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| Hi-
I have been suffering from Ulcerative Colitis since last one year.
The doc says I have to keep taking medication until I die.
I have also started homeopathy medication.
I also started doing some pranayama yoga; Can anyone please suggest what exact yoga I should be doing? Can yoga cure my UC? If so how long will it be until I can start to see some results?
I really appreciate your suggessions/experiences.
Many Thanks,
Nautanki
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| Im going to guess that the reply you are going to get from everyone an answer similar to this:
Everybody is different and everyBODY is different as well, what may work for some people may have to be adjusted or be different for you. Yoga will definately help you understand your body's needs in a very profound level.
Also, you really should go find a good yoga class and talk with the instructor about your own personal healing needs ( you are probably gonna hear this reply alot ).
As far as can yoga heal you? I really dont have an answer for that it may help aleviate some of your pain or problems relating to your illness to give you more of an energized feeling about your everyday life.
I can tell you that I have been doing yoga for only about a month now and have started to notice quite a difference in the way my body feels and a bit more of an awarness to my body and what is happening with it ( my body ) as a result of my yoga practice.
I would suggest consulting your physicion about taking yoga, cuz any advice given to you on here is just that - it does NOT replace professional medical care guidance. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Great reply sideshow. You have our standard patter down already! Yes, one of the best things about yoga is that it helps you cope with the problems you have (and we ALL have them...) better. There is a yoga sutra that says something to the effect that the pains that are to come can and should be avoided. Asana and pranayama can help with that. And they are very helpful in dealing with the discomfort of digestive problems with regular appropriate practice. I have acid reflux but also had many symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome before I started yoga. Those symptoms have all disappeared for the most part although I am left to deal with the reflux. C'est la vie  Anyway, do find a teacher and see if you can get started with yoga if it appeals to you. It may not heal you but it just might make you feel better anyway  |
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| Dear Nautanki: Now that is clearly an Indian name, and probably from Maharashtra. Anyway,
For Ulcerative Colitis, NO Pranayama is Useful, it should not be done for that reason, I mean the condition you have. This is what you need to consider, of course, unless one sees you in person, the exact recommendations are IMPOSSIBLE:
- possible fasting
- definite improvement in diet
- excessive (recommended) rest
- mild exercise
- sufficient meditation
- restorative yoga exercises (must be learnt from an experienced teacher)
Best Luck
Neel Kulkarni |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Neel - are you saying that a person with ulcerative colitis shouldn't do pranayama? What would be the reasoning behind that? Or are you saying that pranayama will not cure ulcerative colitis? |
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| Dear Tourist:
Good question. What is called as Deep Breathing in some circles during the Yoga Exercise is actually not Pranayama. Pranayama is partially an exercise of Breathing, and mostly that of nervous energy. I can not give more details here. However, Pranayama is to be practiced when a Comfortable and Steady Posture and a peaceful state of mind has been achieved. The purpose of Pranayama is to get introduction into Concentration of Mind. It has nothing to do with curing or dealing with Colitis.
Reference: sthirasukham aasanam, tasmin sati shvasaprashvasayoh gativichchedah pranayamah. dharanasu cha yogata manasah.... patanjali.
With all the above statements, pranayama has NOTHING to do with Ulcerative Colitis.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| OK - so Neel, you subscribe to the school of thought that says a foundation for pranayama must be laid first before practicing pranayama? Remember, I am an Iyengar student - one of the few systems where it is taught (these days) that this is necessary. So can we agree that a good, careful asana practice for this person will eventually lead to pranayama which will be beneficial to his mental and physical health? |
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| Dear Tourist:
You are a very intelligent person. I wish you were in my area! For an Ulcerative Colitis guy/gal, the first thing is to relieve oneself of that condition, before taking up any practice, whether it is Asana or etc. Now, if you look at my first response to the questioner, I probably mentioned what asanas (I think restorative only) should be done by her. But, that is a very limited practice. Main emphasis should be on diet/rest.etc.
About Pranayama, your statements are correct.
Peace
Neel |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Yes, I certainly agree about restoratives for this condition. Everyone I have known who has had it has been extremely sick when it "flares up" and some have been critically ill. Once the condition is stable, one could begin to build strength to do more challenging asanas. I think the poster was perhaps someone with a chronic version who can live a fairly normal life, not necessarily in the accute stage of the illness, but I could be making an incorrect assumption.
The pranayama question is one that is central to the differences in yoga practice in North America. P. Jois says "follow the breath and the asana will come" and BKS says "practice the asana and the space to create the breath will come." Admittedly, I heard this difference well after I was comitted to the Iyengar path, but I think I could breathe myself silly before I got a proper alignment in my knees if nobody showed me how to do it. I would have messed up my knees beyond belief years ago if I practiced the breath first and just "wait and see" with the body.
And thanks for the compliment. I'm blushing
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| tourist - 2005-04-06 11:59 PM
Yes, I certainly agree about restoratives for this condition. Everyone I have known who has had it has been extremely sick when it "flares up" and some have been critically ill. Once the condition is stable, one could begin to build strength to do more challenging asanas. I think the poster was perhaps someone with a chronic version who can live a fairly normal life, not necessarily in the accute stage of the illness, but I could be making an incorrect assumption.
The pranayama question is one that is central to the differences in yoga practice in North America. P. Jois says "follow the breath and the asana will come" and BKS says "practice the asana and the space to create the breath will come." Admittedly, I heard this difference well after I was comitted to the Iyengar path, but I think I could breathe myself silly before I got a proper alignment in my knees if nobody showed me how to do it. I would have messed up my knees beyond belief years ago if I practiced the breath first and just "wait and see" with the body.
And thanks for the compliment. I'm blushing
You deserve the compliment Tourist! I make a point of reading your posts as I learn so much from you! I totally agree with you. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I am Iyengar biased too....I have always enjoyed Ashtanga Vinyasa for myself, but I am glad to have a grounding in Iyengar for alignment etc first. I wouldn't like to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa to anyone if they hadn't practised Iyengar first...(reason why I am not doing Ashtanga TT)
Thanks you Tourist for sharing your wisdom with us!
Laura |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Thanks Laura - well, now they really should fix that "blushing" icon!
But it is a good thing that yoga is so vast and the many approaches are there for those who need a different way to practice. Like all those apples we are discussing in the other thread - I like one kind of apple, you like another kind, but in the end, we can all agree that apples are yummy |
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| My ex girlfriend had UC in a big way. I suggest you do some research on the internet. There's a lot of support and info about UC. Everyone who has UC probably has their own experience of it and rates of healing with it. My girlfriend found that her bouts of UC were directly related to stress. Mainly in her job. Sometimes she had to go on prednozone to recover, other times she watched what she ate. You might want to read this book : " Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet." Try Amazon.com. SO, try to minimize stress if possible, read that book about diet, and any exercize, including yoga, has got to be good for your condition. My girlfriend HATED to take drugs and only took them as a last resort. She always exercised and tried many alternative remedies. I don't think you have to be on those harsh western drugs all the time, but everyone is different. She is now happily married with child and the last I spoke with her, she hasn't had any flare ups in a long, long time. I wish you lots of luck in healing this. Know that you can. |
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Ulcerative Colitis
