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All I remember is that I was lying down on the patient trolley and was being taken to the surgery room. I don’t recall when they administered the anesthesia and I have no recollection of the surgery room. When I finally came to senses, I opened my eyes and saw Manju’s smiling face as if to indicate that the surgery went well.
The BIG news was that the doctor told Manju that he DID NOT have to use the extra graft-jacket patch which he was thinking of using to help bring the muscle to the bone. He was successful in pulling the torn muscle back to the bone and stitch them together in the traditional way. This was quite a bit of relief for me since the use of the patch is still experimental and its success rate is not well documented.
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"Can headstand heal torn rotator cuff"? That was the title of the blog post I wrote a few weeks ago. In that post I had mentioned that based on an interview with Dr Loren Fishman that I heard on NPR, I was going to try the practice of headstand to deal with my torn rotator cuff. In today’s post, I would like to bring you up-to-date with the current status of my shoulder.
Based on the reports that I read on Dr Fishman’s blog and also some of the comments from the readers, I decided to cancel my appointment for surgery and try the headstand routine for some time. It was around the third week in August that I began practicing the headstand on a daily basis. Before I injured my shoulder, I used to stay in the headstand position for about six minutes. However, when I started practicing it with the injury, I noticed that after about three minutes my shoulder would begin to hurt a little. That is roughly the duration of the headstand practice that I have maintained since then.
Within about two weeks of practice I felt a slight improvement in my range of motion. For example, I was able to take my cup of tea and put it in the microwave oven which I couldn’t do earlier without some amount of pain. That obviously encouraged me to continue with the practice. Unfortunately, however, even after a few more weeks of practice, I did not see any further improvement in my situation. During my asana practice, any attempt to do a weight-bearing pose which involved bending the elbows (e.g., Cobra pose or Chaturanga-dandasana etc.) would still cause pain.
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This morning I was flipping through the pages of the book "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hanh. As many of you may know, Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen master and a well-known spiritual teacher. He is originally from Vietnam but these days lives in France. I had read the book a few years ago and was trying to refresh my memory for tips on mindfulness.
In the book, Hanh talks about being in the present moment all the time – being totally aware of the moment whether you are cleaning the dishes, having meals, reading a book or whatever activity, however mundane, that you are engaged in.
After reading through a few pages in the book, I decided to go in for a shower. As soon as I entered the shower I remembered the words of Hanh to be in the present moment. I decided to become fully aware of and get totally absorbed in the experience in the shower.
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Earlier today, when I googled for "benefits of yoga", the following were the top four results:
When students sign up for my classes, one of the questions they answer is "What benefits do you expect to realize from your yoga practice?". Some of the most common expected benefits mentioned are:
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The name Mayurasana – मयूरासन – is a composite of two words – mayura (peacock) and asana (pose). The word peacock instantly brings to mind the image of this beautiful bird, dancing with the tail fanned out displaying the most gorgeous colors and designs. Description of a dancing peacock, with its spread out plumage, symbolizing beauty, strength and grace, can be found in many ancient Indian poetical texts. Legend has it that peacock has a strong digestive system as it can digest poisonous snakes, worms and scorpions. The practice of Mayurasana is similarly identified with building a strong digestive system, igniting the digestive fire (called Jatharagni).
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Most of the classes that I teach last 1.5 hours. In almost every class I lay emphasis on the need for establishing a home-based yoga practice which can be done on a daily basis. Those students who feel committed to practice at home are usually faced with the following predicament:
- It is not possible to allocate 1.5 hours every day for the yoga practice. We can allocate no more than one hour, even that being a stretch
- In the regular 1.5 hour group class, we practice many asanas with variations and different pranayama techniques. We also discuss the concepts of meditation and practice meditation on a few occasions. If we want to limit the practice to one hour or less, how to structure the sequence so all aspects of yoga are covered?
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I am pleased to announce the next 21-day Yoga Challenge program. The past programs have been very well received by all the participants. For most of them, it has been truly a life-transforming experience. I invite you to join me on this exciting and deeply rewarding 21-day yoga journey. Here are the particulars:
As those of you who have been attending my yoga classes know that I have been battling shoulder pain for quite some time now. Actually, the pain in my right shoulder started almost two and a half years ago (more about it later on in this post). However, a recent MRI of my right shoulder shows a maximum length tear in my rotator cuff. I got the MRI done about two months ago. I believe the tear happened about seven months ago when while coming down the stairs in my house, I slipped and fell down, landing hard on my right shoulder. The resulting pain was excruciating and my wife, Manju, and I rushed to the ER. The XRAY showed no broken bones, giving me some psychological relief. That was one of the rare occasions when I had to take a pain-killer pill so I could asleep. Even though no broken bones were found, the pain continued to grow over time. That is when I decided to ask my doctor for an MRI of my right shoulder.
I should add here that I have had previous surgeries on both my shoulders to repair torn rotator cuffs. These were done about eight and ten years ago respectively.
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Most of us go through experiences periodically when we have trouble falling asleep when we go to bed. There are other times when you happen to wake up in the middle of the night, either due to a dream, some noise, or just because you have to go to the toilet, and then cannot go back to sleep. These episodes may represent minor sleep disorders or serious cases of insomnia.
Before discussing how we can improve the quality of sleep, I would like to briefly list some of the common causes of disturbed sleep (not in any specific order):
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The basic Setu-bandhasana -सेतुबन्धासन – (Bridge Pose) is a beginner-level pose and is highly beneficial for the health of the shoulders, spine, hips and thighs. At a deeper level, it helps calm the mind and can help relieve stress, mental fatigue, anxiety and depression.
Step-by-step
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Video DVD
Yoga with Subhash (asana and pranayama)
- Basic asana sequence (~50 min) ($18)
- Pranayama/Meditation (~35 min) ($12)
- Set of above two ($25)
Video recording of special programs offered in the past
(Links to YouTube videos will be provided)
- 21-day yoga immersion - $40
- 7-day hip opening intensive - $20
- 14-day meditation intensive - $30
- 14-day pranayama intensive - $30
- 7-day hamstring/quad intensive - $20
- 14-day Level 2 yoga intensive - $35
Payment options:
- cash, check, Zelle (use subhashmittal@gmail.com) or Venmo (use 9199269717)
- PayPal (go to bottom of page) (add $5 to the fee listed above)
Please contact me if you would like to buy.
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