Yoga for Arthritis

Question: Hi Marlon,
I have arthritis in my hands and in my knees. I think it is spreading to my hip and back and elbows. I can't afford to go to the Doctor. Can yoga help me?
Name: Mary
city: Newborn
state: Georgia

Hi Mary,
The information I can give you is no substitute for a doctor's, but there is much that yoga's school of medicine has to say about arthritis. Please consider what I tell you as the impetus to do further research and make a determination of your own, hopefully with the help of a doctor when that becomes affordable.

Ayurveda is the oldest known school of medicine existing today, pre-dating Chinese medicine by centuries. Within ayurveda, there is a system used to determine one's constitution or dosha. Most people have a combination of the three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha with predominance in one or two at the time of their birth. Ayurveda seeks to maintain the balance of one's individual dosha blueprint throughout one's life through a series of practices that are tailored to that blueprint.

Generally speaking, arthritis is a disease from which people of primarily vata constitution suffer. Vata’s nature increases in old age for people of all constitutions. The resulting us more dryness, coldness, and that which contains air. To lessen the overabundance of vata’s characteristics, one would seek warmth, moisture and being grounded. Practically, that would mean lifestyle habits such as choosing hot soups over cold salads, warm, balmy weather over cold, dry weather, yoga postures that have a stabilizing effect. (See Yogi Marlon's Eggplant Feta Soup recipe here: http://askyogimarlon.com/eggplant_feta_soup.html ) Staying out of drafts, consuming enough fat and water to keep the body moist and lubricated, practicing abhyanga (More about that at: http://askyogimarlon.com/abhyanga.html) are all good steps to maintaining one’s optimal influence of vata energy.

You can find much more information about ayurveda's approach to arthritis at:
http://arthritis.about.com/od/ayurveda/Ayurveda_for_Arthritis_Ayurvedic_Treatments_for_Arthritis.htm

Thanks for writing, Mary. I wish you good health.
If anyone reading this blog has any suggestions for Mary, please feel free to post them here. Let us know if you have any valuable links, as well.

Om shanti,

Yogi Marlon