Narasimha shares how Iyengar Yoga helped in curing Prostate Cancer

Hello! I am Narasimha a 50 year old guy from Hyderabad, India. My life changed dramatically after I was diagnosed with 'Prostate Cancer' 2 years ago.

Medical Treatment:

The ailment Prostate Cancer has resulted into severe problem for me of frequent urge to urinate and also severe urine retention.  The other symptoms like Head ache, Fever etc were synonymous from time to time. I underwent treatment at Yashoda Hospital in February 2013.  At Yashoda Hospital, the intensity of my ailment was measured by PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) count in the blood.

At the time of my admission into Yashoda Hospital, my Blood Prostate Specific Antigen - PSA count was at 85 (which was abnormally high) as against the required normal levels of 0 - 4.   After the treatment the PSA count has dropped down to the normal and remained dormant for about one year under medication.  Subsequently it became immune to the existing medication and started rising again from February 2014.  At this stage the dosage was increased but to no avail. 

Introduction to Iyengar Yoga:  

      

The cost of cancer treatment is so expensive that it can shake anybody. My brother Parmeshwar an Iyengar Yoga practitioner for several years insisted and inspired me to take up Iyengar Yoga practice. On 2nd of September 2014 I took my first class under a very experienced Iyengar Yoga teacher Smt. Zarna Mohan. Since then I never looked back.

 

Pursuing Iyengar yoga practice, I was in regular touch with doctors at Yashoda hospital. In the month of October 2014 I got the shock of my life with a prescription given by the Yashoda Doctor for  a mere PSA control - which would cost me Rs. 1.25 Lacs for monthly dosage or at least Rs. 0.70 Lacs per month (package deal for 3 months). During this time I was mentally and physically shattered. The prescription made my life worse.

First signs of relief:

But  I was regularly attending yoga classes under the expert guidance of Zarna madam and practicing religiously at home every day. It was after one month of intense practice and the experience of my teacher began to show the result. For the first time I experienced some improvement in urine retention which came as a great sigh of relief. I began to feel the difference in my internal system. This slight but significant change in my system motivated me to sincerely pursue the Iyengar yoga practice every day without any let up.

Miraculous effect of Iyengar Yoga Practice:

Perseverance of Iyengar yoga practice began to show significant improvement in my body and mind condition week after week. So I have decided to discard medical treatment  and strictly persisted the practice of regimen fixed by Zarna Madam. 

Simultaneously I started monitoring my PSA levels periodically and the results are appended below:   

PSA Levels (without medication since October 2014 - with only Yoga Practice):

7th October '14        -  08.61

15th November '14   -  12.09

25th December '14   -  13.66

2nd February '15      -  16.96

6th March '15           -  15.49 (The PSA Levels got arrested at this stage).

11th April '15           -  2.92 (Attained normal levels at this stage).

28th June '15           -  0.74 (Attained complete normal levels)

For the first time since February 2014 my PSA count started showing downward trend without medication.  First it got arrested at count 16.9 and subsequently started downward trend and attained total normalcy when tested in April 2015 and continued to be normal till date. 

In about six months time, there was significant improvement in overall condition. All symptoms vanished, swelling in the left lower limb subsided and started feeling the sense of well being. Apart from the above, one more prominent progress was the hard lumps formed on either sides of the chest got dissolved. The texture of the skin attained its original complexion. Above all, I am now feeling comfortable and confident physically and mentally.  All symptoms vanished.  NO MEDICINES WHAT SO EVER.  ONLY IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE AT HOME (EVERY DAY) AND BI-WEEKLY CLASSES UNDER ZARNA MADAM.

Exploring the Asanas:

For anybody suffering from ailments is not easy to perform asanas straight away. Thankfully Iyengar Yoga offers supported asanas and must thank Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar for his innovative approach to Yoga. I used to practice many supported asanas with the help of props like chair, bolster, belt, rope, wall and many others. These props and the expertise of my teacher has helped me explore these supportive asanas and understand the deep intricacies of the each asana and its effect on the mind and body.

  

Asanas like Adhomukha Svanasana, Utthita Padangustasana (Leg Stretching), Rope Sirsasana, Badha Konasana, Upavista Konasana (Long duration), Setubandha Sarvangasana, Viparita Karini against the wall and sometimes with the chair etc have helped me a lot.

With each passing day I am feeling more and more comfortable and confident to face the challenges of life. I firmly believe my commitment to Iyengar yoga practice and regular class attendance has developed a courage to defeat this deadly prostate cancer. I hope my case study will motivate many others to take up yoga and overcome their afflictions. My final word of advice is please practice under an experienced Iyengar Yoga teacher and do not try any of the above mentioned asanas at home on your own.

Finally, I would like to mention that I am very fortunate to be able to work under a very experienced teacher Zarna Mohan. My sincere gratitude and reverence to all her support during the rough phase of my life and I am highly indebted to my brother Parmeshwar for guiding and motivating me to adopt Iyengar yoga practice as part and parcel of my life.