Yoga and Health for Ostomates

Hi everyone, I've been teaching and practicing yoga for many years and also have an ileostomy since 2005 due to Crohn's disease. Yoga and meditating can be most beneficial, but like everything, it is finding and developing a practice that is suitable for our individual constitutions. It is the same with the foods we eat and our lifestyle choices. The more we understand our constitution, then the more we can begin to recognize when we've gone off course. So the challenge is to find our way back to optimal health even though we've gone through major dis-ease and most likely some life-altering surgeries and situations. For years, I did not take accountability for my health. I made choices that I knew were unhealthy. But I was also in my 20's and didn't want to miss out on all the social fun either. Plus, I didn't have all the knowledge and understanding that I do now. I've come to listen to my body really well. What I've learned is that we need to be responsible for our own health (that might sound obvious but in reality, most of us take our health for granted). To try and become more attuned to the warning signs and try to figure out what is really causing the disturbances in our health. There are so many different variables and hence why what works for one person may not work for another. Even with ostomy supplies! I went through so many different combinations until something literally did stick...but then again, that might change down the road as my body changes. Also, with food, it's a lot of trial and error, but it's really important to eat nutritious food to keep all the body systems healthy...that's all for now!

Hello yogagirl. Good post! Thanks.

Best wishes

Bill

Hello

I haven't been on this site for a while. But looking at my emails today and I saw your post on yoga. I have seriously been considering trying it myself and today I even looked at yoga mats! It was like a sign. I to have had serious problems finding the right system that will help me. My nurses are out of options and doctors just don't know what to do. I had emergency surgery last fall due to a blockage. It got infected. So now I have a deformity. It is causing real problems. Maybe I could try yoga. I know it won't help with the right equipment but maybe it can help me. So much info to a stranger! Sorry. Thanks for your post. Pammer

I've been slowly getting back into yoga, also, and find I can only use the smaller 7" bags. I was really liking the one-piece units because it fit more streamlined to my body. But I found that they didn't offer enough protection to my skin under/around the wafer. For the first time, since my surgery in February of this year, I was getting red, excoriated skin around my stoma.

I think I need some sort of a binder or something to hold it in better too - it's like it pulls your skin out where the pouch is and indeed puts you at a much greater risk for a hernia!

Hernia!

I would recommend starting with a very gentle or restorative yoga. The healing benefits of restorative are great. You are in supported poses which gives you time to really relax and to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system. Also, some of the breathing techniques are really calming. There will be poses that you will have to modify and adapt to your body. I found some backbends hard to do until I was at least a year post-surgery as it felt like it was stretching the incision/scar too much (which took a long time to heal in the first place due to complications). It will be trial and error. Feel free to private message me to find out what I do.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I agree completely - even though I've been doing yoga for several years, after a radical surgery like I've been through, I know it will be a good year to heal completely from this hell I've been through surgery/chemo, wise..

Love the breathing techniques too.

Yoga Girl: Is restorative yoga an actual name for a CD I should look for?

Hi Janada, Restorative Yoga is a type of yoga that uses a lot of props such as blankets, bolsters, and blocks to maximize comfort, so there is actually very little effort. This helps us to go into the "rest and digest" state - the parasympathetic nervous system, which is very beneficial in times of stress, disease, etc. If you want more info or info on what I also offer, then please send me a private message. There are probably DVDs on restorative, but I don't know any to recommend. Be well!

Elaine

What is the proper breathing method vs being in a meditative state? Some poses I can go for minutes at a time or much longer.

Hi there... you are apparently on the other end of 128... I kinda despise 95, 128, and I refuse to bring up 93 South... lol

I plan on doing yoga, I decided after reading, because I believe it will be safer for me than lifting weights. I bought a colostomy wrap for 30 bucks off a website I googled. Hopefully, this will keep my bag secure. I already do kung fu forms and kicking and punching for exercise. I also want to start riding an exercise bike. I was riding an exercise bike at the YMCA 5.5 miles, but due to perspiration, my bags come off sooner when I do and also from the movement. My wrap should come Friday or Saturday. I can hardly wait to try it out.

Hi yagogal... I have been thinking about this as well but on this remote island I live on, we don't have many experienced people. So I was wondering if you have an exercise plan for me. I have an ostomy and this is the 3rd time my hernia has recurred. I am now awaiting my 3rd operation to remove my bag to the other side of my stomach and hopefully get rid of my hernia. So I will appreciate any kind of exercise that will help me lose some weight. Thank you for sharing....

Hi BayGal, thanks for your message. I do teach people remotely via Zoom, FaceTime, etc. With an ostomy, it is even more specialized and needs to cater to your body. Private message me if you want info and what I do. Be well.