Ease Arthritis with Yoga

If you have arthritis, practicing yoga can increase your joint flexibility and mobility as well as easing your pain. Yoga also eases tension and helps you relax, which can provide significant psychological benefits. If you want to ease your arthritis with yoga, start slow by learning a few basic poses at home. If you enjoy the practice, you might want to sign up for a regular class designed for people like you who also want to control their arthritis symptoms.

Steps

Trying Basic Yoga Poses

1. Talk to your doctor. Before you begin any yoga practice, whether you're joining a class or just learning a few easy poses to do at home, get your doctor's opinion. Your doctor may have certain restrictions they want you to observe, at least at first.
   • If your doctor has specific restrictions or recommendations, get them in writing so you won't forget them and can show them to your yoga instructor if you join a class.
   • Tell your doctor if you have any other chronic health conditions or concerns that they don't know about. This will help them to more accurately assess your fitness for yoga.
2. Start with a flow between table pose and child's pose. Moving between table pose to child's pose helps stimulate your joint's natural lubricants. Over time, this sequence decreases joint pain particularly in your hips, knees, and shoulders.
   • For table pose, get on a yoga mat on all fours. Your knees should be directly underneath your hips, your wrists directly below your shoulders. Cup your palms to reduce the pressure on your wrists.
   • Roll your shoulders away from your ears so that your shoulder blades line up down your spine. Flatten your back, tucking in your tailbone. Your body should be shaped roughly like a table.
   • Tuck your head between your arms and slowly curl your back as you lower your hips until your buttocks are resting on your heels. If this is too hard on your knees at first, place a rolled towel or blanket behind your knees.
   • You can rest in child's pose, breathing deeply, or push back up into table pose and complete the sequence several times, with a breath for each movement.
3. Do the cat/cow sequence. The cat/cow sequence is a staple of most beginner yoga classes, and helps open up and increase flexibility in your spine. This pose does put a little pressure on your wrists, so if you have wrist pain from arthritis you'll want to modify the pose.
   • Get on your yoga mat on all fours, as you were in table position. On an inhale, arch your lower back and sink your belly down toward the floor. Roll your shoulders back and lift your head to gaze in front of you. This is the "cow" portion of the sequence.
   • As you exhale, curve your back upward, tucking in your tailbone. Lower your head, tucking your chin into your chest. This is the "cat" portion of the sequence, since you look something like a Halloween cat with an arched back.
   • Return to cow on your next inhale, then to cat with your exhale. Repeat the sequence through 10 to 20 breaths.
4. Stretch with cow face pose. With cow face pose you help open your spine and hips, as well as stretching your shoulders. If you're able to do the full pose, you'll benefit from increased circulation to your knees and ankles.
   • Take a seated position, then bend your knees. Cross your right leg over your left, moving your feet just outside the opposite hip so that your knees are stacked in front of you. If you can't cross your legs this far without knee pain, you can simply sit cross-legged.
   • Make sure your back is neutral with your shoulders rolled back so that your shoulder blades are flowing down your back alongside your spine.
   • Extend your arms and rotate them inwardly, bending your right arm inwardly and under to rest parallel to your spine. Reach your left arm overhead and drop it down from the elbow. Clasp hands if you can reach that far without pain or discomfort. Otherwise, you can use a yoga strap to get the stretch you need.
   • Sit in this pose for 10 to 20 deep breaths, then release. Switch and do the pose again with your left leg over your right and your right arm overhead.
5. Find movements that you can do daily. Yoga is a gentle enough exercise that you can practice it every day. Most of the benefits you'll see from practicing yoga to ease your arthritis won't happen after one session. Rather, they accrue incrementally after several weeks of regular practice.
   • When you start doing yoga, don't expect to see a lessening of your symptoms right away. In fact, you might feel worse when you first start because your muscles are sore – particularly if you haven't been very physically active.
   • If you experience soreness or discomfort, modify the poses so you can continue to do them on a regular basis.

Using Props

1. Buy a couple of yoga blocks. Yoga blocks are some of the most inexpensive yoga props out there. It makes sense to be two or three, especially if you are a beginning practitioner and have arthritis.
   • Yoga blocks come in a standard size rectangle, but have three different heights depending on whether you lay the block flat or stand it on either edge. You also can stack the blocks if necessary.
   • Yoga blocks give you stability on poses where you might not be able to reach all the way. For example, if you can't do a full forward fold to place your hands flat on the floor, you can rest your hands on a yoga block at the right height.
2. Choose a thicker mat. Yoga mats have a grippy surface to provide your hands and feet with plenty of traction during poses. The mats come in several different thicknesses. If you have joint pain, a thicker mat provides a little more padding.
   • Since yoga mats typically aren't very expensive, you may want to get a couple in different thicknesses so you can try them out.
   • You also may want different thicknesses if you practice in different places. For example you might want more padding on a hard floor, but might be able to get away with a thinner mat on carpet.
3. Gather blankets or towels. Although there are many companies that sell them, you don't necessarily need to buy special blankets or towels for your yoga practice. You simply need something lightweight.
   • Towels are particularly helpful if you have problems with your hands or feet slipping on your mat. They also can be folded under your knees or hips to provide extra cushioning for your joints if you need it.
   • Blankets often are rolled and placed behind joints for cushioning. A smaller throw blanket typically will work better than a larger bed-sized blanket.
4. Get a yoga strap or belt. Particularly if you have stiffness in your arms or shoulders, a strap is a good investment to start stretching and opening up those areas. Straps also can help you with balance, which will decrease stress on your joints.
   • While there are several different lengths of straps, 10 feet is usually long enough without being too long.
5. Invest in a bolster. For extremely stiff joints, a bolster may help you find the proper alignment for a pose. Bolsters are essentially large, firm pillows, usually cylindrical in shape. Since they may be more expensive than other yoga props, make sure you need one before you go out and buy it.
   • For example, if you have difficulty getting into child's pose because of knee or hip pain, you might benefit from a bolster. You can either place it across your heels so you can rest your hips on it, or place it between your knees and use it to rest your torso.
6. Incorporate wearable props. You can buy wearable yoga accessories to keep your hands or feet from getting slippery, or to brace or cushion your joints. You also may have a sleeve or brace prescribed or recommended by your doctor.
   • If you want to use a wearable yoga accessory, you may want to run it by your doctor first. While most are designed not to restrict movement in any way, it may exacerbate your particular condition.

Joining a Class

1. Work with your doctor or healthcare provider. If your doctor has specific restrictions or concerns about you participating in yoga, they should write a letter to your yoga instructor that describes these concerns.
   • Your doctor may want to include contact information in case your yoga instructor wants to speak with them personally.
   • Follow up with your doctor as you continue with your class and let them know if you notice any improvement or easing of your arthritis symptoms.
2. Look for a class designed for people living with arthritis. Some yoga studios, gyms, or community centers may offer yoga classes that are specifically designed for people who have arthritis. Finding one of these classes is your best bet because you know the class is intended specifically to ease arthritis symptoms.
   • Your doctor may know about some of these classes or have one they would recommend. If you are a member of an arthritis organization, you might check with them as well.
   • Senior centers or assisted living facilities also may offer arthritis for yoga classes that are open to the public.
3. Review each instructor's qualifications. Ideally, if you want to practice yoga to ease your arthritis symptoms, you should find a teacher who has documented training and experience working with yoga for arthritis.
   • For example, in the United States, look for an instructor who is registered with Yoga Alliance and has received training or certification with the organization Yoga for Arthritis.
   • Ask each instructors to show you documentation of their training and any certifications they have, and talk to them about how long they've been a yoga instructor and how long they've been teaching people with arthritis.
4. Ask to sit in on a class. The only way to know for sure if a yoga class is going to be right for you is to observe it in action. Pay attention to the instructor's teaching style and methods, and how they interact with the students.
   • Instructors that demonstrate modifications for poses, rather than just talking about them, may be best if you are just getting started in yoga. Sometimes it is easier to see how the modification works.
   • You also want to pay attention to the other people in the class and how they interact with each other. Decide if they seem like people you would get along with.
5. Interview your yoga instructor. Before you sign up for a yoga class, you want to make sure the yoga instructor is someone from whom you can take instruction. They should be easy to talk to and open to your questions.
   • If you encounter a yoga instructor who is dismissive of your concerns or doesn't seem willing to answer questions, you probably want to look elsewhere.
   • Ask the instructor to share some of their experiences in teaching yoga to people with arthritis. Talk to them about your particular condition and find out if they've taught students with similar symptoms.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Do Yoga at Your Computer
• Take a Yoga Break at Work
• Do Office Yoga
• Do Chair Yoga for Beginners
• Do a Chair Pose in Yoga
• Exercise Yoga Breathing
• Become a Prenatal Yoga Teacher
• Do the Standard Forward Bend in Yoga
• Kneel Comfortably
• Do Five Pointed Star Pose in Yoga

Read more ...