The 5 Best Gentle Yoga Poses for People With Arthritis

When you're living with arthritis, physical activity can feel like a catch-22: Gentle exercises like yoga are beneficial, but some moves may feel off-limits due to pain.

But rest assured, even if your joints are achy, you can still practice yoga and reap the benefits. Here's what you need to know about arthritis, the benefits of yoga and how to practice in a way to prevent injury.

Overall, arthritis describes more than 100 conditions that affect your joints, tissues around your joints and other connective tissues, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Arthritis is a condition that causes inflammation and pain within joints," says Bhakti Shah, MD, a rheumatologist at Crystal Run Healthcare in New York. "There are various forms of arthritis, with the most common being osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative process that occurs due to wear and tear on the joints. This can result in pain and limited mobility for patients."

Other types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune and inflammatory disease) and gout (a painful type of arthritis that typically affects the big toe).

Pain from arthritis may discourage you from moving, but exercise is crucial for managing symptoms.

"In general, consistent movement is key," Dr. Shah says. "A sedentary lifestyle is the greatest risk factor in limiting quality of life in patients with arthritis. Moderate physical activity of about 150 minutes per week is not just great for arthritis, but also for preserving cardioprotective health."

(It's worth noting early half of all adults with heart disease also have arthritis — and inflammatory forms of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis increase your risk of heart disease, per the Arthritis Foundation.)

Eight weeks of yoga classes improved the physical and mental well-being of sedentary adults with two common forms of arthritis, knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, according to a July 2015 study published in ‌The Journal of Rheumatology‌.

"Yoga is beneficial for arthritis, as it focuses on toning and strengthening, while improving flexibility and balance," Dr. Shah says. "Yoga also encourages relaxation and stress reduction, which can help to improve overall mood and promote more physical and mental well-being."

Yoga is low-impact, so it places less direct force on your back, hips and knees compared to certain types of aerobic activity. When you have arthritis, it's often challenging to reverse structural joint changes that have already occurred. Because of that, the focus of physical activity is geared toward strengthening the muscles that support the joints, Dr. Shah adds.

Plus, the mental health benefits of yoga for those living with chronic pain cannot be ignored. Yoga increases pain tolerance, decreases pain unpleasantness and lowers anxiety and distress associated with pain, per a June 2019 research review in ‌Complementary Therapies in Medicine‌.

"The breathing practices, the mindfulness meditation and relaxation in yoga can change pain processing," says certified yoga therapist Steffany Moonaz, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, founder and director of Yoga for Arthritis. "I like to say that meditation is the most important yoga practice for people with arthritis because pain is in the nervous system — it's not in the joints."

That said, not all yoga poses may be accessible if you have arthritis. It's important to approach the practice in a way that works for your body, while modifying or skipping certain moves as necessary. A yoga practice can be harmful for people with arthritis if it's not carefully executed or designed for people who have joint disease.

"It's important for people who are living with arthritis to find an appropriate instructor and practices that are right for them," Moonaz says. "That being said, yoga can be incredibly beneficial when it's executed appropriately."

Yoga can be adapted for the needs and abilities of any person. Here are five moves Moonaz recommends for people with arthritis.