By Tara Stiles is a global yoga expert and author of Clean Mind, Clean Body
A general guideline for people who suffer from arthritis & practice yoga is to not force or push your way into positions. Move around gently to compress and release the areas involved in the movements and move slow enough so you notice how you feel and know when to move further and when to back away.
Yoga Movements for Arthritis that can be Beneficial
The fixed position isn’t the goal. It’s important to move easy in and out of each position and roll around a bit to encourage a healthy range of motion.
All Fours
Gently crawl down to the ground. Use a chair or a wall or crawl your hands down your thighs to help. Come onto all fours by moving from your center. Relax your arms and legs as ou move. Allow yourself to move freely on all fours how it feels nice for you. Linger in any are that has a bit of tension. Stay with this for 5 long, deep breaths.
Sphinx
Gently lay down on your belly. Roll to one side and bring yourself up onto your forearm in front of you. Roll to your other side to support yourself now with both forearms. Soften your whole self here and move around a bit side to side as you draw your elbows back toward your body. Hang here for 5 long deep breaths and relax down on your belly to recover.
Up Dog
Bring your palms on the ground outside of your chest. Gently press down, lifting your torso up. Keep your knees on the ground so there isn’t extra tension in your back. Roll around gently and allow yourself to hang in any place that feels nice to be. Explore here for 5 long, deep breaths. Relax down on your belly to recover.
Butterfly
Gently bring yourself up to sit. Bring the bottoms of your feet together. If it’s more comfortable for your hips and back, bring two blankets or pillows under your thighs and knees for support. Hang here for 5 long, deep breaths.
Forward bend Butterfly
From Butterfly, relax your belly forward. Let yourself roll around and explore here. When you land on an area that feels tense, hang there for a few deep breaths. When you feel an instinct to move to another area, explore there next. Stay with this for 10 long, deep breaths.
Reclining Butterfly
From Butterfly, bring your legs together, grab a hold of your knees with your hands and gently lower yourself to laying down. Bring the bottoms of your feet together and relax your knees out to your sides. If it’s more comfortable, bring a blanket or pillow under each knee or thigh. Rest here for 20 long, deep breaths or however long is comfortable for you.
Back Release
From lying down, grab a hold of your knees and relax your legs away from the center of your body. If you let go of your knees your feet would fall to the ground. Hang here for 5 long, deep breaths for a nice release in your back.
When you’re ready, gently roll up to sit however is comfortable for you. Take a few breaths here and notice how you feel. When you are ready to come up to stand, crawl up yourself gently.
Arthritis yoga can prove beneficial in long run.
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
