Thanks for your reply!

Four months ago, I had a STEMI heart attack. It was treated with 2 stents. I was already in great shape, great diet and habits, and everyone is truly baffled as to where this came from. And at having just turned 43, I was completely surprised and in disbelief of what was happening to me. Fortunately, my wife recognized the signs and rushed me to the hospital and treatment was completed not long after onset. The amount of damage is still unknown. My ejection fraction after the heart attack was low enough to require me to wear an external defibrillator (AKA a life vest) for now, until my next echocardiogram. But all signs are pointing to a very significant recovery.

Unfortunately, I did not complete the cardiac rehab program. I was on a waiting list, and when I finally got in, felt like I didn't belong and was taking up a space someone else needed more than I did. Additionally, rehab created far more stress in my life than it should have. Because of the defibrillator, my wife has to drive me everywhere. That means two hours, three times a week, out of both of our work days, to drive me to rehab, come home and shower, and hurry me back to the office to work. All for 25 minutes of minor exercise with minimal monitoring and no physician's oversight. Instead, I am exercising at home, on my own schedule, on my own equipment (which is better than what they had at rehab), for 60 minutes a day, and can keep a record of my vitals myself. And without any possible exposure to covid, not just from the other rehab patients and staff; they are giving vaccine shots in the lobby where rehab is, so I was having to fight my way through a crowd of people eager to get vaccinated against covid.

Unfortunately, my cardiologist has left my exercise guidance up to my rehab specialist, and neither the cardiologist or rehab has given me much specifics beyond no lifting more than 15 lbs, and stop if I'm experiencing shortness of breath or dizziness. There are a lot of different poses in yoga, with great variances in intensity. Anything from laying flat on your back to literally standing on your head. My concern is about the poses in between, which may not be obviously too intense. Is triangle pose, or similar standing and fold over at the hips poses too much? Or upper-body weight-bearing poses, such as upward dog and downward dog?

Honestly, I would love to work with a cardiologist or someone to develop such a practice for patients to use. I am seeing a lot of recommendations to do yoga both for heart health before, and following a cardiac event, but I am not seeing much guidance on safe poses. Maybe we could get the guy who does the Fitness articles in the Mayo Portal on the app to demonstrate, or take us through a couple of different levels of yoga classes based on where you are in recovery.

Also, yoga would really help with stress relief from all of these changes to my life. I was taking CBD oil before, to help with my Meneire's disease, and the CBD also relieved stress, but my cardiologist has told me not to take it any more.