Yoga for Heart Surgery

From a reader in Rajasthan, India:

“Will you please suggest Yoga and Pranayam after Heart Bypass Surgery?” Following a discussion of family issues, he continues, “I am a retired Engineer and now working as a Yoga teacher, so to serve the society I am interested in Yoga Therapy…”

view of blue Jodhpur from fort

After heart and lung surgeries, it’s important to help the lungs to function properly so that infection, fluid accumulation, and small airway collapse don’t occur. The modern medicine version of pranayama uses an incentive spirometer, a plastic device that is designed to help you monitor how well you breathe. If there’s no access to this simple device, it’s okay. You can do the same pranayama without the monitoring tool. The instructions that have been proven effective are:

  • Sit up straight and breathe in as slowly and deeply as possible.
  • Hold the breath for five seconds (or, if unable to hold that long, then as long as possible)
  • Breathe out slowly and then rest for a few seconds
  • Repeat 10 times
  • Then cough (while holding a pillow against the chest wall incision) to expel any loosened material

When it comes to Yoga for cardiac rehabilitation and heart disease prevention, there are some great training programs out there. If it’s something you are interested in pursuing, you might consider attending this one in India:

November 1-6, 2012
Cardiac Medical Yoga Teacher Training – Coimbatore, INDIA
6-day condensed program, non-residential
Contact: Mala Cunningham, Ph.D.
434-296-7100 or info@cardiacyoga.com
http://www.cardiacyoga.com/cardiacyoga/training_dates.html

For Americans interested in Yoga Therapy for heart disease, Dr. Mala runs training programs primarily in the States.

Another favorite is Nischala Joy Devi’s Yoga of the Heart Therapy Certification. She will be teaching in Massachusetts and Austria this summer.

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    One Comment to “Yoga for Heart Surgery”

    1. Ramesh on July 20th, 2012 4:46 am

      Thank You very much for providing useful information. I was at Kaivalya Dham, Yoga Centre at Lonavala, Near Pune ( Maharastra), India. It is a very Good Yoga Institute. It is a First Yoga Institute of the World. The name of course was ” Yoga and Ayurveda”. Due to this I could not reply in time.
      Thanx
      R C Sharma
      Jodhpur ( Raj) India

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