Gentle Yoga Poses for OA Joint Pain
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You can start at home in a chair with your hands and wrists. Roll your wrists slowly in one direction and then the next. Then extend your hands, and pull back your fingers.
We hold a lot of stress and pain in our neck and shoulders. Try moving your neck to one side, then the other, while gently pulling with your hand. Then try some slow, full circles with your neck in each direction.
Still on the chair, hold a strap between your arms. Hold your arms above your head, and bend your torso to one side and the other. Hold.
Then put your arms down, and straighten your legs out, one leg at a time. You can also try a hip opener by crossing your ankle over your knee and leaning slowly forward.
If you're still feeling up to it, stand up, and try a modified classic yoga move, triangle pose, with the chair as support. Just try it for a few seconds. Don't worry if you're not there yet.
Another yoga move that can be modified with a chair, downward dog. Stand a bit away from a chair, hold onto the seat or the back of the chair, and lean over from your waist with your legs straight. And breathe.
When you're done, take a minute or two to just be still and feel the feel. Lie on your bed with a laundry basket under your legs, or on the floor with your lower legs on a chair.
These are simple at-home moves, but many yoga instructors offer classes just for osteoarthritis. You can also look for a yoga app that offers variations on different moves.
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Gentle yoga can help fight your osteoarthritis pain, but start slow, flowing from one pose to the next. Even small, simple movement can help your joints. You can start at home in a chair with your hands and wrists. Roll your wrists slowly in one direction and then the next. Then extend your hands, and pull back your fingers.
We hold a lot of stress and pain in our neck and shoulders. Try moving your neck to one side, then the other, while gently pulling with your hand. Then try some slow, full circles with your neck in each direction.
Still on the chair, hold a strap between your arms. Hold your arms above your head, and bend your torso to one side and the other. Hold.
Then put your arms down, and straighten your legs out, one leg at a time. You can also try a hip opener by crossing your ankle over your knee and leaning slowly forward.
If you're still feeling up to it, stand up, and try a modified classic yoga move, triangle pose, with the chair as support. Just try it for a few seconds. Don't worry if you're not there yet.
Another yoga move that can be modified with a chair, downward dog. Stand a bit away from a chair, hold onto the seat or the back of the chair, and lean over from your waist with your legs straight. And breathe.
When you're done, take a minute or two to just be still and feel the feel. Lie on your bed with a laundry basket under your legs, or on the floor with your lower legs on a chair.
These are simple at-home moves, but many yoga instructors offer classes just for osteoarthritis. You can also look for a yoga app that offers variations on different moves.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
