We sincerely enjoy hearing from our members and this latest My Yoga Online testimonial was so inspiring that we wanted to share this story with all of our members and viewers.
In early 2003, I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF)...caused by chemical poisoning....through an open lung biopsy. I was given only 6 months to live. When, against the odds, I survived this period, I was told that I would need two things if I wanted any quality of life: pranayama and lean muscle. Although I had never done yoga before this, I now began doing breathing exercises using Sandra Sabatini's book, BREATH, the essence of yoga. This precipitated my journey with yoga. However, since my lungs had to be re-taught how to expand and contract, and, since scar tissue (from the fibrosis and open lung biospy) made breathing with movement extremely difficulty, yoga asanas were anything but easy and vinyasa flows generated significant C02 build-up in my lungs. I resigned myself to doing only yin yoga and very simple yoga programs while learning a form of qigong in which one breaths while moving with the speed 'of a shifting sand
dune' (Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing Qigong). I also learned zen breathing (counting as I observed the breath).
During all this time, I read every book and watched every conceivable kind of yoga dvd in an attempt to find a way to personalize yoga to meet my peculiar needs. Finally, just when I was ready to give up on yoga, I was invited to join 'my yoga online'. This was about 10 years after I had begun my journey with PF and yoga. This was in early 2010. At the time I joined 'my yoga online', I had almost replaced yoga with qigong and zen breathing since I was unable to ever get past all the asanas that required upper body strength and balance.
About 2 years previously, I had transitioned from a normal (carb-based) healthy diet to the ketogenic diet (KD) to minimize the build-up of C02 in my lungs. (The metabolism of carbs generates significant C02 which my lungs could not efficiently release!) However, on KD, it is not possible to do any form of traditional muscle strength training. On KD, all forms of exercise must be kept short as the only form of fuel which can be utilized is ketones. However, after watching some of Kreg Weiss' video clips as well as the anatomy clips, I decided to give yoga another try. Using Kreg Weiss' short sequence videos (to develop a specific strength/skill), I discovered that I could do short (1 min.) strength vinyasas (ie child's pose to plank to chaturanga to cobra to child's pose) with success! Over several months, my core and upper body strength increased to the point that I could do hold chaturanga for 2 breaths!
With this encouragement, I began attempting other such short vinyasas throughout the day. This caused me to view yoga from an entirely different perspective than how I had viewed from watching yoga DVDs and reading books on yoga in which the emphasis is on either a long vinyasa program or holding a pose for prolonged periods of time. Both these approaches increase C02 in the body!).
Finally, with great reservation, I watch Kreg Weiss's video "introduction to pranayama". Although I had, unsuccessfully, tried kalabatti breathing before (with NO success) using audio CDs and videos, I finally was able to do it and feel great afterwards!
I have recommended 'MY Yoga Online' to all my friends. I hope this website is around for many years to come. If I could make one recommendation, it would be that someone research the use of yoga as a form of rehab for lung and cardio health problems. Currently, the emphasis is on aerobic exercise. Pranayama and Qigong are far more effective. Of the two, pranayama combined with asanas combined into short vinyasa that move 'as slow as a shifting sand dune' is, IMHO, the most effective for lung diseases.
Mary
San Marcos, TX
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