Yoga for Arthritis: Prevention, Relief, and Principles of Safe Practice

Chances are, you or someone you love is living with arthritis. From the years 2013-2015, an estimated 22.7% (54.4 million) of adults were diagnosed with arthritis by their doctors. This statistic is expected to increase to 25.9% (78.4 million) by the year 2040, with two-thirds of those cases being women.

Can we slow or prevent the onslaught of arthritis? Or, is it an unavoidable part of getting older?

The good news is that current research shows that there are ways to avoid the joint damage that leads to arthritis and help prevent it by creating greater stability in the surrounding soft tissue structures.

And, increasingly, research points to yoga as an effective tool of self-management and symptom relief of arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, “Yoga can reduce arthritis-related pain, improve joint function, build strength and promote relaxation.”

At the same time, it’s imperative that yogis understand how to practice asanas in a manner that protects their joints. Repetitive stress injuries and dysfunctional joint mechanics in yoga practice can be every bit as much a cause of joint damage as other forms of movement.

In this course, Yoga Therapist and Integrative Health Coach Lynn Crimando will help you to gain a broad understanding of arthritis, keys to help preventing it and ways to slow its progression if you already have it.

The main part of the course focuses on how to employ yoga’s multi-dimensional toolkit to protect and stabilize your joints and facilitate healthy movement patterns for life.

What You Will Learn:

• The difference between systemic and structural forms of arthritis and how yoga has tools to suit each

• Common ways yogis mess up their joint through wrong biomechanics in asanas

• How to introduce good body mechanics in yoga, including creating joint stability via balanced and appropriate muscle action

• Joint-safe strategies you can apply to any yoga practice to avoid damaging tissues

• How to use breath-based movement in asana to create mindful tracking patterns that promote healthy joint arthrokinematics and preserve vital joint space

• Off-the-mat tips and tricks to nourish and support your joints throughout the day

• The importance of a holistic body-mind, all-hands-on-deck approach: Tools from all eight limbs of yoga to add to your self-care toolkit.

This Course Also Includes:

Yoga Practice Video: Enjoy a yoga practice video that accompanies this course designed by Lynn Crimando.

Recordings of All Webinar Sessions: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of all webinar sessions - both MP3 (downloadable) and MP4 (streaming online), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.

Transcripts of All Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the webinar sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.

This course qualifies for 4 non-contact hour CEs with Yoga Alliance.