Yoga Benefits for Arthritis
An arthritis patient in the despair stage of the disease realizes that only through consistent use of yoga will the arthritis be managed and decreased. Yoga helps relax the muscles so they don't tighten up and cause pain while strengthening them to give more balanced support.
That's not all. Read the content to take advantage of the best yoga poses for Arthritis management.
Yoga benefits for arthritis
Here is why you should practice yoga if you have arthritis.
1.Strengthens your muscles
Pain joints or tumors can lead to short muscular weakness. This is where yoga comes into play. The muscles get a much-needed workout that strengthens them and relieves pain through the warrior pose, shoulder stand, side bend, and head balance.
2. Increases flexibility
Flexibility helps with movements like walking and prevents pain when working in awkward positions. You can also get up from the floor faster for better action. Yoga enables you to do that by giving you core strength in every position.
3. Helps with the inflammation in your joints
The chemicals that cause inflammation are processed differently within the body. Yoga helps you maintain a healthy balance of these chemicals and eliminate any inflammation caused by an injury or overuse. As a result, you won't have as much pain, swelling, and stiffness in your joints.
4. Safeguards your heart
A healthy heart is your best defense against cardiovascular illnesses like heart attacks and strokes. Yoga is an excellent way to strengthen your core. It also burns calories, which helps you maintain a healthy weight and keep those pesky fatty deposits from forming on your body.
5. Keeps you focused on good health
Yoga can help with the focus in life by helping you stay healthy, fit, and mentally strong. Yoga gives you the right mind-body balance to care for your everyday needs and goals.
6. Helps you deal with stress
Stress is not only an emotional response, as many have thought; it has also been proven to cause headaches and migraines. Yoga helps you relax your mind and body so you can handle stress without worrying about getting sick.
7. Helps strengthen your immune system
While the immune system is never fully protected against illness and disease, there are certain things you can do to help strengthen it. Yoga can help protect your body against infections by strengthening the organs it needs to operate at full capacity.
8. Makes you an activist for a healthy lifestyle
A healthy diet is essential to maintaining a good quality of life while fighting arthritis. You'll realize that diets that only provide refined sugar and unhealthy fats do not work for your body and will make it difficult for you to maintain weight.
As a result, you'll learn to eat properly and lose weight without feeling guilty.
9. Improves your posture
Most people with arthritis have stooped posture, which is caused by the spine's normal curvature and weakened back muscles. Even if you're not suffering from an injury or illness like arthritis, you may still need to practice yoga to improve your posture because of bad habits developed over time.
Posture is affected by various movements like bending and stretching, so it's important that you know what's good for the body even when it's not being treated.
10. It Makes you feel more energetic
Do you have a constant "low energy" feeling? It's not because of poor health. Most of the time, it's because the body is not getting enough exercise or has other health issues that keep the energy at an unnatural level.
By practicing yoga, you'll learn to get more energy and stay healthy despite what has been keeping you from exercising, be it an illness or an injury. All yoga poses help bring more energy in and also draw that energy out on the same level, so there is no stagnation.
11. Increases concentration
Some of us are so busy trying to accomplish many tasks in school or at work that we completely forget about the small things that need attention. Arthritis can also cause you to lose focus and concentration, giving rise to frustration and more pain.
Yoga helps improve focus by helping you settle your mind into one place to stay relaxed throughout the day instead of being scattered by the thoughts running through it.
What type of yoga is best for arthritis?
Now that we are familiar with the benefits of yoga and why it is important for arthritis, let us dig deeper into the types of yoga and what they do.
1. Warrior pose
If back pains are what you are suffering from, then the warrior pose is your best bet. As the name suggests, this pose helps the back muscles get a much-needed workout and relief from pain.
Identify the muscles that are bothering you and work them out by focusing on each individually and following them until you reach the top of your head. Once there, reach the ceiling with your arms for about ten breaths.
2. Plank pose
If tightness in your shoulders or a painful joint is making it hard for you to exercise or even do simple tasks at home, plank pose can help with that and keep arthritis from getting worse over time.
Start by lying on your belly and lifting yourself using your arms and hips. Don't let your hips sag; instead, keep them at a right angle to the floor. Hold the position for 30 seconds to one minute, then slowly lower yourself.
3. Shoulder stand pose
Arthritis may make it difficult for you to move in bed before getting up for the day, but the shoulder stand pose can help alleviate that pain, so you'll be able to move when you want to get out of bed or even do yoga in bed with ease.
Begin by lying on your back with your legs straight up, reaching the ceiling with both arms. From there, stretch as far back as possible until your hands are at shoulder level and your toes are pointed toward the top.
4. Trikonasana
The triangle pose is one of the most popular poses for a good reason. It works out all the major muscles in your arm, chest, and spine. It will ease up your back pains and help with body balance. If you have extreme back pains, it would be best to avoid this pose.
5. Chair pose
Does your shoulder ache a lot? That's because in chair pose your shoulders and upper back muscles will be getting a much-needed workout.
Find this pose by sitting in a chair with straight legs while bending forward at the waist towards the floor. Your arms should be straight out to the sides of your body and parallel to the floor. Your eyes should look straight ahead but not strain them too much; they should stay open while performing this position.
6. Tree pose
Yoga can help with arthritis pain by strengthening the muscles that help with mobility, flexibility, and balance. You will improve your back and legs when you practice the tree pose.
Begin by standing up on your feet in mountain pose or mountain posture. From there, bring your hands up to touch your feet. The next step depends on the severity of the arthritis pain you are experiencing:
For mild pain, place your palms into the armpits and push yourself upwards into a push-up position to get a more intense workout.
However, if you have cases of hypertension or migraine, then you can place the palms on the back of your calves. This avenue of practice is similar to chair pose, but it is easier.
7. Bridge pose
Setubandhasana is one of the most challenging poses due to its strenuous nature. However, if you have arthritis, it's one of the best yoga poses you can do to relieve pain and strengthen your back joints at the same time.
Start by standing up straight with your feet hip distance apart. It would help if you didn't let your knees bend or collapse a lot since this could cause a strain on the muscles that support your knees, which could lead to injury.
From there, bring both hands up towards your shoulders so that they meet in front of you, and then lean forward until your palms rest on the floor by each side of your feet.
8. Uttanasana
This pose will help you build strength in your spine and flat back. It's a great pose, even though it hurts. It is one of the most intense backbends you can do, but if you do it correctly, you will immediately feel the difference.
Lie on your stomach with your arms at your side, along with feet spread wide enough to fit with the stretch of your legs.
Slowly lift yourself by bending at the waist and stretching straight arms and legs. Your feet should be apart enough so that you have room to breathe but not so much space that they touch the floor. Hold this position for a minute to let those muscles relax after their workout while taking several deep breaths through your nose.
It would be wise also to avoid this yoga pose if you have arthritis:
◆ Pigeon pose
The pose might cause your body much pain, especially around the hips region.
You can alternatively go with a gentler pose to prevent injuries.
How does yoga reduce joint pains?
The pain might be too much while suffering from arthritis. Most individuals have tried all sorts of pain relievers on the market but the joint pains seem to be still unbearable. Those who have explored yoga have never gone back.
Yoga has a pile of poses for all kinds of this pain, including sciatica. You can stretch out your muscles and boost your equilibrium and minimize irritation.
2-3 times yoga sessions in a week will cool down your nervous system when you take breathing exercises along the poses. It will get you out of the stress zone and calm your mind and body.
Yoga is safe and fun for individuals with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as it has plenty of physical and mental effects on a patient doing it regularly.
Can yoga prevent arthritis?
Yoga will certainly not shun you from getting arthritis. But, it can reduce the effects of this joint-pain disease and help you get better. The stretches and poses you throw around daily in your yoga activity keep you active and build your muscles.
It will reduce or prevent your body's inflammation. Yoga lubricates your muscles and minimizes wear-outs. It boosts fluid circulation to help with better movement and good sleep patterns.
If you want to get started with yoga, you can follow these tips to help you through your Arthritis journey.
Yoga is safe and fun for individuals with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as it has plenty of physical and mental effects on a patient doing it regularly.
◆ Get a reputable yoga instructor.
It would be best to contact a yoga teacher with related experience in dealing with Arthritis yoga learners. You can reference options from your friends or family. Or, look up online for more experienced personalities.
The yoga instructor will help you identify the most suitable healthy poses.
◆ Take your time
As long as you do not rush the process, you will gain many benefits for your mind and body as an arthritis sufferer. Take those deep breaths and connect with them. The relaxation will restructure your brain and take the chronic pain away.
If you have labored breaths, it might be a sign that you are overdoing it.
◆ Be active
Most physicians and therapists recommend the significance of moving your body when having arthritis symptoms.
◆ Ask for help
Feel free to look for support when practicing yoga. You can use a blanket to move your hips around. Tell your friends to help you not to be left out with the massive yoga benefits for arthritis.
◆ Listen to your doctor.
As you consult your doctor, keep your physician up-to-date with body reactions and symptoms to gauge your medical progress. Be frank about your health.
Conclusion
Yoga has been useful to multiple individuals for many years since its discovery. It nurtures your mind and body and assists in the fight against diseases and infections. It has also revealed its magnificent effects on those with arthritis.
The different yoga poses can strengthen your body muscles, monitor your breathing, and prevent inflammation. Check the content above and do what is best for you.