By Rebecca Gillett, MS OTR/L, Live Yes! With Arthritis Podcast Co-host
September is Pain Awareness Month, and in this podcast episode,Mindful Movement Part 2: Yoga,we’re exploring ways to keep our bodies moving to prevent arthritis pain from limiting our lives. In the last episode, we focused on mindful movement and tai chi. This time, we’re diving into mindful movement of yoga and arthritis.
When you have arthritis, you probably think, “No way can I do those poses with my joint pain. Yoga is going to make my pain worse!” That’s exactly how I felt when I was first diagnosed.
I have a favorite cartoon that demonstrates what I think about arthritis and yoga. Google it for a good laugh. It shows the Tin Man fromThe Wizard of Ozin a yoga class. I’ll wait…. You’re welcome.
I started going to yoga classes in my early 20s and really enjoyed them. Even though that was a long time ago, I remember the sense of calm and positive energy I felt when leaving a class. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember how I was so relaxed at the end of one class that I fell asleep! I woke up to the lights coming on and everyone leaving. Imagine that: A yoga practice that puts you in such a calm, relaxed state that you fall asleep.
但在我26岁的时候，我被诊断出患有类风湿性关节炎，在最初的两年里，我一直在与疼痛作斗争，以至于我停止了瑜伽。因为手腕疼痛，我觉得我再也做不下去了。
I often talk about how we can sometimes get “stuck” in our pain: We cannot see past the pain to solutions that may be right in front of us because we are in survival mode. We struggle to do some of the most basic things — getting out of bed, brushing our teeth, going down the stairs. Any type of movement can be daunting, so the idea of doing a warrior or mountain pose sounds even less achievable.
This episode,Mindful Movement, Part 2: Yoga,这对我来说是一个很好的提醒，让我知道练习瑜伽真正需要什么，以及如何使瑜伽适应自己的需要。我们的客座专家Steffany Moonaz博士在约翰霍普金斯大学研究瑜伽对关节炎患者的影响8年后创立了关节炎瑜伽项目。她帮助我们记住，有一种方法可以让每个人练习瑜伽，无论你在关节炎的旅途中处于什么位置。无论你是练习椅子瑜伽还是修改一些姿势，独自在家或在一个集体课堂上，身体和心理健康的好处可以大大提高你的整体健康。穆纳兹博士还分享了确保你能找到适合自己的瑜伽练习和适合你需求的瑜伽教练的方法。
Tune in to this episode to learn how you can start incorporating yoga practice into your daily routine today.Listen now!
We Bid Thee Farewell, Julie!
Be sure to listen through to the end of this episode, as we chat with co-host Julie Eller. This is the final episode we recorded together before she left to start a master’s program in public health. Julie has been a force to be reckoned with while on staff at the Arthritis Foundation. She helped grow our grassroots advocacy efforts and she worked tirelessly to ensure the patients’ perspective is infused in everything we do that’s health care-related. I can’t imagine anyone better to co-host this podcast with, and in the process, how much we’d get out of doing this together. I’m grateful for every dance, every smile, every blooper and all of the laughter (and sometimes tears) we shared throughout this journey together. Most of all, I am forever grateful for the lifelong friendship we share. Best wishes, my pod sister, Julie!“哦，你要去的地方!”