“Spirituality is not a separate part of us, it is bound up with the body and the whole person, long before we enter this world. The word “spiritual” is often off-putting or misunderstood, because it is thought to be something esoteric and hard to define. But it is not, it is about coming from the heart.”
                                                                            ~ Unknown

Cramps

Naturally, muscle fibres are designed to contract or lengthen in response to the neural stimulation of a desire to move (conscious or unconscious). A cramp occurs when the muscle contracts with great intensity and stays contracted, often feeling hard or bulging – and the muscle is unable to lengthen or relax. Cramps often occur in skeletal muscles, in particular effecting muscles in the foot and in the calf. Such muscle cramps are quite common and may be eased by slowly stretching the muscle, encouraging it to relax and lengthen.

There are numerous reasons why cramps may occur including; muscle fatigue, heavy exercise, poor circulation, dehydration, reduced levels of potassium, magnesium and/or calcium in the body, medications, pregnancy, and they may be symptoms of more serious conditions like intermittent claudication (a form of atherosclerosis that reduces blood flow to the legs), hypothyroidism, alcoholism, kidney failure and/or other metabolic conditions.

There are a number of things that when implemented together can reduce the likelihood of experiencing cramps. Yoga can be a wonderful support to any physical activity that is demanding of the body as it teaches the individual how to stretch the muscle groups appropriately...

Written by: Rachael Freeland

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