Arthritis is a debilitating condition which effects many of use as we get older. It has an impact on flexibility and mobility and can cause severe pain. Many medical professional advise that increased mobility is key when dealing with the pains and stiffness that arthritis can cause.
Yoga is a gentle form of exercise that helps the joints move more fluidly. Can Yoga in the UAE help with arthritis too? We asked a professional Yoga Teacher from Dubai for their thoughts and tips.
Please note – this is not medical advice. You should always seek the advice of a medical practitioner before you start any personal training plan in Dubai if you have a pre-existing medical condition.
Yoga for seniors with arthritis
Question: For many seniors in Dubai arthritis is a painful condition which can cause problems with mobility and also doing everyday tasks. As a professional Yoga trainer in the UAE do you think Yoga as a form of gentle exercise can help reduce the pain and swelling associated with arthritis?
Yes definitely yoga will help to reduce pain and it will increase the mobility of affected joints.
Question: In your opinion what are the best yoga poses to help with arthritis pain in the back and is it safe to do these at home in Dubai?
Joints loosening practices as a warming up practice are ideal for people with arthritis in the UAE and can easily be modified to suit the clients ability.
Yoga poses I would recommend for people with stiffening joints and arthritis include:
- Vajrasana
- Tadasana
- Trikonasana
- Utthita Parsvakonasana
- Virabhadrasana
- Paschimottansana
- Purvottanasana
- Pavanamuktasana
- Bhujangasana
- Salabhasana
- Dhanurasana
- Vakrasana
- ViparitaKarani
- Matsyasana
- Uttanapadasana
- Ujjayi Pranayama
- Anulomviloma Pranayama
- Bhastrika Pranyama
- Savasana
- Yoga Nidra
Question: As we age our bones can sometimes become brittle and our joints tend to stiffen – is Yoga a safe form of exercise for seniors with these conditions?
Yes – Yoga is a low-impact style of exercise. Of course you should always seek medical advice if you have a medical condition before starting any personal training regime.
Tadasana pose will help stretching effects on major joints. Yoga can help with relieving the pain associated with swollen joints and brittle bone conditions.
So the fact that your stretching in yoga will help flexibility and regular yoga practice will actually help reduce inflammation.
Yoga appears to be safe form of exercise for seniors with these condition.
Great Yoga poses for seniors with Arthritis
Question: For seniors in Dubai who suffer from arthritis in different parts of the body what are the top 5 yoga poses they should be doing to reduce arthritis symptoms and can you explain how these poses work/the benefits of them?
As a professional Yoga Trainer in Dubai I would say the following poses can really help:
- Tadasana
- Trikonasana
- Utthita Parsvakonasana
- Virabhadrasana
These yoga poses really work to improve physical arthritis symptoms like pain, swelling, and stiffness, improve joint flexibility
How often should seniors do Yoga to relieve Arthritis?
Question: As a yoga teacher in Dubai how many times do you recommend your senior clients do Yoga to feel the health benefits yoga can provide?
At least 3 months of Yoga practice is needed for therapy but most clients can feel and see the benefits within a month.