# Back to yoga post hernia surgery

**URL:** <https://community.doyogawithme.com/t/back-to-yoga-post-hernia-surgery/477>\
**Category:** Your Asana Practice\
**Created:** [March 30, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://community.doyogawithme.com/t/back-to-yoga-post-hernia-surgery/477 "2019-03-30T21:24:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![revcdt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@revcdt](https://community.doyogawithme.com/u/revcdt)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://community.doyogawithme.com/t/back-to-yoga-post-hernia-surgery/477/1 "2019-03-30T21:24:01Z")

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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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**Author:** ![doyogawithme](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/community.doyogawithme.com/doyogawithme/32/83_2.png) [@doyogawithme](https://community.doyogawithme.com/u/doyogawithme)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.doyogawithme.com/t/back-to-yoga-post-hernia-surgery/477/2 "2019-04-03T23:56:49Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![revcdt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@revcdt](https://community.doyogawithme.com/u/revcdt)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://community.doyogawithme.com/t/back-to-yoga-post-hernia-surgery/477/3 "2019-04-05T20:27:52Z")

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

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**Author:** ![Barry-H](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/community.doyogawithme.com/barry-h/32/6894_2.png) [@Barry-H](https://community.doyogawithme.com/u/Barry-H)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://community.doyogawithme.com/t/back-to-yoga-post-hernia-surgery/477/4 "2020-03-21T14:07:37Z")

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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.