Yoga without inversions.

[mossybranches]

Hi all, I have been practicing yoga for 3 years, mostly at home, and have been very happy with that. No issues or discomfort in any pose. I also have occasional slight ocular pressure, which, whilst not a diagnosis of glaucoma, isn't something I wish to mess with. I have 2 yearly checks and it never seems to vary too much, so might be idiopathic (just the way my eyes are).

I only discovered last year that yoga inversions increase the pressure in everyone's eyes, not just those of us with a higher reading. The experts suggest omitting inversions for glaucoma patients, so I thought it might be wise to stay aware of that. My eye doc didn't seem concerned.

However, recent studies show that yoga in general works to lower the pressure, so is actually recommended - so long as inversions are left out.

I am cool with this, but since sorting out new sequences for myself, have discovered that my modifications don't work well for me. For instance, to keep the head above the heart!
If I go into extended child's pose, it feels so good to lower the head, relieving tension and letting go. If I modify it by bringing my head up onto blocks or a cushion, it actually upsets my neck. I feel that most of these poses only work well in their full form.
I have found only a couple of youtubers who do inversion free flows, but again, I don't get the best from them. Aaaagh!

What would you do if you were me? Continue with my modifications and just substitute the downward bends with other poses?

And if so, can anyone recommend good alternatives in a flow for downward dog, and other inverted asana's? My absolute favourite is shavasana, but with my head slightly propped up I never feel as free for some reason.

You could try chair yoga? That would miss out lunges and warrior and so on - but watching some videos might give ideas, what do they do instead of down dog?

Thanks.
I can live without downward dog and won't miss head/shoulder stands, but the reclining poses bother me, such as bridge, knee hugging, etc. I currently use a yoga sausage under my head to keep it slightly elevated, but heard this was unhelpful :(

A part of me thinks it is all too much faff, maybe apart from some Yin and upright balance stuff. It might be less trouble to just quit. I don't know.
The whole point of yoga is the flow and ease, for me. Staggering about worrying about my head height really annoys me.

I have some great yoga cards, and have separated the inversions from them, which still leaves me with hundreds of great options, but I have no idea how to pack them into a good flow. Every single youtube video spends 70% of the time upside down

Sorry EBearhug, I didn't answer your last question.
I can't locate any videos that actually replace the downward dog. There are only a few inversion free videos and they simply don't do it at all. It would be great to find an alternative sun salutation, but I haven't been lucky.

I ought to make my own!

I have glaucoma and don't do shoulderstand, plough, and headstand. That was the advice I got from my yoga teachers. I still do downward facing dog, extended child and bridge. Like you, my eye doctor wasn't concerned about any of it, but I decided to stick with my teachers' advice.

TBH I am a bit sceptical that yoga will make much of a difference to my eye pressure generally. Sure your pressures must increase when you are upside down, but wouldn't they go back to normal when you sit up? I can't see it making a difference to my optic nerves or my vision. My pressures are well controlled with eye drops, I go for regular checks and my vision is fine.

Thanks so much for sharing that, it is rare to find anyone in this situation!

I did hear that extended time in a pose increased the issue. Once returning to a regular posture the pressure does go back down quickly, yes.

I think 3 or 4 breaths on a low bend should be ok, I am just coming from a position of caution, I suppose, not wanting to aggravate any potential problems.
I must admit that my body loves some of the milder inversions and I never feel anything other than refreshed after doing them.

I am so happy to hear that you practice with glaucoma, your attitude is refreshing compared to some of the doom and gloom I have read online!

Downward bends aren't inversions... That's actually quite a wide range of poses & head positions that you're saying bring pressure to your eyes (upside down, facing down with face parallel to floor, facing up...).

Would you consider an online class with a teacher?

Lifting the head "wrongly" won't help, but certainly if you were in my class I'd be using support to get your head into a position that helps to relax & soften behind the eyes. It's impossible to say without seeing you if what you're doing is harmful or helpful (sadly, sometimes what feels right is wrong - and vice versa).

The other alternative is to adjust all these poses to keep the head up. E.g. if you do downward dog with your hands on a chair & feet on floor, and keep your head up (neck long though) then your face stays up but you can still work on all the actions of the pose. (Doesn't help for sun salutations but I'd question whether it's right for you to do those given what you've said, anyway). Extended child's pose - head up and hands up, so arms are in line with ears but head isn't dropping. Hugging knees - enough lift under head & neck to feel soft without over-lifting.

However I realise all those will stop the "flow" so it would be a different way of practising for you.

Apologies for the late reply.
Since most yoga teachers have little to no medical knowledge regarding glaucoma, I'm not sure how they could assist, other than encouraging the practitioner not to go in to inversions.

To the best of my knowledge at present, it is holding inversions that is problematic, so if you use them for one or two breaths, there isn't much of an issue. Sitting in such a pose during yin might be pushing it...

I am not sure how one can 'soften' behind the eyes. The majority of glaucoma symptoms don't present as something you can 'feel', so the sensation of softening doesn't make a lot of sense in this instance. As far as I know, there is no physical way to affect the optic nerve in this fashion.

On the other hand, many aspects of yoga practice are known (scientifically) to bring ocular pressure down. Mediation and alternate nostril breathing are especially helpful, as are most of the restorative poses.

And whilst a forward bend and shavasana may not be typical 'inversions', many such asanas do place the head below the heart. This is easily remedied by placing a small bolster under the head in corpse pose, or only entering a forward fold for a few moments.

If anything, this topic sheds a bit of light on how little we actually know about how various poses can affect the body, especially for those who are undiagnosed or have growing issues that don't present with symptoms. A good teacher can correct form and offer advice, but generally hasn't studied physiology or disease progression. Most are ex dancers (Kassandra), ex gymnasts, genetically hyper moblie, or simply doing it for the love of the practice.

I am not quite sure what I have said to deserve such a snippy reply😫

What a teacher can do is, to work with you to help you find an alternative that will bring the same benefits. I am not for a second suggesting that most yoga teachers are medically qualified! I am suggesting that they may be able to help with modifications and alternatives that bring the maximum benefit for you.

If your head is below your heart in Savasana, then you are doing it wrong 🙄. There are other ways to do Savasana and/or better ways to support the head which might give you a more satisfactory result. A bolster is a very high height and won't fit the curve of your neck whereas a mix of rolled & folded blankets could be more helpful.

It is ENTIRELY possible to do forward bends keeping the eyes higher than the heart, and it's almost definitely going to be better to spend longer in forward bends with the head supported higher e.g. on a chair, rather than the "full" forward bend only briefly.

I can only apologise again for thinking that you were asking what I would do, when you asked "what would you do if you were me".

It’s great you’re adjusting your practice to suit your needs. Here are some simple ideas:
Forward Folds: Try Standing Forward Fold or Seated Forward Fold with blocks under your hands to get a good stretch without going upside down.
Child’s Pose: You can use a bolster or cushion under your torso to help relax the head and neck comfortably.
Other Poses: Cat-Cow, Sphinx Pose, and Reclined Butterfly Pose can be great alternatives to Downward Dog or inversions.
Shavasana: If you need head support, use a soft pillow, but keep it low to avoid neck tension.
Listen to your body, and feel free to adjust as you go. Yoga should feel good, so make it work for you! Yoga expert