Now, I'm no yogini-guru but I do have some experience under my belt whether as a teach or a student. And, I have plenty of experience as an anemic, particularly of the Aplastic type. So over the course of my treatment, my yoga practice has certainly changed and modified to fit my needs and my mood (to be honest). So, when I did a little research and googling at the start of this, I was a little miffed to see that shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) was frequently recommended. While I am certainly a fan of this posture, with the degree of my anemia and the fact that I had a PICC line in my chest for five months, this was a major no-no for me. In general, inverted postures particularly with my feet above my heart, were really not feeling good for this lady. I did find however, that Legs-up-the-wall (Vipariti Karani) was a very relaxing, comfortable, and a safely invertin posture.
So what helped?
First off, gentle yoga was the name of the game and focusing on the breath was very important. If I did no "physical" practice at least I needed to do breathwork (pranayama) and some meditation to take off my edge. When I didn't do this, I'm pretty sure my parents could tell, as in I could be one cranky B.
In terms of the breath work, I did the some pretty standard ones from: Alternate nostril breathing (Anuloma Viloma) to Ujjayi. But one thing I worked on particularly is something called "Healing Breath" which focuses on stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system to create a relaxation response. I learned this from an Ayurveda course with Healing Light Yoga Therapy and if I paid attention to nothing else from that class, at least I gained this helpful tool.
How to Do The Healing Breath
Find a comfortable seat, whether supported in a chair, laying propped by pillows on your mat or whatever...you're going to be here for a little while.
1. Put your right hand on the abdomen 2 finger-widths below the navel.
2. As you inhale slowly, rather than raising the chest, start with expanding the abdomen, pushing the abdomen gently against your hand, then filling the chest.
3. Hold the breath for a pause.
4. Exhale very slowly, with your throat almost completely closed (as if making a noise like Darth-Vader, gently pushing your abdomen against your hand. (This last point is going to be counter-intuitive to your initial tendency. You should feel a very slight pressure in your chest and abdomen as you exhale in this manner.)
5. Repeat.
Once you feel comfortable with this, then practice it as a 7 – count inhale, hold for 3, and then do an exhale for a count of 12.
After you have practiced this way for a couple of 10 minute sessions, let go of the retention of the breath for 3 counts. Just relax into the breath and make sure the exhale is longer than the inhale in terms of timing.
So what helped?
First off, gentle yoga was the name of the game and focusing on the breath was very important. If I did no "physical" practice at least I needed to do breathwork (pranayama) and some meditation to take off my edge. When I didn't do this, I'm pretty sure my parents could tell, as in I could be one cranky B.
In terms of the breath work, I did the some pretty standard ones from: Alternate nostril breathing (Anuloma Viloma) to Ujjayi. But one thing I worked on particularly is something called "Healing Breath" which focuses on stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system to create a relaxation response. I learned this from an Ayurveda course with Healing Light Yoga Therapy and if I paid attention to nothing else from that class, at least I gained this helpful tool.
How to Do The Healing Breath
Find a comfortable seat, whether supported in a chair, laying propped by pillows on your mat or whatever...you're going to be here for a little while.
1. Put your right hand on the abdomen 2 finger-widths below the navel.
2. As you inhale slowly, rather than raising the chest, start with expanding the abdomen, pushing the abdomen gently against your hand, then filling the chest.
3. Hold the breath for a pause.
4. Exhale very slowly, with your throat almost completely closed (as if making a noise like Darth-Vader, gently pushing your abdomen against your hand. (This last point is going to be counter-intuitive to your initial tendency. You should feel a very slight pressure in your chest and abdomen as you exhale in this manner.)
5. Repeat.
Once you feel comfortable with this, then practice it as a 7 – count inhale, hold for 3, and then do an exhale for a count of 12.
After you have practiced this way for a couple of 10 minute sessions, let go of the retention of the breath for 3 counts. Just relax into the breath and make sure the exhale is longer than the inhale in terms of timing.
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