Yoga Therapy To Cure Stammering

(November 9, 2010)

Sir I have stammering problem since last 10 years, so I want to come out from stammering. My life is affected by stammering. So pls sir I want suggestion how to come out from stammering.

The first thing you should understand about stammering is that it is not a disease. Stammering has more to do with the personality and mind of an individual. There are around 45 million people who stammer in the world today, with around 10 million in the US alone. This condition is considered to predominately affect males, as 80 percent of individuals who stammer are males. It is also found to affect mostly the first born child. Stammering usually appears before the age of 5, and if no treatment is given, it will usually increase after the between the ages of 10 and 18. After this, the stammering will usually gradually fade away as the individual gets older.
Although there are no specific activities or concepts in yoga to cure stammering the effects of yoga on general health and psychological health are tremendous and would therefore exercise a positive influence on the condition. Performing breathing exercises and certain asanas in yoga to cure stammering can be very effective. Simasana (Lion Pose) and Makarasana (Crocodile Pose) are both good yoga postures to cure stammering. These postures will help sync your articulation with the speed of your thought. Practicing pranayama (breathing exercises) will also be helpful to cure the stammering problem. Kapalabhatti (cleansing breath), Brahmari (bee breath), Sitkari (cooling pranayama), and Anuloma-Viloma (breathing from alternate nostrils) are effective yoga pranayamas to cure stammering.
Practicing meditation is also an effective form of yoga to cure symptoms of stammering. Mediation helps in relieving stress and tension, which contribute to stammering significantly. Individuals who stammer are usually conscious about their stammering and get very anxious when they have to speak. Meditation will help the mind stay calm, allowing the person to relax during anxious moments, which is important when articulating. To meditate, get into a sitting position by performing either the Sukhasana (Easy Pose) or Padmasana (Lotus Pose). Then, keep your focus on your breathing by concentrating on the rise and fall of your stomach or the area of your nostrils.
You could follow some tips to help remove stammering like talking to yourself in the mirror. You could also take the help of your friends and family members. Stammering usually decreases when you talk to people who you feel at ease with. It is also essential that you develop self-confidence to cure stammering problems. Once you start to believe in yourself and forget what other people think, you will start to make progress. You could also go in for speech therapy, which is considered one of the most effective ways to cure stammering. The process of speech therapy helps to relax the mechanism of speech, thereby reducing stammering. It involves reducing the speed of speech and breathing deeply before you speak. By developing a positive attitude towards yourself and using the tips and yoga exercises to cure the symptoms of stammering, you will be able to ensure fluent and lucid speech.

Submitted by A on November 9, 2010 at 05:28

First of all, please understand and accept that stammering is not a disease. From the contents of your communication it appears that your stammer is more related to your mind and personality. There are over 45 million stammerers all over the world today, approximately 10 million in the USA. Predominantly said to be a 'male condition – since 80% of all international stammerers are found to be male – stammering is also, usually, found to affect the first-born male child. A great majority of stammerers, in the region of 65%, seem to have stammering as a family heredity. Normally it is the father who speaks at a rapid rate or stammers. Almost always, stammering begins before the age of 5. If left to itself, the condition grows in gravity between the ages of 10 to 18 years after which it evens out or fades away as the person grows older.

Stammering, fortunately, can easily be treated through yoga therapy with its many methods and techniques, some asanas (physical poses such as Simhasana and Makarasana, meditation, autosuggestions and auto-hypnosis, all of which will help equalize the speed of your articulation with the speed of thought. True, the therapy will take a little time, but with determination and perseverance, over a period of time you are bound to improve self-confidence and be rid of your stammer.

Simultaneously, in addition to the Yoga Therapy, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take the assistance of qualified Speech Therapist. Seldom, if ever, is due to anatomical structures, in which case, unfortunately, it would not be probable to heal with the help of Yogic techniques. But, for the present, you needn’t worry about that. Let’s proceed on the premise that you don’t have an anatomical problem in your oral structures in the buccal cavity.

First and foremost, you should, religiously, practise the following four breathing exercises:

Kapalabhatti (Skull Cleansing)
Anuloma-Viloma (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
Brahmari (Bee Breath)
Sitali or Sitkari (Cooling Pranayamas)

Together with these you should practise the following:

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations)
Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
Vajrasana (Warrior Pose)
Padmasana (Lotus pose starting with single leg)
Simhasana (Lion pose – tongue outstretched without too
much effort or strain)
Tadasana (Palm Tree pose)
Ekpadasana (Hand to toes pose – standing)
Ardha Chakrasana (Half Moon Pose)
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Shalabhasana (Locust Pose)
Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)
Kakasana (Crow Pose)
Mayurasana (Crow pose if you can manage it, and only at after
a few weeks of practice)

Meditation

Start with slow, progressive relaxation in a sitting position, hence the importance of Sukhasana (Easy Pose), Vajrasana (Warrior Pose) and Padmasana (Lotus Pose) mentioned above. Then gradually start concentrating on your breath, either in the region of your nostrils or on the heave and fall of your abdomen. Stay with it, observing what you are feeling without, in any way, being judgmental.

It would help you to also start practising focusing on your breath and slow breathing in order to control your thoughts and emotions.

A positive attitude, learning to love and accept yourself and things around you with dignity and gratitude will certainly go a long way in helping you.

Submitted by A on February 13, 2009 at 03:53