4 Arthritis-Friendly Yoga Poses

When your joints feel stiff and painful, movement can be key for getting them the lubrication they need. Try these simple yoga moves to ease the ache.

You can do everything right — eat your veggies, sleep soundly, manage stress, visit with friends, and stay on top of medical checkups — and still feel challenged when it comes to joint health.

In fact, when older adults were responding to the 2022 University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, 70% of them noted that they were feeling joint pain at that moment.

If joint pain is caused by arthritis, the researchers noted, it can lead to higher rates of sleep problems, depression, anxiety, and disability.

Even without arthritis or osteoporosis, loss of bone mass as a result of aging can lead to pain and discomfort in any joint in the body, including the spine, hands, hips, and knees.

The good news is that physical activity can play a major part in slowing down joint problems and even restoring function in some cases. Low-impact exercises that don’t put stress on joints are important, and so is gentle movement that helps joints move through a wider range of motion.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, yoga is one such type of movement that can:

• Improve flexibility and mobility
• Strengthen the muscles around affected joints
• Help control joint swelling and pain

With that in mind, here are four top yoga poses that offer full-body benefits, including muscle strengthening and alleviating stiffness and aching in multiple joints.

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How to Use the 4 Yoga Poses for Achy Joints 

As always, safety is key. Get your doctor’s OK before beginning a new exercise program. If you have a chronic condition (including arthritis or osteoporosis), balance issues, or injuries, talk to your doctor about how you can exercise safely.

With any of these (or other) yoga poses, feel free to modify them as needed in ways that feel beneficial to you. For example, if kneeling on the floor or a mat makes your knees ache, put a rolled-up towel underneath them for more cushioning.

Be sure to move slowly and take deep breaths, which can help you get into the poses more deeply. These exercises are gentle enough to do every day.

What you need:

• Yoga mat or carpeted area
• Space to move
• Comfortable clothing
• Sturdy chair
• Water to sip, as needed

You can do these poses as a sequence — meaning one of each pose before moving on to the next — and repeat the sequence as many times as you like. You can also hold a pose for longer and then move on to the next one. Feel free to make this mini yoga session into your own!

Pose #1: Cat Cow

How to do it:

• Start on all fours with your hands below shoulders and knees below hips.
• Slowly round your back up toward the ceiling (like a cat) while tucking your chin toward your tailbone.
• Then reverse the movement by arching your back (think about a cow) while lifting your hips and head.
• Form tip: Focus on raising your head and tailbone to get into the cow position rather than dumping into your lower back.
• Alternate between cat and cow for one minute (or for a slow 10 reps — five with back rounded, five with back arched).

Standing Cow Variation: If you have trouble with floor-based exercises, try the standing cat-cow.

Pose #2: Downward Dog With Chair

How to do it:

• Stand facing a sturdy chair about arm’s length away with your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart. (You can place the chair so the seat is facing you, as shown, or so the back of the chair is facing you.)
• Hinging from your hips, take a few steps back so that your spine becomes parallel with the floor, or as far as you comfortably can.
• Hold for five to 10 deep breaths, or as long as you can.
• Bend your knees, and take baby steps toward the chair, rounding your back slightly as you return to standing.

Downward Dog Variations: This exercise can also be done facing a wall or — more challenging — hinging forward to the floor. Find instructions for other downward dog variations here.

Pose #3: Chair Pose

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, making sure your knees and hips are facing forward. Engage your belly.
• Sit back, bending your knees and lowering your hips as if you are hovering over a chair.
• Keeping your weight in your heels, reach your arms forward for counterbalance.
• Hold here for three to five slow, deep breaths, then press through your feet to return to standing.

Form tip: Try to keep your back in one straight line throughout this pose. If your lower back starts to arch, tilt your tailbone down toward the floor. This will feel much more comfortable!

Recommended FREE SilverSneakers On-Demand Class: Chair Exercises for Seniors: Yoga Poses With Props

Pose #4: Seated Crescent Lunge

How to do it:

• Sit toward the edge of a sturdy chair that does not have arm rests.
• Turn your body to the left so that your left leg is forward, and your right leg is behind you.
• Place your left foot flat on the floor. Your left thigh will be on the chair.
• Extend your right leg behind you. It’s OK to bend the knee, but try to have the ball of your right foot touch the floor.
• Press both feet into the ground so you feel a squeeze in your leg muscles .
• Brace your core, engaging the muscles around your belly button.
• Roll your shoulders down and squeeze your shoulder blades in.
• Keep your hands on your waist or raise them above your head as far as you comfortably can.
• Keep your head neutral and gaze forward.
• Hold for five to 10 deep breaths, or as long as you can.
• Return to start and repeat on the other side.

Love these exercises and want more? Try SilverSneakers Yoga! Classes are offered both in-person at participating locations and online with SilverSneakers LIVE. 

See our sources:
University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, 2022
Aging changes in joints, bone, and muscles: National Library of Medicine
Tips for healthy joints: Arthritis Foundation

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