How many of you do yoga?

Options
245

Comments

  • graced
    graced Member Posts: 104
    edited July 2012

    Hi everyone, I have been practicing Bikram yoga for about 9 months.  I start radiation on Monday and my doctor thought it wouldn't be good to be in the heat because it would make my breast very uncomfortable.  Anyone practice Bikram during rads?  Any issues one way or the other? 

    Thanks!
    Grace

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited July 2012

    I'm like Momine - I am not attracted to the "mental" "ummmm" side of yoga. But I love power yoga and vinyasa. It is strenuous and certainly strength-bearing. It makes me strong and feel good about the fact that I am doing what I can do reduce my risk of recurrence. Given that I was unable to tolerate Tamoxifen for more than about 18 months, weight bearing, strenuous exercise is something I take very seriously. So it's power yoga for me, with the planks and down dogs and warrior poses and uber-quad stretches....and then it's spinning and weight lifting.

    It's good to feel healthy enough to do such strenuous exrcise. My instructor told us to be thankful of that the other day...small words of wisdom.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LtotheK
    LtotheK Member Posts: 2,095
    edited July 2012

    Graced, I am thinking about doing some Bikram without the heat, there's a great DVD on Amazon.  I know what my PT would tell you:  radiation is a time when you have increased edema in the breast, and lots of stress on the lymphs and capillaries.  Try something without adding the heat risk, because heat is a known lymphedema trigger.  I also would caution you from hyperextending anything undergoing radiation.  I ended up with cording, which was a miserable experience.  My massage therapist suggested that I might have damaged my lymph system by getting right back to the gym after SNB--sometimes, taking it easy is the best medicine.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • graced
    graced Member Posts: 104
    edited July 2012

    LtotheK, you are right.  I just came back from class and the studio owner and another instructor also both said the same thing - no bikram during rads.  So it was my last class for 6 weeks.  One of the instructors said Rajashree Choudhury has a pregnancy DVD that's 60 minutes instead of 90 that may be a good option for me.  Might be the one you are referring to.  I've got another yoga DVD with 15-20 minute routines on it so I guess I'll start there and see what I can do. I can take it easy - just need something to help keep me sane Laughing

    Hope you're feeling better.

    Thanks!
    Grace

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LtotheK
    LtotheK Member Posts: 2,095
    edited July 2012

    Here is the one that comes very highly recommended: http://www.amazon.com/The-Barkan-Method-Hot-Yoga/dp/B001CCVFPO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341766319&sr=8-1&keywords=bikram+dvd. Would seem to me in your physical condition from Bikram, you could do it without the heat without risk of injury.

    It took me a long, long, long time to get cool with the meditation and slower side of yoga.  Yoga of Heart is a great book.  Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn is great, and when he does downward dog, I do triangle, or something else to challenge myself while I'm waiting.  Yoga for Breast Cancer uses dolphin instead of downward dog, but I don't think that's advisable for you right now, either.

    Good luck to you!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Miss_Vesta
    Miss_Vesta Member Posts: 26
    edited July 2012

    I did yoga for years before my diagnosis. No idea which kind, just worked with which ever instructor came my way. Much too rural here to have yoga studios in my area.

    I found the yoga breathing exercises very helpful during treatment.

     Now that I am done I am back to practicing yoga and find the twists are really helping with my comfort level after my Lastissimus Dorsi reconstruction. I have had to do the fully modified workout, but I do seem to be getting stronger.

     I would be back to taking yoga classes at my local university, that's if they hadn't made it so impossible for the locals to actually use the wellness center.  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LuvLuLu
    LuvLuLu Member Posts: 377
    edited July 2012

    Hi yogis!  I'm scheduled for mastectomy followed by immediate TRAM reconstruction on Monday and I'm beginning to stress.  I'm very active w/running, lifting, yoga, horseback riding.  My PS says I will get it all back.  Has anyone had similar surgery and if so, how about planks/downdogs, wheel, etc. ????  Right now my yoga schedule has been 1 hot power yoga class a week and 1 very gentle yoga a week.  I know I will have to modify, but will I eventually be able to do it all again????

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • badger
    badger Member Posts: 34,614
    edited July 2012

    hi LuvLuLu, it was a good six months from BMX no recon before I started a yoga practice so my experience is different than yours.  Follow doctors orders of course, and be very careful especially the first two weeks after surgery to baby your lymphatic system.  Make sure anything you need is below shoulder height to avoid stretching your arms overhead. 

    Remember you are healing on the inside as well as the outside so give yourself the time you need.  Yes, you will have to modify but I believe you can get it back.

    There are several of us yogis on the "Let's Post our Daily Exercise" thread in the Fitness and Getting Back in Shape forum, and some have had recon.  C'mon over and post your question there, maybe someone there can help.

    Good luck Monday!  Namaste'

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LuvLuLu
    LuvLuLu Member Posts: 377
    edited July 2012

    Thanks, badger, for the encouragement.  I will take it slowly.  And I'll check out the thread you mentioned.  Namaste!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SAB
    SAB Member Posts: 1,498
    edited July 2012

    I have been an on and off practitioner for approximtely 20 years, and I love it for all the reasons above. The difference it makes in my strength, flexibility and balance is amazing.  I would suggest that if your class is too serious, or too hot, or too strenuous or too "mental" that you may not have found just the right instructor or type of yoga yet!  Keep trying, it's worth it.  Right now I try to practice at home a couple of times a week and always use some stretches after my daily exercise.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • morningperson
    morningperson Member Posts: 72
    edited July 2012

    I've been doing yoga for about a year; power yoga, yin yoga, everything but Bikram; I'll no doubt try Bikram, but the classes are across town and I haven't yet been willing to make the drive... Embarassed

    Actually yoga is the reason I"m here; I discovered that my right underarm felt "funny" during practice and started checking things out, found lumps, then the forum.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited July 2012

    Patience is not my strongest virtue (that's putting it mildly) so I don't do any of the meditative "gentle" yogas, but I love Power and a vigorous Vinyasa yoga. I think Yoga is almost better than weights at developing my strength. I have really improved on upper-body strength. It's also a great aerobic workout for me because of the strenousness. I tell myself that it's lessening my chances of recurrence, too, because of the weight bearing exercise. Let's hope that's true.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited July 2012

    Graced, let us know how the dvd goes. I could use some guidance at home.

    1Athena1, I hear you with the slower side of some forms of yoga. And like LTotheK, it takes me a LONG time to slow down. Hatha yoga I ususally have my grocery list made out in my mind in the first 15 minutes. Monkey Mind. That's me!! It just makes me realize that I personally need to slow things down a bit. It SO helps to find a practice and instructor that resonate with you. There is a power vinyasa class that I have attempted to make myself love several times. Nope. Can't stand it, or the instructor. Those folks are tying themselves in pretzel knots and swinging from the rafters. I will stick with my rabbit, tortoise, eagle etc... for now. (thanks Claire!). I go to Mass too, so perhaps that's why the repetition is familiar and comforting to me : )

    Off topic...I got a new-to-me road bike. My sis does triathlons and just upgraded and gave me her castoff. It's a nice bike. I am not entirely sure what to do with it. Step one I suppose is to buy the shoes that clip onto the pedals!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • graced
    graced Member Posts: 104
    edited July 2012

    geewhiz, i never bought rajashree's dvd but i have Rodney Yee's yoga for energy - a very old dvd - and I've been doing the first 2 sections of that which is about 15 minutes and seems to be enough for me for now.  I've also got Kate Potter's Namaste Yoga DVD season 1.  This was a tv show so each episode is abt 20 min or so which is a good amt of time.  it will be nice to get back to class but not until i'm done with radiation and "cooled off" a bit!  There are some sites online where you can pay a monthly fee and have access to a whole bunch of yoga videos and other content.  One is http://www.myyogaonline.com/ and another is http://www.gaiamtv.com/.  Hope you find something you enjoy for home practice!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited July 2012

    Thanks, will give them a whirl. Someone else mentioned a site called yogaglow, or something like that.

    I used to live in Bergen, NJ moons ago. I go back to the city about once a year, I miss it SO much!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    Wow, I have to disagree with no bikram during rads...at least for me. I went 2x a week during 6.5 weeks of tx and had no ill effects. If you google hyperthermia and breast cancer tx, you'll find some interesting info that is fairly credible saying that being in a hot room helps tx work better.  Oh well.

    My instructor, because I've been a regular student for 5 years, let me make the decision as to what I could handle.  I practiced all during chemo too. 

    My doctors also let me call the shots on this one, knowing that if it hurt or got uncomfortable, I'd take care of myself and modify.

    Claire

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • misswim
    misswim Member Posts: 931
    edited August 2012

    LuvLuLu- my PS told me I would not do wheel, chatarunga or plank again- I had direct implant surgery during my BMX and my implants are below the muscle.

    It has been one year and I was back to all three of those poses with no ill effects at all. In fact, my upper body is ridiculously strong because I do so much yoga. When I first started back, I did planks on my forearms, and knees-chest-chin instead of chatarunga. My range of motion is amazing.

    I practice hot yoga, though not Bikram. I have a hard time with repetitive nature. I do Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga and Anusara (not hot). I try to walk/hike, etc., but I find my body looks best when yoga is primary form of exercise.

    Oh, and at my 1 year follow up with the PS and BS who said you'll never..... I got down on the floor, did a plank into chatarunga then flipped into a wheel. They were speechless. So there......... Drs!!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LuvLuLu
    LuvLuLu Member Posts: 377
    edited August 2012

    Sweeeeeeet!  Thanks, Misswim - what do "they" know??? 

    I'm so glad my surgery is over, and I'm starting to recover.  Tomorrow it will be 3 weeks.  I was miserable in the hospital, but once I got home I needed no pain medication but I was still miserable because of the drains.  Once they were removed I could move about better and felt like a real person. Now I'm walking about 5 miles/day but I break it up into 2 or 3 walks at a very comfortable pace.  I have a friend who is a yoga teacher (going on 30 years of practice) and also a Reiki master so she's helping me with some very easy stretches.  She's a firm believer in being kind to your body.

    So while I'm anxious to get back I am being very cautious and following doctor's orders.  My PS is pleased with my progress.

    I'm so glad to hear that you're doing so well - makes me confident that I will get there too!  

    Namaste . . .

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited August 2012

    LOL MissSwim!! I LOVE that story. I have implants under the muscle too and can do plank, chaturanga etc. I cannot get into wheel yet without help, but that's more about back flexibility I think.



    There is a lot to be learned from our ancestors with their sweat lodges and saunas. Heat has been used to heal for a very long time. Duke University has a huge grant to study hyperthermia in conjunction with chemo. Universities of Tx and Kansas both also have hyperthermia programs showing great results.



    I am trying to learn to listen to my body. I do believe there is an innate wisdom there. Yoga has made me more aware of it. It's still a whisper, but I try.



    For this freckle-skinned blonde...rads caused open sores. Otherwise, I would have gone to class. Within a week of rads ending, the wounds closed and I went about exercise as usual.



    LuvLuLu, Its great you are doing so well! I have more recon do undergo and keep putting it off because yoga and exercise has become my lifeblood. I want the surgery OVER, so I just need to bite the bullet and schedule it I suppose. I will probably do the yin and restorative classes while healing.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LuvLuLu
    LuvLuLu Member Posts: 377
    edited August 2012

    LOVE these success stories!  I know what you mean, Geewhiz, about wanting to put off your surgery. Yoga and fitness are so important, it's hard to think of taking a break.  Even harder to listen to your body when you want to just jump right back into it and you know you're still healing . . .

    P.S. Wheel was challenging (to say the least) even BEFORE surgery!!Laughing 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Dooley45
    Dooley45 Member Posts: 17
    edited August 2012

    Another yoga fan here- Hatha 2x wk plus weight room. Had to postpone the gym for 6 wks in spring due to UMX but was back at it until my latest reconstruction last week.Now another 6 weeksUndecided.

    After the MX and TE was very cautious with downward dogs but I just listen to my MD and my body...and adapted some positions.

    Like most of you - the breathing was such a big help post operatively.

    Namaste

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    Well, I have been attempting yoga for a few weeks now (i used to do pilates). After tonight I concluded who needs hot yoga? I call it HOT FLASH YOGA!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited August 2012

    Sarasowise...hang in there! I know this sounds nuts, but hot yoga really helps my hot flashes. I used to get them constantly but yoga seems to keep them in check.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • whaevah
    whaevah Member Posts: 354
    edited August 2012

    Another yoga fan here. I had been practicing 3-5x per week for many years. The best shape of my life at diagnosis. Just finishing AC which has been mostly a head trip for me, fear and depression, but after reading this thread, I will restart in about 10 days.

    Heck, I have missed it. It is probably exactly what I need. Big THANKS for a reminder!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • geewhiz
    geewhiz Member Posts: 1,439
    edited August 2012

    Whaevah...LOVE the name : )



    I hope you do get back to it and that it brings you the peace you seek.



    It makes me feel strong again.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    Geewhiz, thanks i really enjoy, hot flashes and all. I am always glad i am there!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • misswim
    misswim Member Posts: 931
    edited August 2012

    I second that...... I have been experiencing hot flash yoga during hot yoga! Oh well, what is a little more sweat?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • whaevah
    whaevah Member Posts: 354
    edited August 2012

    geewhiz,

    that is what I need, peace of mind...and physical strength...miss both enormously

    my port is not too comfortable but really, that shouldn't stop me , so I will persevere! Love www.myyogaonline.com

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BuddhaWolf
    BuddhaWolf Member Posts: 76
    edited August 2012

     hello  ladies,

    Another yoga head here! I've practised for about 10 years, and like many others was that my fittest and healthiest when I was diagnosed.

     After my 1st reconstruction, I continued with A strong yoga practice,  however (due to numerous issues and not   just strengthening the pictorials  through  yoga/exercise) I developed contractor grade 3. 

    I've now had a revision of my reconstruction, and  am being extra extra cautious with my yoga practice now. ( I'm at the unilateral TE stage at the moment,  it's about 3 months old now).  So, though I'm sure I've got the body strength to do it, I'm really hesitant about building up the muscles around the implants,  and won't do full downward dog, instead doing cat and cows and child's pose, and some leg raises whilst on my forearms -kind of like a modified dolphin.

     I would love to find out if any of you have similar issues, with being cautious about building at the pictorial muscles over your implant. And also what asanas you  of use to compensate  or  substitute in your yoga practice?

    Namaste

     Buddha Wolf

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    Buddawolf,  I have same issues and concerns.  Seems like conflicting answers from all directions.  I have had expanders for a year now!  Wow to that.  I haven't done much upper body work.  I tried carrying small weights when walking- really sore chest from that.  So I stopped.  Then started yoga a month or two ago.  I was doing as much as I could.  Still really sore after.  I am having exchange next month, so I am just walking until after.  My PS said no yoga for 6 weeks after but he said fine before.  My radiated side is really tight and sore so I am hoping after surgery heals it will feel like right side.  Wait and see......  I did love going to yoga and plan to resume asap!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories