Yoga & Spondylitis

Spondylitis, also called spondyloarthritis or spondyloarthropathy, is an umbrella term for any disorder, chronic or long-lasting, that affects the spinal column. Common disorders that fall into this group include inflammatory arthritis of the spine and inflammations that cause ligaments to attach to the bone. Proper exercise is essential to treat spondylitis as a method of increasing spinal strength and flexibility. Several styles of yoga include postures you can practice that may be helpful for spondylitis.

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga can mean many things, and there are different ways to practice it. However, as an exercise, yoga provides us with a method to increase our strength and flexibility; increase the lubrication of joints, ligaments, and tendons; detoxify the body; and massage the organs. According to yogic philosophers, energy centers, called "chakras," are located along the spinal column and one of the original intentions of the yoga postures was to develop a method of stimulating these energy centers, and for many, this still remains one of the primary purposes of yoga. Thus, there are many yoga postures particularly aimed at maintaining spinal strength and flexibility. Researcher Karen Sherman at the Group Health Cooperative found that adults suffering from chronic lower back pain had less pain after practicing yoga weekly for only 12 weeks. Before supplementing your spondylitis treatment with yoga, always consult your doctor or physical therapist first.

Styles of Yoga that Can Help with Spondylitis

According to Ayurveda, which is a system of medicine derived from yogic philosophy, spondylitis is a "Vata" disease. This means spondylitis is aggravated by cold and dry environments. Styles of yoga that build heat, such as "Vinyasa Flow," or yoga practiced in heated rooms, like "Hot Yoga," can help to diminish the discomfort of the disease, while increasing the strength and flexibility of the spine.

Yoga Poses for Spondylitis

Avoid deep back bends. When you practice poses that force you to bend backwards, they should be shallow and practiced only briefly. Your practice should build heat, but should not be too rigorous; you should come only to a mild sweat. Yoga poses that would have you fold forward will be particularly beneficial and may relieve pain associated with spondylitis. Poses you should consider include: the Surya Namaskar Series, Utkatasana, Trikonasana, Parsvattanasana, Child's Pose, Marichyasana, Janu Sirsasana, Ardha Matseyendrasana, Pavanamuktasana, and Savasana.

Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises, also called "pranayama," are an integral part of a yoga practice. According to the yogic philosophy, there is a vital force called "prana" in all living things, and the first manifestation of this energy in your body is in your breath. Thus breathing exercises were constructed in an effort to control the prana in our bodies, and stimulate healing. Among these exercises are three techniques that stimulate and heat the body that you can use to reduce Vata conditions, such as spondylitis, they are: Bhastrika, Surya-Bheda, and Kapalabhati. Be patient when using pranayama to ease discomfort from spondylitis, it may take up to 45 consecutive days of practice before any noticeable progress is made.