Yoga Therapy for Arthritis – Rheumatoid Arthritis

Yoga therapy for Arthritis and particularly Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is gaining in popularity day by day, all over the world.



This disease of joints and is characterized by inflammation of a number of joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis occurs at a younger age than Osteo Arthritis.
    
There is no single cause attributed to the condition. However, there are a lot of things that we know about Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).



Among the major factors known in the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), one is called autoimmunity. In this condition, the ability to differentiate 'self from non-self' gets upset. The White Blood Corpuscles are led into believing that the self protein itself is foreign.



Subsequently, they transmit messages to recruit fighter cells to that particular area. This is when the inflammation begins.

In Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) one’s body believes that the cells of the Synovial lining of the joints are foreign. This is how the inflammation gets triggered off. The inflammation, subsequently, causes all or some of the following: swelling, pain, redness and local heat.

Yoga therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Bend both your knees and pull your legs along the ground. Try and bring the soles of your feet together until your heels touch your perineum.
• Relax, totally, your inner thigh muscles.

Stage – I (Holding your feet with your hands)

• Hold your feet with your fingers.
• Then slowly bounce your knees up and down.
• Try and touch your knees to the ground. You must do this on the downward stroke.
• Breathe normally.
• Do 30 - 50 such up and down movements.

Stage – II (Hands on your knees)

• Place your hands over your knees.
• Use your palms and slowly shove your knees down to the ground. Then, let them to spring up again.
• Breathe normally.
• Repeat this exercise 20 – 30 times.
• Finally, straighten your legs and relax.