Yoga guide
The first exercises after a hysterectomy are already gentle yoga: slow breathing, pelvic floor squeezes, a soft draw-in of the lower tummy, pelvic tilts, knee rolls and heel slides, alongside a daily walk. UK pelvic health physiotherapists start them in the first days. A yoga class comes later, and the advice on when differs: the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) allows low-impact sport from 2 to 4 weeks after keyhole or vaginal surgery, while the physiotherapists' booklet puts low-level exercise classes at 6 to 12 weeks after any gynaecological surgery. Your surgical team's advice comes first.
No trial has tested yoga after a hysterectomy, so this guide takes you through the poses in stages, from the first days to a full class, with what changes after keyhole, vaginal or open surgery or a pelvic floor repair, the poses to leave for later, your pelvic floor for life, what happens if your ovaries were removed, yoga before your operation, and the warning signs. Our exercise after a hysterectomy guide covers walking, lifting, driving, work and sex.
Our searches found one case report and small studies of gentle yoga done in bed around surgery for suspected gynaecological cancer. Yoga goes alongside your surgical team's recovery advice, never ahead of it.
A short walk the day after your operation; deep breathing and ankle exercises; pelvic floor squeezes once your catheter is out; then a gentle tummy draw-in, pelvic tilts, knee rolls and heel slides. These are the gentlest yoga you can do.
The RCOG's trackers for keyhole and vaginal surgery allow low-impact sport from 2 to 4 weeks. The pelvic health physiotherapists' booklet puts low-level exercise classes at 6 to 12 weeks after any gynaecological surgery, once bleeding and discharge have stopped, and an NHS hospital leaflet names yoga at 6 to 12 weeks after open surgery. Follow your surgical team.
In a review of 63 trials, women got back to normal activities about 11 days sooner after a vaginal and 13 days sooner after a keyhole hysterectomy than after an open one. The NHS says full recovery after an open (abdominal) hysterectomy takes about 6 to 8 weeks.
No study has measured tummy pressure in yoga poses. In a Pilates study, no move pressed significantly harder on average than standing up from a chair, and bridging, all fours and side-lying moves were among the lowest. After prolapse surgery, returning at your own pace did as well as strict limits. The scar still heals more slowly inside than out, so build up in stages.
Keep up your pelvic floor exercises for life, as the RCOG and the physiotherapists advise; pelvic yoga reduced leaks about as much as general exercise, so it goes alongside them. Bladder leaks and prolapse are somewhat more common in the years after a hysterectomy, though many women's symptoms improve.
The menopause starts straight away, and you should be offered hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Fractures were about 17% more common after both ovaries were removed. Yoga eased overall menopause symptoms a little in natural menopause, but the reviews disagree on hot flushes, and no trial has looked at women after surgery: pair it with strength work.
A hysterectomy removes the womb, and sometimes the cervix, tubes and ovaries too. It's done through a cut in the tummy (abdominal, or open), through the vagina, or by keyhole surgery (laparoscopic). After keyhole surgery you have 2 to 4 small scars of 0.5 to 1 cm; an open cut is about 10 cm; after a vaginal hysterectomy the scar is at the top of the vagina. Our exercise after a hysterectomy guide explains the types in full.
The RCOG: "There is no evidence that normal physical activity levels are in any way harmful and a regular and gradual build-up of activity will assist your recovery." The physiotherapists' booklet: "although the outside scar can heal very quickly, it takes longer to heal on the inside; allow yourself time to recover fully."
Vaginal discharge is normal for a while: the NHS says it "may last up to 6 weeks". Shoulder pain is common after keyhole surgery. Tiredness is common too, and the RCOG says rest "does not mean doing nothing at all": light activity around the house helps from the first few days.
Getting down to the floor and up; lying on your back; all fours; seated and standing poses; strong core poses (boat, plank, chaturanga); backbends that stretch the front of the tummy; twists; poses that fold the legs over the tummy or go upside down; deep squats; and breathing practices, including fast, forceful breathing. The questions after surgery are the scar (pulling, a bulge or doming along it), bleeding, tiredness and the pelvic floor (heaviness or leaking). This is our description, to help you choose.
The type of operation, a pelvic floor repair at the same time, a cancer operation, complications and how fit you were before all change the timing. The physiotherapists' booklet: "Rates of recovery will vary and may depend on your age, lifestyle and fitness level before the operation." Write your own timeline with your team, not from a calendar.
Neither set of timings has been tested in trials. Your own surgical team's advice comes first, especially after a pelvic floor repair or if you had complications.
Breathing, ankle exercises, pelvic floor squeezes once the catheter is out, and the early tummy exercises in stage 1 below. Walk every day, building up: the RCOG says many women can walk for 30 to 60 minutes after 2 or 3 weeks.
After keyhole or vaginal surgery, the trackers suggest low-impact sport from 2 to 4 weeks and your usual exercise by 4 to 6 weeks. After any of the operations, most women are back to their previous activity within 4 to 6 weeks if they build up gradually, and "Contact sports and power sports should be avoided for at least six weeks".
Up to 6 weeks: pelvic floor and early tummy exercises and daily walking. From 6 to 12 weeks: "Try low impact exercises such as swimming, cycling, low level pilates, a cross-trainer, more vigorous walking or gentle aerobics. Make sure that any vaginal discharge or bleeding has stopped before you do". From 3 months: more active exercise, including high impact. The booklet doesn't mention yoga.
Source 6
After open gynaecological surgery, a Norfolk and Norwich physiotherapy leaflet says to avoid lifting anything heavier than a kettle for 6 weeks, then: "You might want to start doing more exercise such as pilates, yoga, cycling, swimming (if your bleeding has settled)."
Source 9
Gentle, low-level yoga fits the low-impact exercise all these sources describe; a flowing class with planks, chaturanga, boat pose and deep backbends doesn't. So follow your team, and use the stages below rather than a date: move on when the last stage is easy and nothing pulls or bulges at a scar. The stages are our suggestion and haven't been tested.
The booklet: "If you are exercising with an instructor make sure that you tell them that you have had a recent gynaecological operation".
Source 6
No trial has tested yoga after a hysterectomy. The timings are expert advice; the evidence below is about recovery, tummy pressure, activity limits and breathing.
Our searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov in November 2026 found no randomised trial of yoga after a hysterectomy.
Source 1
In a pilot trial of 31 women having surgery for suspected gynaecological cancer, short daily videos of gentle movements "adapted to be taught in a bed", with breathing, eased pain a little more than a comparison programme over 4 weeks, with no side effects. The authors warn the results may not be stable in so small a study, and it doesn't say how many had a hysterectomy. Women said it relieved tension and helped them sleep.
One woman added yoga and Pilates from the second or third week after an open hysterectomy, including bow and boat pose. A single case can't show an effect, and those poses so soon after an open cut aren't what UK advice suggests; the report itself advises avoiding "all high-impact exercises until at least 12 weeks post surgery".
Source 2
In a Cochrane review of 63 trials (6,811 women), women got back to normal activities about 11 days sooner after a vaginal hysterectomy than an open one (moderate certainty) and about 13 days sooner after keyhole surgery (low certainty). Vaginal and keyhole surgery didn't clearly differ.
Our search found 4 records on yoga and pressure in the tummy, and none measured it across yoga poses. Our yoga for the pelvic floor guide says the same.
Source 11
In 18 healthy women with Pilates experience (20 took part), no move's average peak pressure was significantly above standing up from a chair; the roll-up kept pressure high the longest, and bridging, the side kick and all fours were among the lowest. None had just had surgery, and the authors say no study shows how pressure affects healing. Yoga's bridges, all-fours poses and side-lying work are the same kinds of movement (our reading).
Source 12
In 30 women, many lifts and climbing stairs raised tummy pressure no more than getting out of a chair; coughing raised it most in 57 women, and standing up raised it more than lifting 20 lb (9 kg) in 147 women with pelvic floor problems. Pressures in activities that are and aren't restricted after surgery "overlap considerably".
No trial has tested activity limits after a hysterectomy alone. After prolapse surgery, 108 women told to return at their own pace were as satisfied at 3 months as those given 3 months of limits (98% against 94%), and 5 trials of 434 women agreed. A 2013 review found no study linking activity after pelvic floor surgery with how well the repair held.
In a small lab study, locust used the pelvic floor muscles most of four poses, and side angle more than planks. In 15 women after birth, a crunch widened the pelvic floor opening, unlike a pelvic floor squeeze. Neither was after surgery: they show which poses use the pelvic floor, not which are safe when.
In 15 yoga teachers with no comparison group, fast, forceful yoga breathing (kapalabhati and bhastrika) likely raised tummy pressure, with a mixed picture at the bladder neck. That supports leaving it until later (our reading), not a claim that it harms.
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In 74 women after a keyhole hysterectomy, slow belly breathing for 5 minutes, three times a day, eased shoulder-tip and neck pain faster than gentle neck stretches, with no side effects. The pain tends to settle on its own anyway.
Source 37
Guidelines say to get moving within 24 hours of surgery. Blood clots within 30 days were uncommon in 89,931 Danish women: about 1 in 400 after open surgery, and fewer after keyhole or vaginal surgery. The top of the vagina opening up after keyhole or robotic surgery is rare (0.7%), and smoking raises the risk.
These are our exercise after a hysterectomy guide's steps, word for word, from the RCOG and the pelvic health physiotherapists' booklet. In yoga, lift as you breathe out and let go as you breathe in. Don't practise by stopping your pee mid-flow.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Pelvic floor exercise (Kegel)
Across 6 trials of 776 women, pelvic floor training after a hysterectomy improved sexual function by about 5 points on a 36-point scale (moderate-quality evidence). Its effects on leaking, strength and quality of life were unclear, and it didn't change prolapse.
Source 41
Adding pelvic floor training before and after prolapse surgery didn't improve bladder or prolapse results in trials of 374 and 51 women. The exercises are for your pelvic floor's long-term health, as the RCOG and the booklet say, not a proven way to speed recovery (our reading).
Across 60 studies, leaking and, after 10 years, prolapse were somewhat more common after a hysterectomy; prolapse surgery was needed by about 1% of women at 3 years and 5% at 15 years. These are links, not proof the operation was the cause, and in a Swedish study women had fewer pelvic floor symptoms 5 years after surgery than before.
In the largest trial, 240 women aged 45 to 90 who leaked every day did 12 weeks of pelvic yoga or general stretching and strengthening: leaks fell by about 2 a day in both groups, with no clear difference. Women who'd had a hysterectomy took part, but not those with pelvic surgery in the past 3 months. Yoga goes alongside pelvic floor exercises, never instead of them.
Slow breathing: 2 minutes, in for about 4 and out for about 6, no holds (our postnatal yoga class). Ankle circles: 30 seconds pumping, then 30 seconds circles, each foot, every few hours until you're moving about normally; pelvic floor: up to 10 long squeezes and 10 short ones, once your catheter is out; tummy draw-in: 5 to 10 holds of 2 to 3 breaths; pelvic tilt: up to 10 tilts, holding 3 seconds, tilt only; knee rolls: 3 to 5 each way, a small way (our exercises after a hysterectomy routine). Heel slides: "10 slow repetitions each side, once or twice a day" (the move page's dose). Walk every day.
3D demoSlow breathing (6 breaths a minute)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoAnkle circlesBeginner · No equipment
3D demoPelvic floor exercise (Kegel)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSide-lying tummy draw-inBeginner · No equipment
3D demoPelvic tilt into bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSupine heel slideBeginner · No equipment
3D demoHip windshield wipersBeginner · No equipmentKnee fold: "2 sets of 5 to 10 each side, every other day"; bent-knee fall-out: "2 sets of 5 to 10 each side, every other day" (the move pages' doses). Glute bridge: 5 to 10, peeling up a small way at first (our exercises after a hysterectomy routine). Cat-cow: 6 slow waves, small range; bird dog, one limb at a time: 5 each arm and leg; breath reach, sitting: 5 breaths; mountain pose: 5 slow breaths; sit to stand: 8, squeezing your pelvic floor as you stand; tree pose: 3 breaths each side, heel at your ankle, fingertips on a wall (our postnatal yoga class).
3D demoKnee foldBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBent-knee fall-outBeginner · No equipment
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCat-cowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBird dog, one limb at a timeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBreath reachBeginner · No equipment
3D demoMountain pose (Tadasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoTree pose (Vrksasana)Beginner · No equipmentOnly when stage 2 is easy, bleeding and discharge have stopped, your team agrees and nothing pulls or bulges at a scar. Warrior II: 3 breaths each side, a short stance (our postnatal yoga class). Chair pose: 3 holds of 5 breaths; triangle: 3 breaths each side, hand on your shin or a block (our yoga for the pelvic floor class). High lunge: 3 to 5 breaths each side, back knee down if you wobble (our yoga for posture class). Heel taps: 6 each side, head down; knee plank: 3 holds of 10 to 20 seconds, breathing throughout (our Pilates after tummy surgery class). Child's pose: 30 to 60 seconds, knees wide; skip it if it presses on your scar (our postnatal yoga class).
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoTriangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana)Intermediate · A step
3D demoHigh lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoDead bug heel tapsBeginner · No equipment
3D demoKnee plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoChild's Pose (Balasana)Beginner · No equipmentOur suggestion, from the booklet's 3 months for more vigorous exercise, the site's cautions for tummy surgery and our yoga for the pelvic floor guide. Bring them back one at a time, once stage 3 is easy and nothing pulls or bulges, and later still after a pelvic floor repair.
Boat pose, full planks and chaturanga: after the stages above, one at a time. The site's cautions put sit-ups and double leg raises after gentler core work following tummy surgery.
Source 6
Camel, wheel, bow, upward dog and full cobra stretch the front of the tummy: wait until your scar is comfortable to stretch. In a yoga study, women with gynaecological cancer named cobra after a long tummy cut as a pose to avoid.
Source 29
Half lord of the fishes and revolved chair: the same, as our postnatal yoga class says to leave twists and backbends until a scar is comfortable.
They fold the legs over the tummy or put weight on the neck: leave them for later, and follow the head-down advice in the warning signs.
Garland and long deep squats load the pelvic floor: after a pelvic floor repair, ask a pelvic health physiotherapist first.
Leave out kapalabhati, bhastrika and breath holds while you heal, and breathe slowly instead.
Wait until your wounds have healed, any bleeding has stopped and you're back to your usual exercise; the NHS says you can swim "after your wounds have healed". Start with room-temperature classes.
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Recovery is usually quicker, and the RCOG's trackers allow low-impact sport from 2 to 4 weeks. The stages are the same; you'll often move through them faster.
The longer cut through the tummy wall takes longer to settle: the NHS says full recovery takes about 6 to 8 weeks, and the NHS hospital leaflet suggests yoga from 6 to 12 weeks. Take the strong core poses and backbends slowly.
Slower again: the RCOG keeps to light loads for the first month, and the booklet says some exercises with heavy straining may need to be avoided for life. Ask a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist before the strong core poses and deep squats, and use our yoga for prolapse guide's swaps.
If both ovaries are removed, the menopause starts straight away, whatever your age, and symptoms can be more sudden. The NHS says you should be offered HRT, and that if both ovaries were removed, it's important to keep taking it until the usual age of the menopause (51 on average) if you can. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) asks doctors to offer support before and after.
An early menopause raises the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, the NHS says. In observational studies, fractures were about 17% more common after both ovaries were removed, and heart disease when they were removed before the menopause but not after; most studies didn't account for HRT, so these are links, not proof of cause.
In natural menopause, yoga eased overall symptoms about as much as other exercise across 13 trials, but the reviews disagree on hot flushes: one found a small effect, and a 2025 review of 24 trials found no clear effect against usual care. Our search found no trial in women after their ovaries were removed; one is registered. So using yoga for symptoms after surgery is an extrapolation.
NICE asks doctors to explain "the importance of maintaining muscle mass and strength through physical activity", and the NHS suggests relaxing activities such as yoga alongside weight-bearing exercise for your bones. Once you've recovered, our yoga for menopause and yoga for osteoporosis guides cover both.
The NHS: "Good health before your operation will reduce your risk of developing complications and speed up your recovery." The physiotherapists' booklet suggests practising your exercises before you go into hospital: the breathing, pelvic floor and early tummy exercises you'll use afterwards.
In reviews of surgery in general, preparing people psychologically eased pain a little and shortened hospital stays (low-quality evidence), and mindfulness before surgery eased anxiety a little. Slow breathing is a gentle way to practise; no study has tested yoga before a hysterectomy.
Exercise programmes before surgery have been studied mostly before cancer surgery: in 60 women before ovarian cancer surgery, a programme that included yoga-based physiotherapy went with a shorter hospital stay, though its parts can't be separated. Evidence for the pelvic floor is very low certainty, and no trial has tested yoga before a hysterectomy for a benign condition.
The NHS says you may feel "a sense of loss and sadness", and the RCOG that many women feel "tearful and emotional at first", often the last thing to improve. Gentle yoga and slow breathing can help you rest. See a GP if low mood doesn't lift.
Average weight change in the year after a hysterectomy is small, and Women's Health Concern says "There is no reason why you should gain weight after a hysterectomy." Yoga is for strength and comfort, not for changing how your tummy looks.
Our 25-minute gentle yoga after a hysterectomy class follows the three stages, with a stop point after each: start stage 1 in the first days, and add the next stage when the last is easy. The exercises after a hysterectomy routine covers the first 6 weeks, and the daily pelvic floor workout is for life. Later, when your team agrees, the yoga for the pelvic floor class, gentle yoga for beginners and restorative yoga; and once you've recovered, yoga for menopause if your ovaries were removed.
A gentle 25-minute yoga class for after a hysterectomy, in three stages with a stop point after each: breathing, pelvic floor and tummy, then all fours, then standing.
25 minBeginner17 movesBench or box, firm cushionA gentle 15-minute routine for the first 6 weeks after a hysterectomy: circulation and breathing, pelvic floor and deep tummy exercises, then a daily walk.
15 minBeginner11 movesCardio machineA 5-minute daily pelvic floor workout for women and men: slow holds and quick squeezes, three times a day, with how to find the right muscles.
5 minBeginner2 movesNo equipmentA 30-minute yoga class for your pelvic floor: poses from a trial programme, a gentle lift as you breathe out, a full release, and supported rest poses.
30 minBeginner17 movesStep, firm cushionA 25-minute gentle yoga class for complete beginners and over-50s: slow breathing, a warm-up, supported standing poses, floor poses and a closing rest.
25 minBeginner14 movesNo equipmentA 45-minute restorative yoga sequence: five fully supported poses held for 4 to 10 minutes each, with slow breathing and a long final rest.
45 minBeginner6 movesFirm cushion, wallA 15-minute chair yoga routine done entirely sitting: slow breathing, neck, shoulder and wrist stretches, seated twists and side bends, and a calm finish.
15 minBeginner16 movesBench or boxThirty-five minutes of standing strength, balance, back strengthening and a long relaxation for the menopause, with no deep forward folds or shoulder stands.
35 minBeginner15 movesFirm cushionAn 8-minute routine for a tight pelvic floor: slow breathing and comfortable positions to help the muscles let go, with no strengthening squeezes.
8 minBeginner5 movesFirm cushionA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentThese are the warning signs from our exercise after a hysterectomy guide, word for word. Your surgical team's advice comes first. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing up blood can mean a blood clot has travelled to your lungs: get help immediately. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
If something hurts, do a little less for a few days (RCOG), and stop anything that feels uncomfortable (POGP). New or heavier bleeding, a heavy or dragging feeling, or leaking during exercise are reasons to drop back and get advice (our suggestion).
Our suggestion: stop a pose if your tummy domes or bulges along a scar, or a scar pulls, and drop back a stage.
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
Your hospital team or GP for problems with your wound, bleeding or pain; a specialist pelvic health (women's health) physiotherapist for pelvic floor problems, or for advice on lifting and high-impact exercise, especially after prolapse surgery.
If you are thinking about suicide or can't keep yourself safe, call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency). For urgent help, call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, or in England call 111 and select the mental health option. In the US, call or text 988.
Call 999 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
Walking starts the day after, and breathing, pelvic floor and gentle tummy exercises in the first days. What waits is heavy lifting, high impact and strenuous core work, for weeks to 3 months depending on the operation and whose advice you follow.
No trial has tested it. Gentle movement and walking are part of every UK recovery plan, but no study shows yoga itself heals the scar or shortens recovery.
Source 1
They're squeezes and full releases: the booklet's long holds are each followed by relaxing the muscles for 10 seconds, and a squeeze before you cough, sneeze or lift is part of it too. A pelvic floor that can't relax needs relaxation work, not more squeezing: our yoga for the pelvic floor guide covers both.
Source 6
In the largest trial, pelvic yoga reduced leaks about as much as general stretching and strengthening, and no more. Do both.
Source 16
Prolapse needing surgery after a hysterectomy is uncommon (about 1% at 3 years and 5% at 15 years), many everyday lifts press on the tummy no harder than getting out of a chair, and after prolapse surgery returning at your own pace did as well as strict limits. The scar still needs time to heal inside, so build up in stages.
Average weight change is small, and swelling settles with time. Yoga is for strength and comfort, not a look.
The poses that matter after surgery are breathing, the pelvic floor, lying poses and standing poses at a wall; none needs flexibility (our reading).
Gentle yoga-like exercises start in the first days: breathing, pelvic floor squeezes once your catheter is out, a soft tummy draw-in, pelvic tilts, knee rolls and heel slides. A class comes later: the RCOG's trackers allow low-impact sport from 2 to 4 weeks after keyhole or vaginal surgery, and the physiotherapists' booklet puts low-level classes at 6 to 12 weeks after any gynaecological surgery. Your surgical team's advice comes first.
Lying, all-fours and wall-supported poses from the stages in this guide, yes, if they feel comfortable and your team agrees. A gentle class at 2 to 4 weeks fits the RCOG's trackers after uncomplicated keyhole or vaginal surgery; after open surgery or a pelvic floor repair, wait longer.
The poses are the same, but the timing differs: on average women return to normal activities about 11 days sooner after a vaginal and 13 days sooner after a keyhole hysterectomy than after an open one. After a pelvic floor repair, the RCOG keeps to light loads for the first month.
For now, strong core poses (plank, boat, chaturanga), deep backbends that stretch the front of your tummy, deep twists, plough and shoulder stand, deep squats and fast, forceful breathing. Bring them back one at a time once a gentle class is easy and nothing pulls or bulges at a scar, and leave anything vigorous until about 3 months.
No pose has been tested after surgery, and no study has measured tummy pressure in yoga poses. The physiotherapists' early exercises come first; in a Pilates study, bridging, all fours and side-lying moves pressed on the tummy no harder than standing up from a chair.
Yes: the pelvic health physiotherapists' booklet says to tell any instructor about a recent gynaecological operation. You can also say no to any hands-on adjustment.
Pelvic floor exercises are what the RCOG and the physiotherapists recommend, for life. In the largest trial, pelvic yoga reduced leaks about as much as general exercise, so use it alongside your daily squeezes, not instead of them.
In natural menopause, yoga eased overall symptoms a little, about as much as other exercise, but the reviews disagree on hot flushes, and no published trial has tested it after the ovaries are removed. HRT is the main treatment, and the NHS says you should be offered it. Pair yoga with strength work for your bones.
Wait until your wounds have healed, any bleeding has stopped and you're back to your usual exercise (our suggestion). Heat adds strain to a body that's still recovering, so start with room-temperature classes.
No exercise burns fat from one place, and average weight change after a hysterectomy is small. Swelling around the tummy settles with time. Yoga builds strength and helps you feel at home in your body; our exercise after a hysterectomy guide covers weight.
Being fit before surgery helps, and the physiotherapists' booklet suggests practising your exercises before you go into hospital. Slow breathing is a gentle way to manage nerves. No trial has tested yoga before a hysterectomy for a benign condition.
It's common: the NHS says you may feel a sense of loss and sadness, and many women feel tearful and emotional at first. Gentle yoga and slow breathing can help you rest, but see a GP if low mood doesn't lift, and get help straight away if you're thinking about suicide.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
