Why yoga is the best therapy for doctors: Surgeons and physicians say how pranayama and asanas keep them going
A nine-hour surgery, emergency and bleeding on the table, anxious patients spilling out of the OPD and a dying patient's relative clinging on to hope — doctors have a tough time holding on to so many lifelines and processing collective anxiety. Little wonder then that a 2021 study showed that 75 per cent of doctors in India were under severe stress. And if there is one solution that takes care of both their physical and mental well-being without eating into their schedule, it is yoga.
Dr Sonal Gupta,
Director & HOD, Neurosurgery, Fortis, New Delhi
As a neurosurgeon, I have to be on my feet for about seven to eight hours at a stretch. And since there's little focus on ergonomics in neurosurgery, the operating room environment and surgical techniques aren't designed to minimise physical strain. So I cannot imagine any day without my morning yoga, which keeps my knee joints stable and my spine supple. In fact, if I go without yoga for a week, I get a neck pain so severe that I have to be on pain relievers and muscle relaxants.
Since I have to bend over the patient, twist my torso and assume awkward postures for an extended time period, my lumbar spine gets stressed. Certain surgical instruments and procedures require repetitive hand and wrist movements. Brain surgeries are particularly demanding as they require the surgeon to look through the endoscope continuously without moving and simultaneously keeping their arms extended to use tools like drills and retractors. Such surgeries strain the muscles and tendons in my neck and back. More than physical strain, I need to focus sharp, something that pranayama helps me with.
I give myself an hour every day for my exercise routines, five times a week. I do yoga at least thrice a week, more if I am not lined up for early morning surgery. But I do it in combination with cardio exercises and strength training. Yoga itself can be considered a form of strength training. I begin my routine with 10-15 minutes of yoga and then 45 minutes of other drills. In the evenings, I play badminton to unwind. I do eight to 10 sets of surya namaskar daily. I usually follow it up with the cobra pose or Bhujangasana, which opens up the shoulder blades, neck and collar bones. It improves circulation, lung function, massages and regulates the adrenal and thyroid glands. The table top pose, or Bharmanasana, is another of my favourites as it strengthens the wrists, arms, shoulders and core while stretching and lengthening the spine. Additionally, it can improve posture, balance and focus while relieving stress. The cow pose or Bitilasana is a good spine arch routine that straightens the spine, improves abdominal and diaphragmatic breathing capabilities and opens up stiff shoulders.
I have made yoga a part of my patient recovery protocol. Convalescents who need screws to stabilise the spine and help bones heal are recommended yoga after three months. Those without screws can take it up in six weeks. Yoga is best for them in strengthening their core.
Dr Santoshi Janardan Nagaonkar, Director, Urological Oncology & Robotic Surgery, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai
I try to do yoga at least four times a week and combine it with my cardio and strength training. Surya namaskar is my all-in-one routine and helps me when I am travelling and find limited windows to exercise. In fact, yoga has many stretches that can rival those of Pilates. But it doesn't require gadgets.
Whatever happens, I never give up on pranayama. Breath exercises are good for metabolism. They help lower cortisol levels and keep me calm, so that my decision-making is more judicious.
Laparoscopic surgery strains your shoulders and neck muscles. But as a robotic surgeon sitting at a console, where both my neck and hands are flexed and I need to operate the joystick for every precise movement, pressure builds up in my elbows and wrists. Sometimes you need to take quick action, so your hands need to be flexible and agile. Only yoga poses allow wrist-focussed stretches, rotations and fingertip grips.
I prescribe yoga to all my patients, particularly recently diagnosed ones, so that they can retain their positivity and body confidence. For those in chemotherapy, yoga helps increase their strength and muscle mass so that they can complete their cycles.
Dr Balaraja S, Department of Internal Medicine, PGI, Chandigarh
One hour, six days a week. That's my yoga routine, no matter how busy my OPD is. It improves my mood, sleep quality and sense of satiety. It helps me develop a positive attitude, relieving stress and fatigue. At one time I was into stress eating. With yoga, my craving for snacking has gone down. I sleep well now. I started practising yoga consistently since last year and have lost 13 kg.
When I started out, it was tough to get into the flow. Being overweight, stretching was not easy. But in just a month, I could feel my body loosen up, become flexible and full of energy. Apart from pranayama, my favourites include Tadasana, Chakrasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Bhujanasana and Dhanurasana, all of which strengthen the core, firm up the abdomen, reduce anxiety and improve organ functions. In fact, after I noticed the fat-busting effects of yoga, I wrote a thesis on the efficacy of yoga in improving fatty liver. We found that yoga with dietary calorie restriction is not inferior to exercise with dietary calorie restriction. In fact, we were able to control liver inflammation and fibrosis in our test subjects within six months.
As a doctor, I have developed an Obesity Yoga Protocol for patients, which consists of a series of asanas, pranayama and meditation, along with dietary and lifestyle interventions. We also have a Y-Break protocol at PGI of about five to seven minutes, where healthcare workers do a specific set of relaxation techniques during lunch or tea break. That helps us jump right back in.
Dr Deepak Kumar Chitralli, nephrologist & transplant physician, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru
I have been practising yoga for the last five years, 6 am to 7 am, five days a week. Two days I reserve for other intense exercises. Surya namaskara can be a full body workout when you do it at a faster pace. Other than that I do a lot of forward-bending asanas because they improve flexibility, stretch the spine and hamstrings, massage abdominal organs and can help relieve back pain and stiffness. These also reduce stress and improve digestion.
Initially, I could not understand if yoga was indeed changing me. Till people told me that I looked visibly relaxed, calmer and in control. This is important for a doctor so that he does not transmit his stress levels to his already anxious patients, most of whom are on dialysis or are transplant recipients. In fact, post-transplant patients can do gentle asanas as they are restorative and benefit from pranayama.
These days I can see more patients and assess them better in the same consultation time. I do not feel fatigued even after seeing 50 of them back-to-back. Still if I feel stretched, I take a 15-minute pranayama break, snap back and move to the next patient.
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