Bikram Yoga for people with transplantations?

Hello Katja

Thank you – I am touched and grateful for your comments.

This is a question I am reticent to answer definitively. I have been thinking about the issue carefully. Someone who gets an organ transplant has to take anti-rejection drugs to stop the body rejecting or attacking the new organ. In rare cases such as in transplants where the donors are identical twins, anti-rejection drugs are rarely needed.

The problem is if the lymphatic system is overstimulated the body can reject a transplant. Having said that I know that this yoga helps bring the body into balance. We know that deep breathing and organ massage and many of the movements actually make the whole body work more efficiently. According to the rejection theory this could mean that you may want to avoid the stimulation that comes from the yoga. Who knows if working your immune system into good balance is the same as over-stimulation.

I am going to look for any anecdotal evidence that says that someone has benefited from the yoga AFTER they have had a transplant. It is logical that you would GAIN benefit BEFORE the transplant procedure immunologically, and after the transplant in terms of feelings of wellbeing.

This is such a complex situation because even this person’s personal convictions about how well they are or how the yoga can help them may effect their healing. The mind is magical and often defies science.

So even if your student went against what they were advised but BELIEVED congruently that they were healing themselves, then who knows what might happen?

The issue for me is also one about life balance. One has to enjoy their life and feel active and vital. Some amount of activity or exercise has to be had. The benefits of FEELING good cannot be overemphasized when it comes to healing. Any exercise is going to stimulate your lymphatic system to some degree. The subjective effects are going to have to be monitored by the person themselves, and the satisfaction that they gain with their yoga will have to come into the equation. They may decide to do some Bikram yoga and decide that they either feel fantastic or that it is too much for them.

I know you are looking for answers. To be honest, this is such a gray area your student needs to do the research and come up with their own intuitive response, then follow it through. The answer they may come up with is TESTING different styles of yoga for a number of weeks of fairly regular practice to see their body’s and mind’s responses.

ALRIGHT: I have just now done some research. I would like to direct your yogi to a website that has a forum where transplant recipients are talking about yoga. They are having a conversation about less vigorous forms of yoga, and they seem to enjoy it as you would expect. One of the primary issues seems to counter the effects of osteoporosis with weight bearing exercises. Here is that link: Transplant buddies forum or the search page: Transplant buddies forum search. Good luck.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

One last point.

Exercise will not cause one to reject a transplanted organ. Rejection is related to more complex phenomenon than exercise. It’s related to the kind and amount of drugs the patient takes, the immune system and its antigens and antibodies, genetics, and a whole host of other psychological mechanisms.

As a suggestion, you should always encourage and recommend exercise to any individual if they appear to have the capability. I understand that the word “transplantation” sounds somewhat intimidating, but I assure you healthy transplant patients can and do exercise without rejecting.

Of course, as always, your job as a yoga teacher is to monitor your students.

dawna