A GOUROCK woman who spent 14 months in hospital recovering from a brain injury has told how YOGA was key to her miraculous recovery.

Anne McCarron, 76, was unconscious for six days after she took a very bad fall down stairs in her home.

The grandmother, pictured, who lives in Gourock with her partner Jim Rowland, 69, had to undergo major surgery at the Southern General following the awful accident.

Anne said: “My partner came in and found me covered in blood.

“It must have been such a shock and a shock for my children too.

“I fell down the stairs five years ago.

“I didn’t trip, I don’t know why I fell.

“Sometimes people who are in a car crash say they have a complete blackout, that’s what it was like.” The first weeks after the accident were a blur for Anne but her injuries were so severe she required a serious operation and spent more than a year in hospital.

She said: “I don’t know what they did but I have two dents in my head.

“My balance was badly affected and I would walk down the hospital corridor with my hands straight out in front of me.

“That’s why I was in hospital so long — it affected my ability to walk and do things.” Grandmother Anne, of Turnberry Avenue, has three children, Angela, 52, who lives in Stewarton, Andrew, 47, a singer in New York, and Jonathan, 40, who is based in London.

She has amazed doctors with her recovery — and she puts much of it down to yoga.

Anne said: “They cannot believe how much I’ve improved.

“I only recently found out from my son and my partner that the doctors said I would only improve for two years and then that would be it — I wouldn’t get any better.

“But I have.

“It’s taken me a long time to realise how lucky I am.” The grandmother goes to yoga twice a week along with a carer.

She said: “Yoga has helped my breathing and you get out to meet other people. “I feel very comfortable coming to the class — the teacher never makes you do anything you’re not able to. The girls are marvellous, they say they’ve seen a big difference in me.

“They’re great company.

“It’s helped me to recover and it’s saving the NHS money.” Anne has relied on a wheelchair to get around and now she is celebrating coping without it.

She recently enjoyed a spin on a three-wheeler bike, showing how far she has travelled in her rehab.

Aileen Hughes, who runs the yoga class Anne attends, said: “Anne could hardly walk when she first came to the class.

“Yoga keeps older people fit and more supple.

“Most people I know who don’t go to something like yoga become stiff and overweight.

“It helps with circulation, it tones up muscles and internal organs and helps with the digestive system.” The classes run at the Auction Rooms in West Stewart Street on Tuesdays from 2pm until 3.30pm.