Yoga For Hernia (Inguinal, Umbilical And Hiatus): What Mr Iyengar, The Yoga Doctors And The Research Say

A bulge in the groin, a lump at the belly button, or a burning behind the breastbone that gets worse when you bend? Those are the three hernias most people meet: inguinal, umbilical and hiatus. Each one is a weak spot that pressure pushes through, and yoga works on that pressure. This guide brings together what Mr BKS Iyengar, the medical doctors who worked with him and the research say about yoga for hernia, type by type, and what to leave out. It covers inguinal hernia exercises, how to look after a hiatus hernia, and yoga for hernia in Darwin and online. Last updated: 7 November 2026.

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Does yoga for hernia help? The short answer

Yes, when it is the right yoga. In a study of 19 men with a groin hernia that could still be pushed back, three months of selected yoga poses brought less pain and fewer symptoms. Mr Iyengar set out separate yoga courses for inguinal, umbilical and hiatus hernia, and Dr J. T. Shah, a medical doctor who was also an Iyengar yoga teacher, who worked closely with Mr BKS Iyengar for many years, lists Headstand for inguinal hernia. The way in is pressure: no straining or bearing down, and steady, well-taught poses that build strength around the belly and pelvis. For a hiatus hernia, slow belly breathing has trials behind it for the reflux that often comes with it.

A hernia can sit quietly for years, or grow, or need an operation. Whichever stage you are at, yoga is a way to help manage it: less strain, a stronger and better-used trunk, a calmer gut and a steadier weight. The studies below are the reason we can say so. Then there is what the experts say: Mr Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar and the medical doctors who worked with him. People may choose other professional help as they see fit; yoga sits well alongside it.

One thing to keep in mind: the hernia study tested “yoga therapy” with selected poses, not Iyengar yoga as such. In our view, well-taught Iyengar yoga, with props and every pose adapted, is likely to go further, and to be safer, than the average. Why the kind of yoga matters.

The bottom line: five key moves for a hernia

1. Go to a yoga class at your level, two or three times a week, and tell your teacher about your hernia. In the hernia study, the poses were done for three months. Your teacher will choose and adapt the poses for you.
2. Never strain or bear down. Breathe out slowly as you make an effort, on the mat, when you lift, and on the toilet. Bearing down is what pushes on a weak spot.
3. Keep the bowel moving and the weight steady. Constipation means straining, and extra weight round the middle presses on the belly wall and the diaphragm. Regular classes help both.
4. Lift with a long spine, and move without jerking. Dr Krishna Raman, a medical doctor in Chennai who trained in yoga under Mr BKS Iyengar and has used yoga in his medical practice for decades, says you can bend forward to lift if the back stays long and slightly hollowed. Geeta Iyengar warns that jerky movement can cause tearing.
5. Start now. New to Flametree, or away 3 months or more? 2 free classes, then 10 at half price, in Darwin or LIVE online.

Iyengar yoga is the style we teach at Flametree. During the 20th century, Mr BKS Iyengar was the major person who codified traditional Indian yoga, through his seminal books and widespread teaching. He also pioneered the use of props, so poses can be adapted to almost any body. His style is sometimes called modern classical yoga. This guide is part of our encyclopaedia of yoga for health conditions.

This guide in short

• Overall evidence: Limited. Best study: Alagesan 2012 followed 19 men with a groin hernia, with no comparison group. Three months of selected poses brought less pain, fewer episodes of symptoms and fewer things that set them off.
• Mr BKS Iyengar: three separate courses, for inguinal, umbilical and hiatus hernia, plus lists in Light on Yoga. Lie in Bound Angle Pose before sleep, and rest before getting up.
• Dr J. T. Shah: Headstand for inguinal hernia and sagging belly organs, learned with a teacher.
• Dr Timothy McCall, an American medical doctor and yoga therapist who studied with Mr BKS Iyengar, author of Yoga as Medicine: inguinal hernia is on his list of 117 conditions yoga helps, backed by the 2012 study.
• Dr Krishna Raman: every hernia is different; yoga from about six months after surgery; lift with a long spine; inversions for hiatus hernia.
• Geeta S Iyengar: no jerky movements, and a soft, unforced abdomen.
• Day to day: stand tall, lift well, no straining, smaller meals with a hiatus hernia, a steady weight, and a practice that changes with the stage.
• The research: one study of 19 men with a groin hernia; slow belly breathing for reflux in ten trials; yoga for weight and for the belly wall after pregnancy.

Our prostate and men’s health guide has a short part on groin hernia in men. This guide goes further: all three kinds of hernia, women as well as men, before and after surgery, and the practices to leave out.

Supported inverted poses for a hernia

“Any movement done jerkily may cause tearing.”

What is a hernia?

A hernia is a weak spot or gap in a wall of muscle, with something from inside pushing through it. The three most common:

• Inguinal hernia (groin): part of the bowel pushes through a weak point low in the belly wall. A direct inguinal hernia makes a bulge in the groin; an indirect one can travel down into the scrotum. It is by far the most common hernia in men.
• Umbilical hernia (navel): a bulge at or near the belly button. It is common in babies, and often closes by itself. In adults it is common in women after pregnancy, and in anyone carrying extra weight around the middle.
• Hiatus hernia (diaphragm): the top of the stomach slides up through the gap in the diaphragm where the gullet passes. There is no bulge to see. It often brings burning and reflux. In Mr Iyengar’s words, “It usually affects middle-aged and overweight people.”

What they share is pressure. Coughing, straining on the toilet, heavy lifting, bearing down, and a heavy belly all press outwards on the weak spot. That is the part yoga works on.

What did Mr BKS Iyengar teach about hernias?

In short: a separate course for each kind of hernia, built on supported poses that lift the belly organs, and no rushing up afterwards.

In Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, Mr Iyengar’s men’s health section (pp. 397 to 405) opens by saying hernias are common in men over 50 and respond to yoga. That is his claim, from a lifetime of teaching. He gives a course for each type. In our words:

• Inguinal hernia. He describes the bowel pushing through a weak point into the lower layers of the belly wall. His course is built on seated poses that open the groin and inner thighs: Staff Pose (Dandasana), Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana) and Wide-Angle Seated Pose (Upavistha Konasana), with Reclining Big Toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana), Headstand, Shoulderstand and supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). It ends with ocean breath (Ujjayi) and staircase breath (Viloma), done lying down.
• Umbilical hernia (pp. 402 to 405). He notes it often sorts itself out in babies, and occurs in adults when the bowel pushes through at the navel. His course leans on forward bends with the head down and resting, such as Wide-Legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana), Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) and Downward-Facing Hero (Adho Mukha Virasana), with seated poses and supported Bridge Pose.
• Hiatus hernia (p. 399). His course starts with standing poses that lift the trunk away from the belly, such as Mountain Pose, Triangle and Half Moon, then seated poses, Headstand, Shoulderstand, Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani), supported reclining poses and ocean breath.

In Light on Yoga, his first book, the appendix of poses for ailments has entries for umbilical and inguinal hernia (p. 425). Both start with Headstand and Shoulderstand and their variations, and add forward bends, Reclining Big Toe Pose and, for the advanced, a long list of deep poses and the belly lift (Uddiyana). For the inguinal hernia he adds a practical note: lie in Bound Angle Pose when going to bed, do not stand up or move about straight afterwards, and finish with Corpse Pose (Savasana).

Many poses in the Light on Yoga lists are very advanced, and some, like the belly lift and Boat Pose, work the belly hard. They are in his appendix for experienced practitioners; they are not a beginner’s starting point. We do not publish his sequences. A sequence needs a teacher who can see how your body is on the day, and adapt each pose, which is what a class is for.

What does Geeta S Iyengar say?

In short: careful, unhurried movement and a soft belly, with poses she held help guard the belly wall.

Geeta S Iyengar, Mr Iyengar’s daughter, wrote Yoga: A Gem for Women, the classic Iyengar book on yoga for women. Hernias are not only a men’s problem: umbilical hernias are common in women after pregnancy. In our words:

• Poses that guard the belly wall. She says Bound Angle Pose helps guard against hernia, and so does Upward Bow done over a bench. For umbilical hernia she lists work in the wall ropes. Those are her claims, from long teaching.
• No jerking. Writing about raising the legs, she warns that “any movement done jerkily may cause tearing”, and that keeping the trunk firm matters more than taking the leg higher.
• A soft abdomen. In her Sydney classes she taught: “You can’t fight with your abdomen.”

Reclining Bound Angle Pose: Mr Iyengar’s bedtime pose for a groin hernia

What does Dr Timothy McCall say?

In short: inguinal hernia is on his list of conditions yoga helps, and he points to the one study done on it.

Dr McCall is a US medical doctor who trained in Iyengar yoga, author of Yoga as Medicine and former medical editor of Yoga Journal. His June 2019 list of 117 conditions helped by yoga includes inguinal hernia (no. 47), and he cites the 2012 study of yoga for a groin hernia that can still be pushed back (see the research below). His book has no chapter on hernia.

What does Dr Krishna Raman say?

In short: every hernia is judged on its own, lifting is done with a long back, and yoga comes back slowly after surgery.

Dr Raman is a Chennai physician who trained in yoga under Mr Iyengar. His views, from Yoga and Medical Science: FAQ, in our words:

• Every hernia is different (Q237). Some need surgery. After surgery, he says, yoga can be added from about six months on.
• Lifting (Q238). You can bend forward to lift as long as the spine stays long and slightly hollowed, not rounded.
• Hiatus hernia (Q345). He goes further than anyone else here. In his view, inversions done with the right timing can clear a hiatus hernia. That is his own clinical claim, not a trial finding.
• After surgery. He does not advise exercise until a scar has formed, and lists “soon after surgery” among the times not to do pranayama (Q69, Q445 to Q451).

Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana): what it works

What the pose works

Dr Shah’s book, Therapeutic Yoga, lists these points for Headstand:

• It improves blood flow to the pituitary, pineal, thyroid and parathyroid glands, and to the brain and head.
• It helps the veins of the legs and pelvis drain.
• It improves balance, concentration, confidence, will power and creativity.
• It strengthens the inner ears and the eyes.
• It settles sagging belly organs back into place, helps the lungs clear secretions, and improves the line of the back and spine.

Source: Dr J. T. Shah, Therapeutic Yoga, p. 65. Our own words and our own picture.

Mr Iyengar’s cues and cautions

• Kneel in Hero Pose, clasp the elbows, and set the elbows no wider than the shoulders. Cup the hands.
• Rest the crown of the head (not the forehead or the back of the head) on the floor against the cupped hands.
• Beginners use a wall, with a folded blanket and the hands 5 to 8 centimetres from the wall. Walk the feet in, then raise the legs.
• Keep the weight on the crown of the head, not on the forearms. Lift the shoulders away from the floor, stretch the upper arms, and tighten the knees.
• Hold for up to 5 minutes, breathing evenly. Balance, not strength, is the key. To come out, lower the legs and rest the forehead on the floor.

Take care. Mr Iyengar’s book says not to practise Headstand with high blood pressure, cervical spondylosis (arthritis of the neck), backache, headache or migraine. With low blood pressure, do not start a session with it. Practise it once only in a session. Dr Shah’s general instructions (p. xiii) add that people with high myopia (severe short sight), glaucoma, a detached retina or discharging ears should avoid inversions. Learn it with a teacher.

Source: BKS Iyengar, Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, pp. 138 to 143.

Condition guides it links to

• Yoga for piles (haemorrhoids)
• Yoga for tonsillitis and sore throats
• Yoga for thyroid
• Yoga for vertigo

What Dr Shah recommends for hernia: an Iyengar doctor’s list

In short: Dr J. T. Shah lists Headstand for inguinal hernia and sagging belly organs, with standing and backbending poses that strengthen a weak belly wall.

Who Dr Shah is: Dr J. T. (Jawahar) Shah, a Mumbai ear, nose and throat surgeon, practised yoga from 1963, studied with Mr BKS Iyengar and taught yoga himself from 1985. His book Therapeutic Yoga carries a foreword by Mr Iyengar and colour-codes every pose by the body systems it works.

His chart has no row for hernia. Hernia appears on one pose page, Headstand. The other poses below are ones he lists for sagging belly organs or a weak abdomen. The poses he lists:

• Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana), p. 65: he says it “replaces sagging abdominal organs to their original place”, and lists it for “visceroptosis, inguinal hernias, constipation and uterine prolapse”.
• Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana), p. 53: he says it replaces sagging abdominal organs back to their position.
• Mountain Pose (Tadasana), p. 1: he says it strengthens the abdominal muscles, and lists it for sagging belly organs (visceroptosis).
• Locust Pose (Salabhasana), p. 69: he lists it for a protruding and weak abdomen.

The body systems they work: the belly organs (his green A), the endocrine glands (pink E) and the heart and circulation (red C).

Dr Shah’s cautions, kept as he gave them:

• Upside-down poses: Dr Shah says people with high short-sightedness (high myopia), high blood pressure, glaucoma, a detached retina, discharging ears or cervical spondylitis avoid inverted poses (p. xiii). With cervical spondylitis he allows them only with supports and an experienced teacher (p. xiii).
• Do not force: do not force yourself into any pose, know your limits, and do not compete in a group (p. xiii).

Known from practice; not yet tested by trials. This is clinical and teaching experience. The hernia study below tested a different set of poses.

Tell your teacher. Tell your teacher about a hernia, recent surgery or reflux. Headstand is learned after Shoulderstand, step by step, and often first in the ropes or at a wall. That is how Dr Shah himself said therapeutic work should be done: with an experienced teacher. Classes run in Darwin and LIVE online.

Source: Dr J. T. Shah, Therapeutic Yoga (foreword by Mr BKS Iyengar), Vakils, Feffer and Simons, Mumbai, 1999, general instructions pp. xii to xiii, pose pages 1 to 69. Summarised in our own words.

Other yoga voices on hernia

• The pelvic floor and the belly work as a team. The muscles of the pelvic floor, the deep belly and the diaphragm share the job of handling pressure. Leslie Howard, a New Zealand teacher and author of Pelvic Liberation, teaches that gripping is not the same as strength. More in our pelvic floor guide.

“Relax the abdomen. Learn to make the abdomen soft.”

Living with a hernia: the yogic approach, stage by stage

In short: less strain, a lifted trunk, a moving bowel, a steady weight, calm meals, and a practice that changes with the stage you are at.

Mr Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar and the yoga doctors all describe yoga as a way of living, not only a set of poses. For a hernia, in our words, the daily side looks like this:

• Stand and sit tall. A collapsed trunk lets the belly organs sag onto the belly wall and pushes the stomach up against the diaphragm. Mountain Pose (Tadasana) teaches the lift, and Dr Shah lists it for sagging belly organs (p. 1).
• Lift well. Bend the knees, keep the load close, keep the spine long and slightly hollowed, as Dr Raman describes (Q238), and breathe out as you lift. Get help with heavy things.
• Coughs and sneezes. These are sudden pressure. Many people find it helps to press a hand gently over a groin or navel hernia as they cough.
• No straining on the toilet. Feet on a low stool, belly soft, a slow out-breath. Plenty of fibre and water keep the stool soft, and regular practice keeps the bowel moving.
• Eat for a quiet stomach, especially with a hiatus hernia. Smaller meals, not eaten late, and no lying flat, bending forward or practising straight afterwards. Dr Shah asks for two hours after a light meal and four after a heavy one before practice (p. xii), and Dr Raman lists practising straight after eating among the times not to do pranayama (Q69).
• A steady weight. Extra weight round the middle presses on the belly wall and the diaphragm. Mr Iyengar notes that hiatus hernia usually affects middle-aged and overweight people.
• Calm. Stress tightens the belly and makes reflux worse. Restful poses and slow breathing switch on the calming side of the nervous system.

“Asana practice guides one in having sensitivity for eating what the body needs each day.”

What does the research show about yoga for hernia?

In short: one study has tested yoga for a hernia directly, and it found less pain and fewer symptoms. Slow belly breathing has ten trials behind it for reflux, the main trouble with a hiatus hernia, and it strengthens the valve at the bottom of the gullet. Yoga also helps with weight, and exercise that includes yoga looked promising for the belly wall after pregnancy. None of these tested Iyengar yoga. Why the difference matters.

Yoga for inguinal hernia

• Three months of selected yoga poses brought less pain, fewer episodes of symptoms and fewer things that set them off, in men with a groin hernia that could still be pushed back. Alagesan 2012, a study of 19 men, without a comparison group. This is the study on Dr McCall’s list. Read the study.

Hiatus hernia and reflux: slow belly breathing

• Belly (diaphragm) breathing cut the time acid spent in the gullet from 9.1% to 4.7% and lifted quality of life. Those who kept it up for nine months used less acid-blocking medicine. Four weeks of training. Eherer 2012, a trial of 19 people with reflux. Indirect: people with a large hiatus hernia were not included. More in our digestion guide. Read the study.
• Belly (diaphragm) breathing eased reflux symptoms across the trials. About 20 minutes a session for about five weeks. Results varied between trials. Abureesh 2026, a review of 10 trials and 476 people with reflux. Read the study.
• Breathing exercises raised the pressure of the valve at the bottom of the gullet and eased reflux. The likely reason: a stronger crural diaphragm, the part of the diaphragm that wraps round the gullet, where a hiatus hernia slips through. Qiu 2020, a review of 7 studies and 194 people with reflux. Read the study.

Exercise around hernia surgery

• Exercise for the belly wall before and after hernia repair looked helpful in all three studies found, with no harms reported. The studies were few and had flaws, and none tested yoga. Adams 2022, a review of 3 studies and 423 people. Indirect: general exercise, not yoga. Read the study.

Weight, the bowel and the belly wall

• Yoga lowered body mass index in people who were overweight, and waist to hip ratio in healthy adults. Lauche 2016, a review of 30 trials and 2,173 people, with no harms from yoga reported. Indirect: extra weight round the middle presses on the belly wall and the diaphragm. Read the study.
• Yoga eased constipation and improved sleep in older adults. Three times a week for three months, against a waiting list. Shree Ganesh 2021, a trial of 96 people aged 60 to 75. Indirect: constipation means straining. Read the study.
• Exercise programmes for the gap between the belly muscles after pregnancy, yoga among them, showed promising results in narrowing the gap. Skoura 2024, a review of 28 studies. Indirect: the gap (diastasis recti) is not a hernia, but it is the same belly wall, and umbilical hernias often come with it. Read the study.
• Regular moderate exercise, yoga included, was linked with better gut function, including in reflux and constipation. Al-Beltagi 2025, a review of 231 studies. Indirect. Read the study.

No trial has yet tested yoga for umbilical hernia, or for hiatus hernia itself. Not yet studied is not the same as not working: Mr Iyengar gave a course for each, and Dr Raman and Dr Shah describe how inverted poses help, from long practice.

Who should take care, and what to leave out for now

Most people with a hernia can come to an ordinary class at their level. These are the practices to know about first.

• Straining. Bearing down pushes on a weak spot. Breathe out slowly on every effort.
• The belly lift (Uddiyana). It is on Mr Iyengar’s advanced lists, and is left out with a hernia.
• Strong belly work. Boat Pose, sit-up style work and lifting both legs from lying are in Mr Iyengar’s advanced lists, but they press hard on the belly wall. Leave them until your teacher brings them in.
• Inverted poses are learned with a teacher. Mr Iyengar, Dr Shah and Dr Raman all value them for hernia. Dr Shah says people with high blood pressure, glaucoma, a detached retina, high short-sightedness, discharging ears or cervical spondylitis avoid them (p. xiii). Rope and wall versions take load off.
• After surgery. Dr Raman’s view is yoga from about six months after hernia surgery, and no exercise until the scar has formed. Tell your teacher what operation you had and when.
• Bound Angle Pose with a prolapse. Mr Iyengar gives a caution for Bound Angle Pose with a prolapse (Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, p. 108). Be guided by your teacher.

Reclining Big Toe Pose: hernia exercises lying down

How does this come together in a Flametree class?

Everything above points the same way, and it is how we teach in Darwin and online. If you are searching for hernia exercises, inguinal hernia exercises or yoga for a hiatus hernia, this is the yoga side of the answer: breath first, a strong and lifted trunk, and no straining or bearing down.

• Classes adapted to the people in them. No one-size-fits-all. Tell your teacher about a hernia, recent surgery or reflux, and the poses are changed for you.
• Breath first. Every effort on an out-breath. Our pranayama classes teach slow, smooth ocean and staircase breathing, lying down first.
• Strength built steadily. Standing poses build the legs and lift the trunk; Locust and gentle backbends build the back of the body; strong belly work comes later, if at all.
• Supported inverted and reclining poses. Legs Up The Wall, supported bridge and Reclining Bound Angle first; Shoulderstand and Headstand, often in the ropes, as you are ready.
• Rest before getting up. Every class ends in Corpse Pose, and we come up slowly, as Mr Iyengar advised.

Yoga, pranayama and mindfulness: how they work together

Some of the studies above tested slow breathing, not yoga poses. That still counts for our classes. Mindfulness is steady, present attention, and yoga poses and pranayama (yogic breathing) are old routes to that same state. So the research on slow breathing for reflux and hiatus hernia also shows what a good yoga and pranayama class can build. No trial separates which part does the work.

We suggest coming to both a yoga class and a pranayama class. Mr Iyengar taught that asana (poses), pranayama and meditation are not divided, and in our experience the two together do more than either alone. See every class time. We trace the history and the links in Yoga And Mindfulness: Why The Mindfulness Research Points Back To Yoga And The Breath.

Read more on hernia, the belly and the breath

• Ocean breath (Ujjayi), the Iyengar way
• Legs Up The Wall: what it does and how to set it up
• Yoga poses to tone the abdominal muscles
• Related guides: prostate and men’s health, IBS, reflux, constipation and colitis, pelvic floor dysfunction, piles and weight and cortisol belly

Take it further

• Classes, in Darwin or LIVE online: new, or away 3 months or more? 2 free classes, then 10 at half price. Already practising yoga? See the non-beginner half price pass. See every class time.
• Masterclass: the pelvic floor, and how the belly, breath and pelvis handle pressure, is one of our 2027 Sunday Arvo Masterclasses with Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and certified Yoga Therapist. Come for the poses, the sequences and the breath work that put this into action. Bookings are open.
• Retreats: a week of daily yoga, pranayama and good food in Bali. See the retreats.

Other conditions are in our encyclopaedia of yoga for health conditions.

Yoga for hernia: questions people ask

Can yoga help a hernia?

Yes, when it is well chosen. In a study of 19 men with a groin hernia that could still be pushed back, three months of selected yoga poses brought less pain and fewer symptoms. Mr BKS Iyengar gave separate yoga courses for inguinal, umbilical and hiatus hernia. Yoga works on the pressure: no straining, and steady strength around the belly and pelvis.

Can yoga make a hernia worse?

Straining, bearing down, jerky effort and strong belly work can all add pressure, so they are left out. Well-taught Iyengar yoga does the opposite: every effort on a slow out-breath, poses adapted with props, and strength built steadily. Tell your teacher about your hernia, so the poses are chosen for you.

Which yoga poses are safe with a hernia?

Poses that do not press on the belly wall: standing poses with the trunk lifted, seated poses such as Bound Angle Pose, Reclining Big Toe Pose with a belt, Legs Up The Wall, supported bridge and Reclining Bound Angle Pose. Mr Iyengar’s hernia courses are built on these. Shoulderstand and Headstand are learned with a teacher. Tell your teacher about your hernia.

What should I avoid in yoga with a hernia?

Leave out straining and bearing down, the belly lift (Uddiyana), strong belly work such as Boat Pose and double leg lifts, and lifting with a rounded back. Move slowly: Geeta Iyengar warns that jerky movement can cause tearing.

What are good inguinal hernia exercises?

For an inguinal (groin) hernia, Mr Iyengar’s course uses Staff Pose, Bound Angle Pose, Wide-Angle Seated Pose, Reclining Big Toe Pose, supported Bridge Pose and supported inverted poses, with slow ocean and staircase breathing lying down. He also suggests lying in Bound Angle Pose at bedtime and resting before getting up.

What are good umbilical hernia exercises?

For an umbilical hernia, Mr Iyengar’s course leans on forward bends with the head down and resting, such as Wide-Legged Forward Bend and Downward-Facing Hero Pose, with seated poses and supported Bridge Pose. Strong belly work waits. Tell your teacher, and the poses are adapted for you.

Is yoga for hiatus hernia worth trying?

Yes. Mr Iyengar’s hiatus hernia course uses standing poses that lift the trunk, supported inverted and reclining poses, and ocean breath. Dr Raman holds that inversions with the right timing help a hiatus hernia most. Slow belly breathing roughly halved the time acid spent in the gullet in a reflux trial. Practise on an empty stomach.

Can I do yoga after hernia surgery?

Dr Krishna Raman’s view is that yoga can be added from about six months after hernia surgery, once the scar has formed. Tell your teacher what operation you had and when, and start with gentle, supported poses and slow breathing.

How do I lift safely with a hernia?

Bend the knees, keep the load close to you, and keep the spine long and slightly hollowed rather than rounded, as Dr Krishna Raman describes. Breathe out slowly as you lift, never bear down, and get help with heavy loads. Standing poses in class build the leg strength that makes this easier.

What is a hernia?

A hernia is a weak spot or gap in a wall of muscle, with something from inside pushing through. An inguinal hernia is in the groin, an umbilical hernia is at the belly button, and a hiatus hernia is where the top of the stomach slides up through the diaphragm. Pressure from straining, lifting, coughing and a heavy belly pushes on the weak spot.

Do women get hernias too?

Yes. Groin hernias are far more common in men, but umbilical hernias are common in women after pregnancy, and a hiatus hernia can affect anyone, often in middle age. Geeta Iyengar, who wrote the classic Iyengar book for women, lists Bound Angle Pose among the poses that help guard the belly wall.

What did Mr BKS Iyengar say about hernias?

In Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, Mr Iyengar says hernias are common in men over 50 and respond to yoga, his claim, and gives separate courses for inguinal, umbilical and hiatus hernia. In Light on Yoga (p. 425) he lists poses for umbilical and inguinal hernia, and advises lying in Bound Angle Pose at bedtime with a groin hernia.

Where can I do yoga for hernia in Darwin or online?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and LIVE online across Australia, with ropes, bolsters, blankets and chairs so poses can be adapted for a hernia. New, or away 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes, then 10 at half price.

Where this comes from: BKS Iyengar, Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health (Dorling Kindersley), the men’s health section (pp. 397 to 405) with the courses for inguinal, umbilical (pp. 402 to 405) and hiatus hernia (p. 399) and Baddha Konasana (p. 108); Light on Yoga, Appendix II, Hernia (p. 425); Iyengar: His Life and Work, “How Pune Became My Home”. Geeta S Iyengar, Yoga: A Gem for Women, and her Sydney classes, 1996. Timothy McCall MD, Yoga as Medicine (Bantam), and his June 2019 list of health conditions helped by yoga (no. 47) and its bibliography. Krishna Raman MD and S. Suresh MD, Yoga and Medical Science: FAQ, Q69, Q237, Q238, Q345 and Q445 to Q451. BKS Iyengar, Yoga Wisdom and Practice, Yoga and Diet. Dr J. T. Shah, Therapeutic Yoga (foreword by Mr BKS Iyengar), Vakils, Feffer and Simons, Mumbai, 1999. Leslie Howard, Pelvic Liberation. Studies as linked above. Everything is summarised in our own words.

This page is general information, not medical advice. Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and LIVE online.