YOGA THERAPY FOR ARTHRITIS BY STEFFANY MOONAZ

A Whole-Person Approach to Movement and Lifestyle

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

I’m a book lover. I love the contents of books, but I also love the objects themselves- the paper and ink. Perhaps it’s because I came of age before e-books, tablets, social media, and digital everything. Because of that, my fondest memories of discovery are from finding new information in the library archives or the Encyclopedia Britannica. I remember looking for something to do and wandering the shelves of my father’s office bookcase full of psychology texts of every era. When my grandparents passed and we went through their shared belongings, I took more books home than anything else. I especially appreciated the books with handwritten messages inside the front cover. This was a world into my grandparents’ lives and experience. It made the book somehow more special- more of a window into the past. And when the book was signed by the author, I wondered about my grandparents’ relationship to the author and what could be revealed from the way it was signed.

Having written many articles, chapters, and now a full book, I know how much of an authors’ personhood resides within the book itself. I worked on that book every weekday morning from 5:30-7:30am before the rest of the household awoke- through a major move for my family, a serious car accident and traumatic brain injury, the passing of my mother. Every weekday morning, I sat quietly at my desk and poured my knowledge, experience, and ideas onto the page. There are pieces of me in the ink of every single book.

And if you are reading this now, it means that my journey and yours are linked in some special way. I hope that you will find something unexpected and wondrous in the pages of this book, and I hope you will let me personalize it with a signature and a message just for you. Whether our paths have crossed personally, virtually, or simply energetically, I wrote this book for you. I hope that whatever is written inside the cover adds meaning to the book. And just maybe someday your grandkids will find it and have another little window into your beautiful life. - Steffany Moonaz

YOGA THERAPY FOR ARTHRITIS
A Whole-Person Approach to Movement and Lifestyle

Yoga therapy is commonly used for the management of arthritis, but often focuses exclusively on adaptation of the physical poses and on structural solutions. This book moves beyond the traditional routines to present yoga as a lifestyle designed to improve quality of life and overall well-being for individuals living with arthritis and rheumatic conditions. By incorporating the ancient practices of yoga as both physical and mental exercises involving a model of 5-koshas or sheaths (physical, energetic, mental/emotional, wisdom, and spiritual), the yoga therapy practice presented here will help reduce pain and shift the perspective of the individual living with arthritis.

This therapy uses a whole-person approach that employs a broad range of tools to address the biopsychosocial effects of arthritis through the application of yoga practices and philosophy. Useful as a guide for people living with arthritis, this book is full of inspiration for self care along with instructions for yoga teachers and medical professionals to guide their clients using this whole-person perspective.

Steffany Moonaz, PhD, C-IAYT is a yoga researcher and yoga therapist serving as the Director of Clinical and Academic Research at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Based on her years of practice and research, she founded Yoga for Arthritis, an organization that trains yoga professionals to work safely and effectively with arthritic populations.

Erin Byron, MA is a psychotherapist and author who co-founded one of the first internationally-accredited yoga therapist training programs. She has been leading retreats and training for over fifteen years.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction; Activity List; PART I: Living with Arthritis; 1. What is Yoga Therapy for Arthritis; 2. Arthritis is a Whole-Person Disease; 3. Yoga is a Whole Person Practice; 4. Yoga, the Physical Body & Arthritis (Annamaya Kosha); 5. The Energy Layer (PranamayaKosha); PART II. Thriving with Arthritis; 6. Arthritis and Energy Levels; 7. Pain in the Brain (Manomaya Kosha); 8. Arthritis and a Healthy Mind; 9. Wisdom & Perspectives on Arthritis (Vijanamaya Kosha); 10. Spirituality in Arthritis (Anandamaya Kosha); PART III. Yoga Therapy Practices for Arthritis; 11. Home Practice; 12. Sequences for Specific Intentions; 13. Where to Go from Here; References; Appendix: Adapting & Modifying Yoga Postures; Recommended Reading