Discussion Forum: Iyengar Yoga Resources: Feedback and Help: doctors & yogis

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Discussion Forum: Iyengar Yoga Resources: Feedback and Help:
doctors & yogis

pascal
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Mar 14, 2005, 8:16 AM

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people who practice yoga have spécific problems sometimes, doctors who are not familiar with yoga may find it difficult to give a good treeatment; sometimes, they are even horrified when they see pictures of asanas Crazy

; i remember this doctor who told me that sethu banda with a brick is pure suicide for the backbone Tongue

well, if a person who don't practice yoga try sethubanda with a brick, probems will happen very soon; but what the doc don't understand, is that we trained in yoga for some years before to do it, and that we did other asanas before this one in a specific order, so the body can handle it. i have a wish Angelic

: a (volunteer) list of doctors who practice yoga; so that when a problem due to yoga happens, he can really help us Smile

(this kind of list exist fo scuba diving, weight lifting, running, etc...)
is it not a great idea or what?

(This post was edited by pascal on Mar 14, 2005, 8:20 AM)

Nadia
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Mar 14, 2005, 8:37 PM

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Yes, I agree that would be helpful. But what's interesting is that iyengar yoga teachers usually have quite in depth knowledge of the body and anatomy etc. So in a way, perhaps when problems arise maybe consulting your friendly yoga would be helpful. I've found physiotherapists are also quite good for this. Perhaps as yoga becomes more popular we'll find that more of its needs will addressed by tradional fields such as medicine.
Let's hope so Smile

pascal
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Mar 15, 2005, 1:13 AM

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hi nadia ; you are 100% right about the fact that teachers can help you with many problems due to training or else (faeq biria calls this "yogic surgery"); last month, i had a painful sacro ilaques (i dont know in english, the very low part of the backbone) , i told my teacher about it (i almost could not sit down for 3 days Pirate

), and he showed me how to practice ado mukha with a rope fixed on the wall, and it helped very much; one week after, i was able to train again Smile

; but on the other hand, if you have to find a doctor for some reasons , it would be useful for him to know that you practice yoga, because your body is submitted to a very specific training, and if he practice yoga, he may have a more accurate vision of your problem. yoga changes many things in you , the digestive system, the immune system, the endocrinian system...) , imagine that you have a pb with your thyroid, the fact that you practice yoga may change the treatment beacause some asanas have a strong action on these glands and a yoga teacher cannot always help because you have health problem that may needs a medical answer ,if your doctor is a yoga practitionner, he will have a different vision of the malfunction of your thyroid. exactly like a doctor who practice marathon will have a better view of a digestive problem that may encounter a patient that is marathonian too.
have a nice day Cool

(This post was edited by pascal on Mar 15, 2005, 1:15 AM)

Nadia
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Mar 15, 2005, 2:06 AM

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Hi again,

I see what you mean now, and I hadn't really considered this before. In fact, I don't think I have or do fully appreciate how much yoga does change your body. But then I didn't know that doctors like this existed for other things like diving etc, I'd never really thought about it. I have had some problems with my wrists with yoga, and every time I see a doctor I have to explain what types of poses may cause problems etc. yet my yoga teacher would understand straight away. However, he can't tell me exactly what the problem is, ie. ligaments, tendons etc. I think you've raised a good point with medicine in general. In Australia general practitioners tend to have limited knowledge, if you have a specific problem you should go to a specialist, so if there were doctors who specialised in yoga related problems etc it would be helpful. I guess this depends on demand; maybe one day when many more people practice yoga, this will develope. Have you ever thought about becoming a doctor Pascal? Maybe you could be a pioneer in this area Tongue

cristina.nl
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Mar 29, 2007, 9:08 AM

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Hello all, I am an Iyengar yoga teacher and most of the times when having a problem I tend to having done my own research before I go to see a GP, about what the cause of my pain is by exploring my pain and trying to get to the source of the problem instead of just finding a quick way to resolve the effects of it. I then try to adapt my practice to the new condition and the difficult thing is to accept that it needs to be done to avoid things going worse.
When I then eventually visit my GP I have my basic knowledge with me and have tried different ad hoc Iyengar practices in the field of medical and theraupeutic yoga, asking advise to senior Yoga teachers etc and I have noticed that most of the times my GP in fact cannot really help much or maybe it is that I don't particularly trust his approach of curing the effect instead of exploring the issue at the source.
Yoga is the sister of Ayurveda though, in fact Patanjali was a master in both disciplines not by chance I guess. I believe that Ayurveda integrates with Yoga much better than what Western medicine does and I keep thinking that it is an Ayurvedic doctor the more suited doctor for us Yoga disciples and practicioners.
I still haven't found one in Amsterdam where I live though.
Thank you for proposing such an interesting subject and namaste'
Cristina

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