Om Yoga Magazine — December 2017

Te acher zone

C

ecile has been practicing yoga

for several years. She is fit and

well and has excellent body

awareness, so she was thrown

when she was diagnosed

with glaucoma during a routine optician’s

appointment. Her sister also has the

condition and it tends to run in families.

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve

caused by increased pressure on the fluid

inside the eye. The condition builds slowly

and so anyone affected might not realise

that there is any deterioration in his or her

sight until the damage has been done. This

is why eye tests are so important, even if

you think you can see perfectly well. That

moment when the optician puffs air into your

eyes is to test the pressure.

A person with glaucoma might see

blurring around the outside of the vision. If

left untreated, eyesight will gradually worsen

and it could eventually lead to blindness.

The good news is that if caught in time, even

though there is no cure, eye drops can be

prescribed that will stop the pressure getting

worse. In a few cases, surgery might be the

only option.

Modified practice

Once Cecile had got over the shock of her

diagnosis, her first question was: “How do I

need to modify my yoga practice?” First port

of call was, of course, her eye specialist.

He advised that she could continue to

practice, but that inversions were to be

avoided completely, because they add to

the pressure build-up in the eyes. So, no

Downward Dog, Plough, Shoulder Stand or

Headstand: not even Bridge. Anything that

causes vigorous movement of the head was

also advised against, so, for example, an

energetic Ashtanga-style practice might be

best avoided. The Glaucoma Association

confirms that yoga is fine to do, except any

position where the heart is above the eyes.

So we began by focusing on what Cecile

could do: lots of breathing/pranayama, of

course; standing postures, such as Warriors

I and II; balances; modest side bends from

standing or sitting; likewise, rotations; back

bends, such as Sphinx/Cobra; and shallow

forward bends. It is simply a matter of being

mindful about the position of her head. After

some trial and error, we created an alternative

sequence to Salute to the Sun. Instead of

coming into/out of a forward bend, Cecile

employs a deep squat. Striding into and out of

a lunge is fine, but instead of Downward Dog,

she goes into a plank or cat stretch. As well as

her home practice and one-to-one sessions

with me, Cecile has continued to come to

my regular group classes and has learned to

modify as she goes along. I trust her to take

responsibility for her own wellbeing.

Shifting focus

After several courses of eye drops, Cecile

had surgery to drain fluid from one of her

eyes. She says this wasn’t as awful as it

might sound. It was a little uncomfortable

and felt strange, but wasn’t painful, and she

used her yoga breathing to keep herself

calm before and during the procedure. Her

pressure has now dropped, so she is going

to have the other eye drained, too.

Cecile has accepted that her practice

has had to change, but the focus she now

has to employ has added a deeper spiritual

element, while she is finding huge physical

benefits from increasingly strong breathing

practices. We have both been reminded that

there is more to yoga than making shapes

with the body.

For further information, talk to your optician,

visit glaucoma-association.com or search

‘glaucoma’ on the NHS Choices website:

nhs.uk

Julia Thorley runs Hatha yoga classes in

Northamptonshire. She is also a freelance

writer and editor and welcomes comments

on her blog ‘Life, yoga and other adventures’

(juliathorley.blogspot.co.uk). Her e-booklet

The Little Guide to Teaching Yoga in a

Gym is also available from Amazon. She

may be contacted by email:

[email protected]

Cecile is not

letting glaucoma

prevent her from

staying active