Amaran Reilly Yoga 

Yoga for HIV/AIDS

 

In October, 2014, the SF AIDS Foundation asked me to deliver a yoga workshop for people newly diagnosed with HIV. This 1-hour workshop was part of a two-day retreat for these people. The workshop provided some basics of what yoga is; followed by a brief discussion. Then we did about 30-minute of chair yoga; followed by 10-minute guided relaxation and a brief meditation. The workshop was well received. 

 

The mindful practice of yoga has been shown to help reduce stress, extremely important in the treatment of any disease, especially an auto-immune like HIV/AIDS. On the physical level, we work specifically on postures that aid in the movement of lymph (to increase immune response). The best part of the class was the guided relaxation, further reducing stress levels.

 

Overall, yoga has been shown in a number of studies to help in the overall health of people with HIV/AIDS.