Yoga for Arthritis Benefits — Is Yoga Good for Arthritis Pain?

Bonus: It can calm your mind and boost your mood in the process.

If you suffer from arthritis pain, you might assume that all types of exercise are off-limits, but that's not true. In fact, regularly doing yoga stretches for arthritis symptoms can help you feel better both physically and mentally. One study found that yoga may enhance muscular strength, flexibility, and functional mobility in people with knee osteoarthritis while a large review of research shows that it can help improve physical function, disease activity, and grip strength in people who have rheumatoid arthritis.

The key is to do yoga moves that are tailored to your individual needs. Below, certified yoga therapist Steffany Moonaz, Ph.D., the associate director of research at Southern California University of Health Sciences, an adjunct professor at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH), and the founder and director of Yoga for Arthritis, explains why yoga can provide relief from arthritis discomfort—and how you can try a few yoga moves for arthritis at home.

Pain is probably the biggest reason people with arthritis come to yoga—and pain is incredibly complicated. Physically, strengthening the supporting muscles around a joint may increase stability, which may reduce irritation within it. Or there could be nerve pain associated with degeneration—perhaps the spine is pressing on a nerve, leading to sciatica—and yoga may help alleviate it.

Some yoga practices affect the nervous system too. For example, research shows that deep breathing shifts us out of our stress response (which people with chronic pain are often in) and into the relaxation response, and that can reduce pain. There are also pain pathways between the body and the part of the brain where we interpret sensation; yoga may decrease pain by changing activity in those pathways.

Yes. Arthritis includes more than 100 conditions that can affect just one joint or many. Some, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, are autoimmune inflammatory diseases associated with depressive symptoms.

Plus, living with chronic pain from arthritis can be incredibly frustrating, stressful, and depressing. Fortunately, several aspects of yoga, including the deep breathing mentioned above, can boost mental health. Another approach we use, progressive relaxation, can help calm muscles and our emotional state.

There isn't good research that says how much yoga you need to do, but think of yoga as a lifestyle rather than an activity. Proper posture, deep breathing, and morning stretches are things you can throughout the day, and they may help more than if you do one class a week and nothing in between. It could take a month to see physical results, but you’ll likely feel better mentally right away.

While working one-on-one with a yoga therapist is ideal, Moonaz recommends trying these poses if you want to try a bit of yoga on your own at home. If something doesn't feel right, don't push it—slowly ease out of the pose and try another one or simply sit still and breathe.

Stand with feet hip-distance apart or closer with toes and knees pointing forward. Keep shoulders relaxed over hips and lengthen through the spine so the top of your head is lengthening upward and arms rest at your sides. Find a focal point at eye height and allow the breath the deepen. Notice the weight evenly distributed between both feet and from toes to heels. Stand in this posture whenever you need to feel grounded, to calm your mind, or to reset your day.

Start in Mountain Pose, holding a chair for support. Step one foot back a few feet, angling the back toes out slightly but keeping the hips squarely facing forward. Bend the front knee into a lunge, making sure the front knee doesn't bend past the ankle. Keep your shoulders over your hips and the gaze forward. Bring hands to hips, shoulders, or up overhead if you feel stable, or keep one hand on the chair for safety. Take five full breaths and repeat on the other side.

Sit in a chair with feet firmly on the floor and your back away from the back of the chair so you are sitting up tall. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee or thigh. You can also put the foot on a yoga block or stool if the knee isn't accessible. Relax the open hip. If you have more mobility available, place the hands on the thighs or hold the chair and begin to hinge forward from the hips, keeping the back long. Take five breaths here and switch legs.

Stand in Mountain Pose behind a chair with the back of the chair facing you. Hold the back of the chair and step back with both feet. Keep the back long and step as far back as feels okay for your shoulders, reaching the hips behind you. Keep heels on the floor and knees soft or slightly bent. Hold for five breaths and return to Mountain Pose. (When you become comfortable with the pose, you can turn the chair to face you and rest your hands on the seat instead of the back for a deeper stretch.)

Stand in Mountain Pose, holding the back of a chair on your left. Shift your weight into the left foot, bending the right knee and rotate the right hip outward so your knee points to the right side. Bring your right foot up to the ankle or lower leg. Lengthen the left hip so you aren't sinking to that side. Find a visual focus and reach your right arm up as high as feels comfortable for your shoulder. Try taking your left hand off the chair for a few seconds to test your balance. When you are ready, lower back to Mountain Pose, and try it on the other side.

A version of this article originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of Prevention.

Kaitlyn Phoenix is a senior editor in the Hearst Health Newsroom, where she reports, writes and edits research-backed health content for Good Housekeeping, Prevention and Woman's Day. She has more than 10 years of experience talking to top medical professionals and poring over studies to figure out the science of how our bodies work. Beyond that, Kaitlyn turns what she learns into engaging and easy-to-read stories about medical conditions, nutrition, exercise, sleep and mental health. She also holds a B.S. in magazine journalism from Syracuse University.

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