Bahya pranayama and hernia

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,
My doctor thinks that I might be developing a hernia. So, I was looking for alternative medicines which I can take now in order to prevent the hernia from growing. I found out from the following link that hernia can be completely cured through regular practice of Bahya Pranayama.
wwwDOTyogamax.net/pranayama/bahya

In the above link, it also says that “Bahya Pranayama should be practiced after Kapalbhati”. But, I found out from the following link that a person with hernia shouldn’t do kapalbhati pranyama.
wwwDOTsubodhgupta.com/yogaarticle/yoga_hernia.html

Would you please tell me whether I can do Bahya Pranyama without doing kapalbhati pranyama.
Thanks,
(since I was not allowed to post URLs, I replaced . by DOT at the above links)

#2

Hello rvoy,

Please tell us about the type of hernia. You are probably speaking about hiatal hernia (stomach protruding through diaphragm). Is that correct?

The reason I ask is that there are so many types of hernia, ranging from herniated disk in the spine to inguinal hernia in the groin. Just to make sure.

What symptoms are you experiencing?

#3

While my first thought was “inguinal hernia” it doesn’t really matter which hernia it is.

When the student is drawing information on their practice from several sources AND those sources and not in direct contact with the student AND they are in direct conflict with each other, the waters are so murky that an answer is nearly impossible.

#4

Hi Willem,
Actually, my doctor thinks that my indirect inguinal ring might be little bigger than they are supposed to be though my intestine is not coming out of it. And, he is not sure whether it is causing the pain in my groin area. He thinks it might be due to swollen lymph nodes in the groin area. Would you please tell me whether I can do kapalbhati and/or bahya pranyama. Also, is there a pranyama or yoga (asana) for swollen lymph nodes in the groin area? Thanks a lot in advance.
Regards

#5

Hello Willem,
You asked me about my symptoms. I get lot of pain in my right groin area after I walk for some time, or simply if I stand for an hr or so. Thanks,

#6

rvoy,

Very sorry my friend, if you have a hernia developing, pranayama will not fix it. If you have swollen lymph glands, then you want to find its cause, i.e. infection.

These pranayamas are advanced practices and not an advisable place to start, and are definitely not to be done by themselves. You would already have had a good deal, several years, of vigilant hatha training before you would gain that kind of control, and even then, the most you could do is relieve some pressure. It would not be a permanent fix you could count on.

If it’s a hernia, you should have it surgically repaired ASAP before it gets worse, as it inevitably will. Putting it off will only further compromise your helath, i.e., holding your breath. Good news is, it’s an easy fix. Just go and have it done. If it’s infected glands, your doctor should be able to figure that out.

Good luck,
siva

#7

I am not a medical doctor, so I prefer to leave most of your questions to the medical profession. From what you write, your doctor has yet to come to a definitive diagnosis and a recommendation on treatment. That is something that you should definitely pursue.

Even some yoga authors will tell you that inguinal hernia can only be fixed with surgery. In the meantime, you could take some lifestyle measures to prevent things from getting worse. You want to avoid raising abdominal pressure. No lifting of heavy weights, reduce weight if your are obese, eat well so that you do not need to strain when passing stools. If you have a physical yoga practice, please avoid all poses that increase pressure in the abdomen, e.g. cobra, locust and bow.

I don’t know of anyone who has fixed inguinal hernia with pranayama. As Siva says, don’t even try to do pranayama on your own in your condition.