So I started getting depressed about not being able to do yoga for a couple of weeks to a month. THEN I realized that hey, the good doctors weren’t telling me NOT to do yoga, they were telling me to not practice as I normally would. Those are loaded instructions as love a fast paced flow, arm balances, & inversions. Even though I don’t want to not practice at my normal pace, I do want to recover.
Which brought me to the question, what is yoga?
I ask myself this a lot since yoga is like a giant tree with many branches, its tentacles reaching into many mysterious places. Every week when I write a new sequence I delve into it’s depths, learning something(s) new, or debunking what I thought I knew. Or even not knowing really what the hell it is. It’s definitely not all about getting that perfect headstand shot to put on Instagram. It’s also not about how to lose weight with a fast paced cardio Vinyasa flow. It’s about the subtle body. It’s about meditation. It’s about the breath. It’s about a rather lot to be honest, & I’m not going to get into a big discussion because we could be here for years trying to figure it out. Rather…
What is yoga for me right now?
Mmm. Better question. A couple days post surgery I sat on the floor and thought, dang I haven’t done yoga for a couple of days. That hasn’t happened since January of 2014. Duh, obviously not sweetheart, you just had surgery. But man oh man, my body was already missing it. I couldn’t imagine doing the normal juicy stretches I do while my son plays around me. My abdomen, although very nicely cut (three teeny incisions) was still cut & cut deep. I wondered what to do. First, I went & grabbed my blocks. And I started slowly to practice. Totally different yoga than normal. Totally where I was/am supposed to be. My journey on my yoga path right now.
This is a nice restorative sequence as well. I would definitely recommend anyone to speak with their doctor before attempting. I think too, that if your body is used to rigorous to mild rigorous activity pre-surgery, it’s a better bet that this sequence will be a good fit for you. I can speak to this being a nice fit specifically for post appendectomy with a laparoscopic surgery. I would never presume it to be a fit for any other type of surgery.
Whew, well. Let’s get into it. I’ll just post descriptions/benefits on each picture:
SITTING/LAYING IN HOSPITAL BEDS & AROUND THE HOUSE HAS MESSED WITH MY NECK & SHOULDER AREA. YOU BASICALLY JUST CLASP HANDS OVERHEAD. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE RANGE FOR THIS OR STRAIGHT ARMS, SIMPLY CLASP OPPOSITE WRISTS OR FOREARMS, YOU WILL GET THE SAME BENEFITS.I DO SIDE STRETCHES EVERY DAY & MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY SO THIS FELT REALLY GOOD TO DO WITH THE BLOCK’S HELP.SIDE VIEW OF SIDE STRETCH. I LIKE HOW MY HAND JUST RESTS ON MY KNEE.ALSO WANTED TO INCLUDE THIS VISUAL OF AN UPRIGHT NECK. SOME MAY NOT WANT SUCH A STRETCH ON THE NECK. IT’S REALLY ABOUT MAKING YOUR PRACTICE YOUR OWN, CLOSE YOUR EYES, BREATHE, MOVE AROUND UNTIL YOU GET THE RIGHT FIT. IF YOU NOTICE HERE TOO, MY BELLY DOESN’T MOVE AROUND. IT’S A VERY NON INVASIVE OPTION, ESPECIALLY IF YOU JUST HAD SURGERY.SO THIS WAS THE FIRST POSE I DID POST SURGERY. I BELIEVE THE ANGELS STARTED SINGING. IT FELT SOOOOO GOOD. BLOCKS AT MAXIMUM HEIGHT TOO! VERY LITTLE COMPRESSION OF THE BELLY.JUST A VISUAL TO SEE BLOCKS AT A DIFFERENT HEIGHT LEVEL, LOWER THAN THE ABOVE.I DIDN’T GO THIS LOW UNTIL ONE WEEK (OK, REALLY 6 DAYS) POST SURGERY. I WOULDN’T RECOMMEND LOSING BLOCKS UNTIL CHECK UP WITH DOCTOR.A BIT HARD TO SEE HERE BUT ONE LEG IS FOLDED IN. I DO A LOT OF PIGEON POSE SO THIS FELT GLORIOUS ONCE I FIGURED IT OUT. LIKE ABOVE YOU CAN MESS WITH THE BLOCK HEIGHTS TO FIND YOUR FIT. DON’T GO TOO FAR. LET YOURSELF HAVE TIME TO RECOVER (SPEAKING TO MYSELF HERE, ER.)LOWER.MANY TIMES IN CLASS I SEE STUDENTS KNEES UP WHEN IN FORWARD FOLDS. DOESN’T EVERYTHING FEEL NICER WHEN SUPPORTED? I THINK SO. I WILL PROP BLOCKS (OR BLANKETS!) UNDER KNEES IN CLASS. HERE MY OBSERVATION WAS, “WOW, MY HAMMIES (HAMSTRINGS) & CALF MUSCLES ARE TIGHT!” WHY ARE THEY TIGHT? BECAUSE I USUALLY DO FLOW BEFORE ALL THESE FOLD & MY BODY IS NOT EXACTLY WARM. SO BLOCKS. BLOCKS UPON BLOCKS. YOU COULD USE PILLOWS HERE TOO.ANOTHER ANGLE.
The biggest reaction I had to these postures was, AH. They were very relaxing & restorative. I also loved that I could still get great stretches while bypassing much compression in my belly or using my abdominal muscles. Also, I HEART BLOCKS. I love them normally, but they have been a lifesaver right now in my practice. I had way less fear of hurting myself because I could set these blocks up so high. If you practice I would recommend getting some blocks. You can of course use different things like books and…hmmm I can’t think of anything else right now, just go buy some blocks.
This is my first sort of how to kind of yoga post. I would have never written it if I hadn’t had surgery. Life is beautiful & weird. Please let me know if anyone out there has any questions.
In the meanwhile I will do my best not to pop up into a hand stand.
Xo & Namaste~
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Published by Liz Brower
I've practiced yoga since 2006, I stumbled into a class at my local gym. I didn't really "get" yoga, I wanted to do all of the poses to the max, I didn't focus on breathing, and I was very competitive. A year later I quit smoking and my mom purchased a three month unlimited to a local studio. I fell in love with yoga! Plus the metaphor was strong, my lungs began to repair, I could take really deep inhales without coughing! I later began to go to a free outdoor yoga classes in downtown Long Beach, CA that was also affiliated with a donation based studio. Yoga was fun, affordable, accessible, and outside! I loved it. I started practicing at home by myself. I started meditating.
Right after I found the classes at the gym stopped drinking alchohol. My sobriety and yoga have intertwined ever since. They compliment each other amazingly and I am so grateful for them both.
I stopped practicing yoga after getting pregnant and being caught up with the taking care of a newborn in 2013/2014. When he was 9 months old I realized that I really wanted to redirect myself back to yoga. I also had the seed planted in my mind while driving home from Christmas break, why don't you go do a yoga teacher training?! I started practicing yoga at a local studio and began scouring the internet for a teacher training program. I found Three Sisters Yoga, a lovely program, based out of NY & PDX. I was more than motivated to teach, I started teaching some free yoga in the summer of 2015 at a local park. I continued after that with an internship at the same studio I had signed back up with at the beginning of the year. I quit my day job. I hit the pavement, scouring for yoga gigs that would hire a newbie. I found a job and began to teach!
Now I am navigating the great balance of being a single mom, a yoga teacher, and doing my best to trust my higher power with my future. I love to teach and practice vinyasa, but also know what it's like to be drawn to slower types of yoga due to injury or body type. I feel a special affinity for yoga new comers and like to teach practice at all different levels. Thank you for taking time to read a little more about me and I wish all of you the best in your own individual yoga practice.
~Namaste!
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This was great…it was yoga.
you did what you could, slowly and deliberately, what felt good and what was safe. You took good care of yourself. I am a big fan of Yin, it’s what I teach, and I teach all of what you did there…using lots of props that are needed to one degree or another by the client.
I’m sorry you had the emergency appendectomy…that happened to me too and it was awful, the not knowing what was wrong. But you learned a lot from it and your yoga practice has deepened, you will be able to help other with the information you figured out for yourself….
The reason I found yoga in the first place was because my body felt so horrible post-surgery. I remember my first class where I couldn’t do 90% of the poses everyone else was doing but what I was able to do felt so good anyway.
shelteryoga.com 
Good job, Liz! You da bomb! 😘
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Awww. 🙂
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This was great…it was yoga.
you did what you could, slowly and deliberately, what felt good and what was safe. You took good care of yourself. I am a big fan of Yin, it’s what I teach, and I teach all of what you did there…using lots of props that are needed to one degree or another by the client.
I’m sorry you had the emergency appendectomy…that happened to me too and it was awful, the not knowing what was wrong. But you learned a lot from it and your yoga practice has deepened, you will be able to help other with the information you figured out for yourself….
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Yes, I guess life really does always teach something even in the strangest times. Thanks for your kind words!
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The reason I found yoga in the first place was because my body felt so horrible post-surgery. I remember my first class where I couldn’t do 90% of the poses everyone else was doing but what I was able to do felt so good anyway.
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That’s awesome!
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