Traditional yoga consists of gentle movements, held positions, breath awareness techniques and meditation. All can be modified to meet the special needs of people with RA and can help you reduce stress in your life. In our classes, people often are in physical or emotional pain due to their disease or achy and stiff due to a sedentary lifestyle or dealing with changes in body image. Some are proud of their ability to cope with RA and have begun to make positive changes in how they take care of themselves. Some have begun to explore or deepen their spirituality because of their disease.
Most people come hoping to reconnect with their bodies.
Our classes begin in a quiet atmosphere, with soft music and candles, and students reclining on mats. A story or poem is read, or we do a meditation or a guided visualization, using imagination to travel through a fictional experience. Then we begin the movements. Students work within their individual comfort range and physical limitations. In a special situation, one might do very little movement, even just doing the class mentally.