I recently received this email:
Hello Bernie,
I have recently discovered your website and have been trying to practice yin yoga. I used to practice hatha and power yoga regularly when I was living in the U.S. I am currently living in France now and there are not many yoga studios around where I live. Anyway, I have psoriasis, and this year developed psoriatic arthritis. I am only 28 years old, and have always been very physically active so this has been quite difficult. I have been going through a lot of stress so I'm sure that's what brought it on. So now I am very limited in physical activity, and a friend of mine, who is a certified yoga instructor, suggested I look into yin yoga. So I want to say thank you for your site, b/c I already feel a little better. I wanted to ask, if I am limited to yin yoga, do you think that once my arthritis calms down, I will be able to start yang yoga again? Since my arthritis is brought on when my psoriasis flares up, my doctor said it is not chronic, but that it can go away when my psoriasis calms down. Anyway, if you have any advice or tips I would appreciate it.
Thank you again!
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For people who don’t know about this condition, psoriasis is a common, chronic skin condition that causes red patches on the body. Most people have heard about psoriasis but unfortunately about 1 in 20 people with psoriasis will develop arthritis along with the skin condition. In most cases, psoriasis comes before the arthritis. Also, unfortunately, the cause of psoriatic arthritis is not known but there is a very good online resource that I am sure you are already aware of: www.psoriasis.org.
In the above web site it explains that while there is no known cure for this malady, the key is to keep exercising, so your intention to continue to do yoga is great. However, it is easy to overdo it. If you feel weak, sore or tired after the practice you are probably going too far. Since this condition affects the joints, a gentle yin yoga practice may be ideal for you, but you still want to have some easy yang movements too: walking is excellent, as is swimming or gentle hatha practices. By “gentle” I mean: short holds - maybe only 1 ~ 3 minutes, and the easier poses like Butterfly, Sphinx pose, Reclining Twists and Bananasa. [See the Asana tab for details on these poses.]
Another big advantage to these exercises and especially Yin Yoga is the stress reduction aspect: stay mindful and present. Make these sessions into moving meditations. Watch what arises but don’t react to it negatively: stay present - practice C.O.R.A. which means, “clear, open, radiant awareness.” Feel what is touching the ground, feel what moves as you happen to breathe, notice the temperature of the air against your skin - all this helps you become more present and consequently, without even trying, more relaxed.
Most doctors will recommend some form of anti-immflammatories to help reduce the swelling which stresses the joints and eats away at the body from the inside out. Listen to your doctors but also you may want to consider a non-drug based source of anti-inflammation: Earthing. Read this Newsletter Article on Earthing - I can personally vouch that it can and does reduce inflammation and it may really help you.
Another possibility to check into is an alternate healing modality: Ayurveda. My partner used to occasionally develop psoriasis but it went away when she adopted an Ayurvedic diet. If you would like to know more about that, feel free to reply and she can communicate with you, or see a local, trained Ayurvedic doctor. (I don’t know how many there are in France, so again, feel free to ask for further advice.)
I hope some of this help. Do check out the Earthing article and let me know how it goes.
Cheers
Bernie