Hello everyone,

I have posted on the position thread and will also post here.
I have a very difficult problem.
I was born with serious birth defects of the hand, arm and shoulder.
I'm not sure that i can study yoga.
I can't touch my shoulders or put my hands/arms behind my back.
My left arm is about 5 inches shorter than my right and both arms are permantly bent at the elbow.
I was born without thumbs and have limited flexibility at my wrists. As a result, I can't fully lift my upper body off of the floor.
All of the positions seem to stress flexibility of the arms, even the beginning ones.
My legs and feet are normal although I have "bad knees"

Thanks for any help!!

Dear Teff44, yoga is not about getting your body in the perfect looking position, it is about the journey of moving towards that place. So you may never get there with the body you were born with, but you can strive to move as best you can into the poses. If you need help modifying the poses to work with your body you may want to consider some private sessions with a qualified yoga teacher. There are also yogic meditation techniques and breathing exercises that you may want to explore as well.