Yoga

Yoga is an ancient mind-body practice meant to improve strength, flexibility and breathing through a series of postures and movements. It is a whole-body philosophy that started more than 5,000 years ago in India. In modern practice, there are many varieties and teaching styles, and people practice yoga for many different reasons. One aim of yoga is to promote harmony between mind, body, and spirit to help you feel calmer, stronger, and more resilient.

Some forms of yoga are quite strenuous, while others are gentler and focus more on meditation and breath work.

Yoga approaches for cancer patients can include physical postures, breathing practices, and meditation. The research regarding yoga and cancer continues to expand. Yoga was found to reduce fatigue and sleep disturbances as well as improve depression and anxiety symptoms in breast cancer patients. With patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy, yoga was found to reduce fatigue and improve physical functioning and general quality of life. In men who had received radiation therapy for prostate cancer, yoga therapy provided some improvement of urinary and sexual dysfunction. It may also improve cognitive function in cancer patients.

Yoga is generally safe, though postures and breathing exercises should be tailored to your needs, physical fitness level, and experience. Not all people can do all yoga postures safely. If your physical function is limited or you have injuries, heart or breathing problems, it is wise to work with a well-trained yoga teacher to help guide you in your yoga practice. Many communities offer chair yoga classes for people with limited mobility, strength, or those who are at risk of falling. Additionally, most yoga postures can be safely and gently adapted to protect you from injury, respect your body’s current state of health and functioning, and to meet your personal physical and mind-body goals.