Dr. Stefany Moonaz - Yoga Therapy for Arthritis A Whole-Person Approach to Movement and Lifestyle

YOGA

THERAPY

FOR ARTHRITIS

A Whole-Person Approach
to Movement and Lifestyle

STEFFANY MOONAZ AND ERIN BYRON

Foreword by Dr. Clifton O. Bingham III, MD

Contents

Foreword

You need to be extra careful with your wrists when you are doing a down dog. This is not the usual advice a patient with arthritis would expect to hear from their rheumatologist, yet it reflects a more holistic approach that I have learned to use in helping people with arthritis maximize function and improve quality of life. I was once a sceptic myself. My medical training prepared me well to understand the pathobiology of disease and to apply evidence-based approaches to manage the underlying disease process of various forms of arthritis. But my training was sorely lacking in teaching a holistic approach to help patients negotiate how to live with a chronic condition like arthritis.

Fortunately, before I was too set in my ways, I had the good fortune to work with Steffany (Haaz) Moonaz as she started a project in our academic rheumatology practice to study the effects of a yoga program, specifically modified to address the concerns of people living with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. I introduced the program to a number of my own patients, who enthusiastically agreed to participate. As the study proceeded, I had patients report back on the improvements that they were experiencing in areas such as self-confidence, appreciation and acceptance of limitations, improvements in strength and balance, and even reductions in pain and fatigue. After the study was over, many patients continued with home-based yoga practices, noting the importance of this in grounding their daily lives. One of my patients even went on to become a yoga instructor herself! As the study concluded and we analyzed the data there were definite improvements noted in multiple different aspects of health-related quality of life, physical fitness, and psychological health.

I worked with Steffany as she developed her doctoral thesis, serving as one of her clinical advisors and watched her develop appreciation for the special concerns of patients living with various forms of arthritis. She was inquisitive and always cautious. Since completing her dissertation, Steffany has gone on to develop the successful Yoga for Arthritis (YFA) Program, based on the work done at Hopkins. She has worked with NIH on additional studies, collaborated with research hospitals in New York City, and directs the research program at the Maryland University for Integrative Health (MUIH). I have given lectures for the last several years to the Yoga Therapy Masters program at MUIH, providing information on joint safety and collaborative care between patients, providers, and yoga professionals that is respectful of physical limitations and medical concerns. Steffany covers some of this content in her final chapter with helpful tips for patients, practitioners, and teachers on creating a collaborative relationship.

There are a number of misconceptions among medical professionals about yoga. Some may have the image of yoga as the svelte, uber-flexible, Lululemon-clad yogini engaged in some twisty bendy pose, usually with a beautiful beach or other vista in the background as seen on covers of yoga and lifestyle magazines. Others think about the physically demanding types of hot yoga, power yoga, and athletic yoga practices that are composed of rooms of twenty-somethings pushing the limits of athleticism, and sometimes causing injuries. Alternatively, or additionally, we may envision yoga being wrapped up in some new-age, chanting, meditative practice performed by people sitting tightly cross-legged on the floor. With only these images of yoga, it is hard to imagine that such a practice could possibly be safe or appropriate for people with arthritis.

In medicine one of our primary tenets is primum non nocere , or First, do no harm. Likewise, in yoga a central tenet is related to ahimsa or non-harming. Throughout the book, this primary principle is emphasized again and again to the potential practitioner with arthritis, instructors, or other interested health care professionals. Awareness, respect, and acceptance of limitations is an important component of the overall approach and program.

In her book, Steffany is able to demystify yoga. She takes us back to its foundational underpinnings to reveal the ways in which yoga can become accessible to those living with arthritis. The Yoga for Arthritis program developed at Hopkins was broad in its scope, encompassing much more than asanas (poses) to integrate other arms of yoga that address aspects of emotional and spiritual health.

Her book is directed toward patients, yoga instructors, and health professionals, all of whom can benefit from the information within. Personal stories of people with arthritis who have engaged in a modified yoga practice are inspiring; many of these are truly stories of transformation. Some of these are my own patients who continue to practice yoga a decade later. Step-by-step instructions on modifications of specific yoga poses are easily understandable and help readers to better understand their underlying intention. Information on meditative and breathing practices emphasize the non-physical aspects of yoga that have great potential as parts of holistic care. Exercises through the book demonstrate basic yogic principles (e.g., breathing, concentration, meditation, relaxation) in addition to further information on stress reduction.

As I watched the changes in my patients who participated in the program, I began my own yoga practice. This has been an important part of my own self-care and tremendously beneficial through injuries and other life challenges. The lessons learned from watching Steffany and working with YFA have helped me to rehabilitate from a back injury on more than one occasion. In fact, one of my injuries occurred after I had laid off of a regular yoga practice for several months. The lessons of acceptance of current state and non-harming were important as I began a graded recovery. I was able to experience firsthand the value of the different aspects of yoga as part of my own healing, not only of my physical injury but also the associated social and emotional impacts of pain.

As a rheumatologist in practice for more than twenty-five years, I have seen thousands of patients with various forms of arthritis. One of the most inspirational aspects of caring for this unique patient population is witnessing the resilience embodied by many patients. Physicians now have tremendous therapies now available to help treat inflammation and autoimmune-driven aspects of a number of forms of arthritis. However, I have great appreciation for totality of bio-psycho-social impacts on health-related quality of life that extends far beyond the physical impacts of joint swelling and pain. Since my introduction to the yoga for arthritis program, I can now draw upon additional complementary tools to more holistically care for my patients. And as the health care system seemingly squeezes more and more time from our encounters, potentially compromising our ability to best treat the whole patient, I see a sensible program incorporating the tenets of yoga as an important available adjunct for holistic care.

As health professionals increasingly understand the value of movement for people with arthritis, a properly modified yoga program can encourage movement, promote body awareness, improve flexibility, improve biomechanics, and strengthen periarticular structures (tendons, ligaments, muscles). Additionally, the mind-body aspects of yoga practice help to address psychosocial and spiritual aspects of disease, potentially helping to mediate pain pathways, improve self-efficacy, reduce stress, and encourage self-acceptance. The mechanisms through which yoga and meditation may exert their effects are still unclear and require further scientific study, but the value of physical activities and mind-body interventions is increasingly demonstrated through rigorous clinical studies.