Back to yoga post hernia surgery

I’m a man over 60 and am four weeks post-umbilical hernia surgery - full recovery, no limitations in activities. Is your Back to Health Senior 30-Day Challenge the best option for me to get going again (I’m an experienced beginning)? Would anyone suggest a different series or challenge? I’m up for a 30-day thing to get back into the swing. Thanks - Craig

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Hi Craig. If you have no limitations in activity you may find the seniors challenge to be too easy, particularly if you are an experienced beginner. The Be Strong and Flexible Beginner 30-Day Challenge may suit you well. It begins with classes that focus on the fundamentals, then branches out into a greater variety of slightly more challenging classes.

Thanks for your thoughts - I’m trying that out now!

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This is an old thread but hopefully my experience can help someone in the future. I had hernia surgery some time ago and got the “no restrictions” approval from the doctor. I do a lot of sports and found that as I restarted activities, no activities hurt except for yoga.

My hernia repair was done with mesh and staples. I found that back-arching poses, like cobra and updog, put a strain on the repair area and I didn’t really feel the discomfort until the following day. It took a few sessions for me to realize the connection. For about 6 months, I either skipped back-arching poses or went super gently and things were fine. After that, I stretched a little deeper each time until full range movements no longer created discomfort.

Based on my experience, for 3-6 months following hernia surgery I’d recommend avoiding the back-arching poses and not laying on your stomach on a hard surface. Give your body time to join with the staples and mesh.

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