Comic Strip #13: The Yoga of Rheumatoid Arthritis

It's taken me a little while to sit down and write about my yoga practice and how RA has affected it, and vice versa.  Find out why by  heading on over to MyRACentral.com to check out my latest post and see the awesome comic strip by Jane Samborski.

Have any of you tried yoga as a way to treat your own health difficulties? If so, leave a comment and let me know what your experience was like!

Comments

[millicent]

For me, yoga is the whole pkg: body, mind, spirit. It has seen me through times of great stress, a breast cancer diagnosis & 8 weeks of radiation, and it helps me continue to be strong. Yoga makes you focus on yourself, letting everything else go for that period of time. It affords relaxation even in the toughest of times...like now when the economy is scary. Restorative poses deepen your sense of self. As you can see, I am a BIG fan---absolutely couldn't exist without it---didn't even start practicing until I was about 50!

[Cathy]

On good days, I always attempt to do some yoga not only because it feels good as I am doing it, but because on bad days I know it gives my body strength to pull myself up, balance to keep from following, and mental stability to concentrate on that which is good in my life.

[Melissa]

Yoga is about the only exercise I can pull off without paying for it for a week after.

I'm not sure about the rest of your readers but I have to modify some poses but I still feel like I'm getting a lot of benefit even if it's just because I'm trying.

[millicent]

I think the real beauty of yoga is that it adapts to you, & isn't that a wonderful gift!

[Sara]

Millicent-it is a gift, even when it is difficult.

Cathy-I know, the bad days are when it's even more important to do it, but I'm so bad at making myself do it. thanks for the reminder that it's possible.

Melissa-I still modify a lot of poses, too, but the benefit is absolutely there, modified or not.