Glaucoma Friendly Yoga 1

A few weeks prior to recording this practice I was diagnosed with narrow-angle glaucoma. My diagnosis made me curious about what glaucoma is and I learned that there are two main types of glaucoma and that both of them, if left untreated, will damage the optic nerve and potentially cause blindness. I was taught that people with glaucoma should avoid inverted yoga poses. Why? Because bringing the head lower than the heart can increase the pressure within the eyes. Medical research backs this up. So, in order to keep moving on my yoga mat until I had my surgery, I had to modify my practice. I started using the wall and a chair for a lot of poses that would normally bring my head below my heart, like downward dog. My glaucoma-friendly practice is also supportive if you find kneeling on the yoga mat challenging or if your wrists are uncomfortable in poses like downward dog.