Gall stones

Yoga Discussion Structural Yoga Therapy
#1

Dear Mukunda:
I am a Scottish Yoga teacher who has appreciated your work, via the book and these postings you are generous enough to share with us all, never expecting to be in a conundrum of my own!

This week I found myself admitted to hospital as an emergency with abdominal pain. They found several gall stones and a small embolism/enlargement of the abdominal aorta; decided (after an overnight stay) that everything had settled down and sent me back home. I now am waiting for an out patients clinic in 6 weeks time when I will have an opportunity to talk to the specialist who briefly saw me. A summary of the results of the ultra sound scans will be sent to my local general practitioner in the next few days. The feedback I got from the technician that did my scan was – that he did not think the aorta was overlarge but was happy to show me the stones.

My conundrum is to work out which postures are helpful and which not. I suspect the gall stones will make it quite plain which ones they don’t like … but the aorta business has me puzzled. Should I avoid the headstands I love so much? I suspect that forward bends might constrict the femoral artery and therefore cause more pressure on the section of the aorta in my abdomen. I would be grateful for any thoughts you might have. (I am 62)

Namaste M

#2

I would suggest that you avoid any inversions and prolonged forward bending postures, as both will promote increased abdominal aorta pressures. Instead I would recommend that you do postures that are mildly heating like spinal twists avoiding variations that increase femoral artery pressures. For gallstones I would also recommend that you do an anti-pitta Ayurvedic diet and contact the Ananda Prayer Council at prayers@ananda.org and ask that you be prayed for. Asking for help from God is of tremendous benefit in times of stress. Putting yourself in the hands of others and/or a Power Greater than Yourself (in whatever form you conceive that Power to be – as peace, love, God, Christ, etc.) is the most dramatic way to generate the energy of humility and reverence. These are necessary to find contentment in a world that is unreliable.