But if you are new to yoga, it’s important to have a teacher standing in front of you who can offer you feedback, corrections, and suggested modifications, Stern says. Some people try to do yoga on their own, such as by using a DVD or a streaming service. Yoga can also regulate the vagus nerve, a part of the body that modulates the stress response, Stern says. Slowing down and lengthening your breathing helps soothe the nervous system, “so you walk out of a class feeling a little calmer,” he says. What they all have in common is their focus on stretching and opening various parts of the body, and an inward, mental component that facilitates relaxation.Īlong with the physical movements, breathing is an important aspect of yoga, says Eddie Stern, a yoga teacher in New York City and the author of One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life. Some types of yoga are mellow, others vigorous. Yoga is a term used to describe a variety of movement styles. RELATED: Physical Activity Is Essential for Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis What Is Yoga, Exactly? To ease yourself into your day or to help you sleep, you can even practice a couple of poses in bed in the morning or at night, the website suggests. Yoga poses “also promote the circulation of fluids inside the joints, facilitate ease of motion, and it even help you sleep better” - all important to people with rheumatoid arthritis, says Loren Fishman, MD, a rehabilitation medicine physician in Manhattan and the author of numerous books about yoga and health, including Yoga for Arthritis and Yoga for Back Pain.īenefits especially come when you pay attention to your breath and you don’t rush the poses, according to the online arthritis community CreakyJoints, where Julia is a member.
How a Regular Yoga Practice May Help People With RA It found that yoga helped with physical function, disease activity, and grip strength, although no effects were found for pain or swollen joint count.
RELATED: The Basics on Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Yoga NidraĪ review of research on people with RA published in Current Rheumatology Reports similarly concluded that yoga reduced depression, along with anxiety, and made people feel better.Īnother review, published in 2020 in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, included information from 10 clinical trials involving more than 800 people with RA. Several studies have documented the benefits of yoga specifically for people with RA.įor example, in a study published in March 2019 in the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience , people with the disease who practiced a significant amount of yoga in addition to taking medication decreased their inflammatory markers and had less depression after two months than a control group who simply continued their meds. Studies Show Yoga Helps Certain Aspects of RA “There are so many different types - it really is, pardon the pun, flexible,” she says. One of the things Julia especially likes about yoga is the variety of styles that fall under the label. And maybe instead of a 45- or 30-minute class I’ll choose to do one that’s 15,” she says. “If my wrists are not having any of it, I might go on my elbows. She also listens to her body, modifying poses that feel uncomfortable on a day when her joints might flare. “Because I’m not in a class with other people, I feel comfortable taking rests anytime I want to,” she says. Julia finds she especially enjoys taking classes online, something offered by more yoga studios since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. “Yoga is great for escaping the crazy world for a little while. It also calms her mind and facilitates inner peace. A former dancer, Julia understands the importance of keeping the body moving, and she has found that doing yoga several times a week allows her to maintain flexibility and strength. That’s certainly been the case for Julia Chayko, a writer and actor in Vancouver, British Columbia, who was diagnosed with RA 12 years ago. With its stretching, strengthening, and soothing effects, yoga can be a great exercise for people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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