Arthritis is one of the most common diseases today but surprisingly enough there are few real cures for it. Perhaps because there are several different forms of arthritis, it has proved somewhat difficult to cure and relief tends to be temporary. Yoga cannot cure but will certainly help arthritis sufferers.
How can it do this? There are several ways that Yoga can help this painful disease. Yoga is a holistic discipline, which means that it looks at the person's overall health and does not just zero in on a specific problem. This means that those practicing yoga look beyond their actual problems and can improve their overall health. This in itself will help anyone suffering from ailments like arthritis.
Stretching and relaxing muscles: The Asanas, or positions will help muscles and joints alike. This is because certain exercises will stretch muscles, others will strengthen them and still others release energy and relax the body.
When muscles are stretched and relaxed the joints will be affected as well. The Asanas will help joints to become more flexible by gentle stretching and movement from the positions. At first the postures will be hard to do, and might even be a little painful, but gradually you will find more mobility and less pain in your joints. This in turn will help arthritic conditions.
Examples of these postures will be "The Backward Dog", which helps to stretch muscles and will also help to make joints more flexible. The "Seated Forward Bend" will also do this. Some positions will help to relax muscles and ease tension; this will also help with painful joints. An example of this is the "Lotus" position. There are many more postures that will accomplish this and help to gain some relief from the symptoms arthritis.
Breathing exercises: Pranayama Yoga is concerned with breathing. It helps you to control your breathing and helps your whole body feel better. You learn to breathe more deeply and will therefore release more toxins from the body. It will also release energy to the body.
There are two types of Pranayama exercises. Those that warm the body like Kapalabhati Pranayama and Ujjayi Pranayama. These are fast breathing exercises, which energize and warm the body. This type of Pranayama exercises help conditions like osteoarthritis. Pranayamas like Sit Cari Pranayama.are slow breathing exercises. These will help to cool the body and can help with rheumatoid arthritis.
It is important to note that these breathing exercises are advanced Yoga and should not be done without a professional yoga teacher. In fact before you even do Asanas you should consult your doctor to be sure there are no underlying problems that can be aggravated by Yoga exercises.
