Best Yoga Poses for Joint Pain

Yoga can offer great relief for people who are suffering from joint pain whether it is due to rheumatoid arthritis, age, a sports injury or some other medical reason. Often joint pain is caused by the weakness of surrounding ligaments and muscles, in the body. Strain on the joints is caused when they are needed to move the body, and the muscles are not sufficiently supporting the anchors of movement. The joints act as anchors to extend and flex the muscles. Practicing yoga daily can improve the blood flow throughout the body, thus increasing joint lubrication and decreasing pain, but there are some specific poses that will aid in sufferers of joint problems. The best yoga poses for joint pain are numerous, but Warrior poses are wonderful. Here is how to practice Warrior One, Two and Three:

Veerasana I, II and III –

There are numerous ways to begin a warrior pose, but we shall start in Tadasana, also called mountain pose. To practice Warrior I, (Veerasana) stand in the center of your yoga mat, and either walk or step the feet out to a wide stance. Your body should rest comfortably, with the ankles falling in line with your outstretched wrists. The front leg will bend and the back leg will be straight. Establish a strong foundation by drawing the thighs up and away from the knees without locking the knees. This will cut off blood flow, so keep the knees supple while the thigh-muscles are engaged. Tuck the tailbone under gently so that it is in a position of neutrality. Be careful; however, not to not overtuck as this causes undue pressure on the muscles of the pelvis. Drop the shoulders away from the ears and imagine a center-line running from the tailbone to the crown of the head and also from fingertip to fingertip of the middle finger. Allow the body to stretch up and down and side to side on this imaginary axis before continuing any further movement.

Next, keep focused on this line of elongation, and turn the right foot our to a 90 degree angle, while turning the left foot to 70 degrees. The toes should be slightly ahead of the heel on the back foot. Make sure that if you drew another imaginary line that the heel of the front foot would dissect the back instep. The front foot should also align with the arch of the spine while bringing the hips to face the front of the mat. Do not force the hips forward, causing the pelvic muscles and hips to be strained, but do line up the hips underneath the shoulders as much as possible. If you do this correctly, you should feel a great stretch in the hip flexor of the extended back leg. The front leg will bend to a 90 degree angle so that the knee starts to bend and the front thigh is parallel to the floor. It is important to keep the front knee right over the front heel so that the two form another 90-degree angle. Do not allow the knee to pivot in and come out of this alignment.

From here you will place the hands to the heart center, called Anjali mudra or Namaste (for more beginning students) or all the way up towards the sky with the fingers outstretched and palms facing palms, or both hands interlaced in Shiva mudra, aching toward the sky. The shoulders should stay down, releasing the scapula toward the tailbone. For more advanced students, a gentle backbend then occurs, allowing the heart to lift and a supported low back to give way to an opening of the chest. Deep breaths should help you to feel strong and focused at the same time. If the backbend is too intense, you can back off, and just keep the arms raised, or you can drop the hands to prayer position instead. This is also true for practitioners with neck or shoulder problems.

To step into Warrior Two, all you will do is keep you feet planted as they are, but open the hips and chest so that they face the same plane. In warrior one you face forward with your chest and body with your heart facing out over your front knee, but in Warrior Two, your hips open to stretch the groin muscles and thighs and your heart opens to stretch the pectoralis muscles. Your gaze can still grace the front middle finger nail, taking your site line just past it, even though your body will face the opposite wall.

Two take Warrior Three it is easiest to return to Warrior One, and then lunge forward on the bent, front leg, lifting off, as if in flight, to balance on the front leg and raising the back leg off the floor. The hands can reach over head toward the forward facing wall, and the hips should be square now to the floor, with your heart parallel to your yoga mat also. You should stretch from the crown of the head to the back toes and keep the standing leg slightly bent. If your muscles feel weak at first in Warrior Three, then you can take the back toe to the floor to help with balance, and raise the back leg higher as you build strength, balance and stamina.

Practicing Warrior poses will help strengthen the knees, hips and groin which are often weak areas in the body, and thus eliminate joint pain with enduring practice. You should incorporate these poses, however, into a full program of joint relief, which includes modifying your diet and staying away from foods which cause inflammation in the body. Practicing pranayamana (breathing to increase your life force or Prana) and meditation can also help to reduce joint pain in the body. You can also try a sesame oil enema, a practice which is recommended in Ayurvedic medicine, to relieve inflammation in the body as well.

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