rheumatoid arthritis

Hi, for about two years I have had RA and it has ravaged my body. I was for instance using wheel-chair six months ago and largely housebound   Now on a plant-based wholoefood diet (no gluten, no dairy et al) I have got myself mobile and started Bikram three weeks ago. and signed up for 3, 4 or 5 days a week for the long haul.

My right elbow is very restricted and painful.  I have not been able to kneel properly for 40 years (due to Psoriatic Arthropathy.)  Also I am very stiff generally.

So, I do what I can and don’t push it.  I struggle to get to the floor postures using a stool or chair and cannot get back up after the session without someone lifting me.

I am wanting to maximise the session benefits (without pushing it too far etc).  For example in the pranayama I cannot get my elbows above horizontal.  Pushing higher feels good, it hurts my right elbow, but there little doubt in my mind the effort is worth while.

Then with all the balancing exercises I struggle to balance.  So I stand next to a wall with a bar and use the bar to help balance and so get more out of the pose.

Also with the vertical postures, some days my ankles are swollen, so not much joy there.  I try to ignore this pain, and am just careful when returning feet to the ground not to cause any further joint problems.

Going to the floor poses I need a chair to lean on to get down and use just my left elbow (wrists can be too painful), and coming back up I need people to lift me to vertical.

Generally I am finding what I call alternative poses that I can achieve and replace these with the instructions given by the teacher, while at the same time trying to follow the standard instructions.  Some poses I am so far away from what the teacher is instructing I feel I am on another planet.

What I need are tips to help me make sure I don’t cause myself a problem and also want to make sure at the end of the session I have got the best out of it.  I have searched the web for tips for people with arthritis, and everywhere it says “you are on a good path,” but so far I haven’t found very few resources to help me progress better.