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Basic yoga poses

These are basic yoga poses that you can try to help relieve JIA symptoms. These poses will teach you how to relax as well as introduce you to the postures that the other yoga poses will build on.

​Mountain (Tadasana)

Stand with your feet hips distance apart, and your weight even on your feet. Have your knees straight but not locked. Reach your spine up tall. Draw your shoulder blades gently down and towards each other. Lower your belly and gently draw it in towards your spine. Inhale and exhale slowly, smoothly evenly for nine breaths. Then stay with the position and your breath while you scan through your body, releasing tension in your neck, shoulders, jaw, tongue, hands, buttocks and feet. Then take nine more long, calm breaths.

Benefits – Teaches postural correction and the place where postures should start – calm breath, strong and relaxed body.

Modifications – You can imagine this posture, lengthening and letting go, from sitting. You can also lie on your back and both imagine and feel yourself positioned in standing mountain.

Corpse pose (Savasana)

Savasana helps you to relax and let go. You can do this before you start your yoga postures, in between, and at the end of each session. Lay on your back, arms just away from your sides, and shoulders relaxed. Let your arms and legs roll away from each other. Feel tension releasing from your muscles, and your whole body releasing down towards the floor. Try to let go of controlling your breath and thoughts. See if you can lay still. Watch what happens to your breath, your body, and your mind. If you find yourself changing your position or thinking of something, let that go. Keep coming back to awareness of what`s happening now.

Benefits – Learn how to enter a deep state of relaxation while staying awake and alert. Become more connected with your body, mind and spirit. In other words, learn how to fall awake.

Modifications – Place pillows under your knees and head to make the position more comfortable. You can also sit in a chair, eyes closed, feet on floor and hands in lap with palms facing up.

Welcome to the Taking Charge: Managing JIA Online Program! In this section you will learn what to expect in the program, how to get started and how to set goals to better manage JIA.

JIA stands for juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Find out what causes JIA, the different types of JIA and how it will affect you now and in the future.

Diagnosing JIA may be difficult as joint pain and swelling may be a part of many different illnesses. Diagnosis of JIA typically includes a physical exam, blood tests and imaging studies.

Pain, stiffness, and tiredness or fatigue, are common symptoms of JIA. These symptoms can lead to difficulties with participating in school and sports activities, and enjoying time with your friends. Learn about pain, fatigue, and stiffness, how to manage symptoms and how these symptoms can cause stress.

There are several strategies you can use to help you cope with pain, stress, and sleep problems. These include relaxation, distraction, and managing your thoughts. In this section, learn more about how each of these strategies work.

When you know about your medications, you can talk to your doctor about them and make good choices for yourself. Find out about the different types of JIA medications, how they work, common side effects, and the importance of talking to your doctor about your medication plan.

Did you know that there are many other therapies that you can use to manage JIA symptoms? They can help to prevent complications so that you can do all the things you want to do. In this section, learn more about physical, occupational, and psychological therapies; maintaining healthy nutrition; surgical options for JIA, and more.

Your role in making decisions about your treatment plan is very important. Your health-care team and other members of your support system are available to help you make these decisions. In turn, they can help you to manage your JIA.

Whether you have JIA or not, you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Find out how to stay healthy and active, learn about puberty and relationships, healthy body image, and making healthy lifestyle choices.

Sometime between the ages of 18 to 22, you most likely will transition from your pediatric rheumatologist to the adult health care setting. At that time, there are a number of things you, your family, and your health-care team can do to help make this change go smoothly.