Thanks for the information regarding the Arthritis Diet by Indra Devi. My question today concerns the student I am working with. She has arthritis/diabetes/high blood pressure and recently had a hip replacement (8 months). Could you please give me cautionary advice for postures that I need to be aware of for this combination. We are using the Joint Freeing series (JFS) and lots of breathing, relaxation and meditation. Thanks for your help. J
For arthritis the JFS is a good idea. In general contraindications with this combination would be to make sure she is conformable in all motions that she is going, if not they should be modified to be effective at increasing circulation and minimizing stress/pain. For hip replacement the main contraindication would be to avoid cross legged poses (sitting on the floor), full flexion (go half way in forward bends) and in general external hip rotation poses. In other words, do not try to stretch her hamstrings or deep gluteal region, except in a mild fashion. Most people with high blood pressure are monitored and taking medication that controls the pressure. Rarely is there someone with high blood pressure that is unregulated if that is the case then we avoid moderate and strong backbending as it can stimulate the barroreceptor response to elevate heart rate and blood pressure. Namaste Mukunda