A Yoga for Scleroderma Practice

Many doctors recommend yoga to their patients with Scleroderma, seeing it as a gentle stretching program that will benefit the symptoms of skin tightness and joint contractures, and yet, yoga can offer much more to those affected:

The broad range in the severity of symptoms was the greatest challenge in preparing the program. While writing the script for the video, Kathy reviewed the evaluation forms from the two classes she presented at the national conference, and listened to the two audio tapes of those presentations to hear the questions asked by the participants. 

The greatest impact on a person living with Scleroderma is the lack of mobility due to tightening of the skin and joint pain and swelling or contractures. The effect of Raynaud’s phenomenon (95% affected) combined with the joint contractures and skin tightening in the fingers causing digital ulcers (over 50%) causes limitation in hand extension, difficulty doing many day to day tasks, and a feeling of helplessness. 

Another greatly affected area is the knees and hips, resulting in problems walking and driving, or even getting out of bed or a chair. 

Gastrointestinal problems affect 85%, and cause extreme discomfort and unhealthy weight loss, limit comfortable sleeping positions, and lead to a host of other health problems from reflux, constipation and diarrhea. 

The stress response worsens the disease activity, so the stress of living with Scleroderma makes the symptoms of Scleroderma worse. 

These are the areas Kathy chose to focus on.

When Kathy worked with an individual she was able to tailor the yoga program specifically to their needs and abilities. Preparing a program to be presented in a one hour video format, to students who may never have done yoga before, without a teacher present, and for such a broad range of mobility called for more that one presentation for each pose. 


Again, most of these postures can be practiced by every body type, flexibility type, and level of limitation with modifications and the use of props available for safety and comfort.

Research was completed. Patients were polled. A program was designed. A video was made.