolled epilepsy, in view of methodological deficiencies
such as limited number of studies, limited number of participants randomised to yoga, lack of blinding and
limited data on quality-of-life outcome. Physician blinding would normally be taken to be the person delivering
the intervention, whereas we think the 'physician' would in fact be the outcome assessor (who could
be blinded), so that would be a reduction in detection bias rather than performance bias. In addition, evidence
to inform outcomes is limited and of low quality. Further high-quality research is needed to fully evaluate
the efficacy of yoga for refractory epilepsy.
Since we did not find any new studies, our conclusions remain unchanged.
Read the full abstract...
5 Yoga Poses That Helped Me Fight Epilepsy
Izzy Arcoleo
Things are a bit wonky, and sometimes there's a small square hovering next to my right eye. And
then I look up, and some time has passed, and someone's crouching next to me.
I have epilepsy. The above is pretty much how I experience seizures, although they're very
different for the people around me: they last from 5 to 20 minutes, and sometimes I do strange
things like tell my long-suffering flat mate that 'the carpet is walking'. They're not the kind of
seizures that spring to mind for most people when they hear the word epilepsy - and rather
than flashing lights, they're usually triggered by stress.
I practised yoga before I was diagnosed three years ago; but after finding out that my brain has
a penchant for electrical malfunction - and that my biggest trigger for seizures is stress - asana
and meditation became a much bigger part of my life.
How Yoga Helps With Epilepsy
From hours of following mysterious Internet trails to obscure places, it seems that research into
the usefulness of yoga for dealing with epilepsy is limited, and poorly referenced. This isn't
surprising, given that the condition itself is so variable from person to person and so little
understood.
For me, consistent yoga practice plays a huge part in handling my seizures every day. And
because of this, I'm confident it can help others, too - if not by physically reducing seizures, then
at least by making it easier to get your head round them and accept what's going on with your
body.
Having discovered that it was emotional stress that made me most likely to start twitching all
over the place, I turned to my yoga practice which had, until then, been sporadic. I began to
practise five or six days a week and very quickly felt the difference; I was calmer and, quite
simply, had fewer seizures on days when I practised, than on days when I didn't.
As time has gone on, yoga has also become a way to handle the after-effects of seizures; they
sometimes turn me into a bit of an emotional monster, and I've developed a post-seizure
sequence of asanas and pranayama exercises that really do work when I'm feeling particularly
monstrous.
My Top 5 Yoga Poses For Epilepsy:
1. Balasana (Child's Pose)
Perfect for if you're feeling a bit unsteady or anxious, Balasana is an awesome stress reliever and
can be reassuring if you think you might have a seizure soon. It's also a really lovely, gentle
stretch for the hips, back and neck, and may be helpful if you experience pain after seizures.
2. Nadi Sodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
Balances the left and right sides of the brain and calms the nervous system, which could play a
part in seizure control. I do 10 rounds as part of my morning practice.
3. Kapotanasana (Pigeon Pose)
Always part of my post-seizure practice, this pose lengthens the hip flexors whilst giving space
to breathe into the body and check in with how you're feeling.
4. Sirsasana (Headstand)
For me, headstands bring a sense of strength and independence which help to counter anxiety
surrounding seizures.
5. Camatkarasana (Wild Thing)
There's something about the openness and freedom in this pose...it never fails to make me
smile!
Teaching Yoga Asana
I now teach yoga asana, and my experience of epilepsy makes me very aware of the impact that
a few casual words could have on the confidence of others with particular health conditions. In
the first yoga class I went to after I was diagnosed, I told the teacher I had epilepsy and she said
"ah, so you mustn't do any inversions."
In another class, a teacher asked me to wait in Savasana (Corpse pose) while the rest of the
students were doing pranayama practice. Whilst these teachers meant well, both of these
instances left me afraid for a number of months to go upside down or to do any strong
breathing exercises.
When I finally mentioned it to my neurologist, he said there was no reason why I shouldn't be
doing those things, as long as I was aware of what was going on and stopped if anything didn't
feel right - as in any other situation.
Because epilepsy led me to do more yoga, read more about yoga, and to train to teach asana
and - hopefully! - help a few other people on their way to making yoga a bigger part of their
own lives, it has shown me that this kind of magical practice that we love has the power to turn
difficult things into positive ones. And that's a pretty special power.
Image credit: Julia Lee
Izzy Arcoleo is a yoga practitioner and teacher from London. Having grown up with a family of
musicians, she has endless curiosity about creativity - and the practices which help us harness it.
This, along with her experience of how super awesome yoga and meditation are for managing
epilepsy, led her to train to teach yoga asana in 2012. Off the mat, she spends her time scribbling
stories and burying her head in books; she has a degree in Anthropology, and is soon to be
studying for a Masters degree in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation. Izzy thinks that yoga
should be inspiring, and that every practice should leave you feeling chilled and a bit more ready
to be kind to yourself.
