Hernia

[Mukunda]

Q - I have some questions for my new practice. The allopatic doctors are Mostly telling to go for surgery because is dangerous when colon
Comes in the broken aera. My doctor suggest my not doing operatin and
Strengthening abdominus oblique and internal muscles but not so much
Working with abdominals muscles because of to much pressure.

In Light of Yoga jyengar writes that sarvangasana and upavistha konasana Are good for healing small hernias.He suggest many postures to avoid the
Hernia . You told me navasana,nauli and twisting and not strechting the groin area.
Which postures should I avoid ?
Can nauli not be too strong for such condition?
What about sarvangasa variations?
If you could answer my this questions it would be helpful for me.

Warmest regards

[Mukunda]

The first paragraph has a twisted statement. He is saying strengthening the abdominus internal and external obliques and at the same time not working with abdominals. I assume he means to avoid stretching the rectus abdominus (central) muscles which would be as in wheel or other full backbends like camel. This is very important for you to learn what the contracting motion of a muscle is. You need to understand this to learn what strength is. The opposite movement is stretch. The difficulty comes with yoga’s language and the over emphasis on feeling stretch of poses. Not all poses in yoga create a stretch sensation. So you must use your intelligence to understand it rather than to feel the sensation.

      In general motions that tone the abdominals in the lower region are recommended.  In general this means pulling the pubic bone towards the navel and vice versa.  To think more clearly imagine that any motion that pulls the ribs towards the pelvis or pelvis towards ribs is shortening the abdominals.  That is the contraction motion.  That will include Navasana while pulling the pubic bone upwards, rolling bridge same motion; 

Contraindicated will be all motions where you lengthen the abdomen, moving ribs away from pelvis or vice versa; that motion stretches the abdominals.  The hernia is located on the side that is on the region of the external and internal abdominis obliques.  Rarely is there a hernia in the central portion where the rectus abdominis is.  

Shoulderstand will have very little motion to the hernia, going up and coming down will though.  So one should minimize the abdominal effort and use more effort from shoulders as you go into and out of pose.  Nauli if you can do shortens the abdominals thus toning, strengthening them.   namaste mukunda

[Mukunda]

Dear Mukunda,

Thank you for email . The doctor was telling me contraction of rectus
abdominis is not good because of increasing pressure in belly inward.
Your answer that i have to understand what the motionof contraction muscle
is confusing me. After doing now 5 monts strength training I have more
Understanding of where the contraction motion is .
The point of the question came out because doctor is telling strengthening
Abdominus internal and external oblique where the hernia is located and at
The same time telling me that strengthening the rectus abdominis is not good
Because increasing pressure in the belly area. This statment was not clear
for me and thats why I asked your opinion about this.

As you wrote me I will focus on strengthening lower abdominals.
For strengthening lower back I will avoid poses which stretches abdominals
as you suggest me.

In many Yogabooks is writen navasana should not be done with groin hernia
And also very different recommandations for this condition.

So it is important to undertand clearly what adaptations I need in asana
practice and what is contraindicated.

Thank you for giving me advice for practice.

Warmest regards