Yoga Poses for those suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis

If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis you should try to incorporate yoga within your routine. It is easy on your joints, and can also assist you in managing the issues linked to living with a painful and chronic condition.

Image Courtesy: Pixabay

Experts believe that people who practice yoga for 16 weeks or more can experience tremendous improvements in the quality of their lives and their stress levels. Apart from this, yoga’s advantages also include a general improvement in a person’s sense of self. If it is practiced correctly and with care, the renumerations can be great.

Best yoga poses for people with RA:

1. Cat-cow pose

This pose helps to stretch the spine and is normally performed using both knees and hands. However, it can also be modified to be performed on a chair. With your ankles under the knees and your shoulders above the hips, remain seated on a chair. Draw the belly inward toward the spinal cord. Now to stretch like a cat, arch the back to the chair’s back. After this, make sure you reverse the whole motion, by making the spinal cord push the belly forward.

2. Downward dog

Make sure your feet are hip-width apart. Now push your hips up in the air while keeping the hands fixed on the surface and your head down. This pose can easily be modified with the help of a chair: put the forearms or hands over the chair’s back or on the seat rather than on the surface.

3. Extended triangle poses

Make sure you use a wall and a block for this particular pose. While standing and facing forward, put your feet a couple of feet apart. Elevate your arms to the sides. Now, turning the right foot make sure your heel reaches a 90-degree angle. Put a yoga block in the interior of the right foot. Now, bend at your waist and make sure your left arm reaches up and the right arm is reaching downward. You can out your right hand over the yoga block to balance well. Do the same pose on the other side.

4. Tree pose

This specific pose assists in enhancing core strength and balance. While standing, make sure you pull one of the feet up and rest it on the calf, ankle, or thigh. Keep your hands palms and hands together, on your chest. Perform the same movement on the other foot.

5. Corpse

This pose essentially concludes the session. While keeping your arms restfully at your sides, make sure you lie down. Keep the legs straight while the feet fall outwards. This simple pose can play a very important role in reaping the advantages of stress reduction.

People who suffer from RA can benefit from dedicated yoga classes. When you begin these sessions under a trainer or by joining a class, you can get assistance in modifying your yoga poses as required to help avert injury or discomfort. However, it is extremely important that you first speak to your podiatrist and ask them for their advice.