By Faye Martins
How much impact does yoga have on the recovery of cancer patients? Yoga is an art form that is greatly appreciated for its positive effects on the body. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are each enhanced through the practice of yoga and other holistic methods. Yoga is a calm and relaxing method of strengthening the body and ridding it of toxins, making it an ideal exercise for patients who have long-term or terminal illnesses. Cancer is a disease that is growing rapidly in today’s world, but few know the benefits of yoga to cancer patients.
The illness itself is not the only thing that negatively affects cancer patients; the majority of standard treatments, such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy, also have long-term detrimental effects. While the symptoms and signs of the disease can be terrible and debilitating, the treatments can be just as harsh on the body. It is important for these patients to find ways to alleviate some of their pain, without medication and more potentially painful treatments, as these things can sometimes be more harmful than helpful, when considering a long-term period of illness.
Metastatic, malignant cancer cells are not the only toxins circulating in the bodies of cancer patients. The remnants of treatment can remain in the body for long periods of time and may produce illness later. Yoga increases blood flow without increasing blood pressure, and gentle poses will assist in balancing metabolic processes and increasing the activity of the lymphatic system, beginning the elimination of these toxins from the system. The slow movements and deep, therapeutic breathing increase oxygen flow in the body, allowing for further toxin removal.
Not only are there physical benefits to teaching yoga to patients recovering from cancer, but the mental and emotional benefits are great. Yoga has been proven to reduce anxiety and stress, alleviate migraines, and relieves tension throughout the entire body. Anxiety and tension have been linked directly to immunosuppressant effects, and by reducing these feelings in the body, patients are increasing their body’s own natural defense against illness, including cancer.
The beginning lessons may be difficult for some cancer patients, particularly if their body has succumbed to the illness greatly, but the benefits of yoga are worth the initial rough start. The deep breathing exercises (pranayama) are also an important aspect of teaching yoga for cancer patients. As time progresses, patients will find that regular, restorative yoga exercises help them cleanse their bodies and give them a sense of comfort and ease, washing away their anxieties and worries.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
Do you want to become a mindfulness meditation teacher?
To see our selection of Yoga instructor courses and continuing education courses, please visit the following link.
https://aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.
Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?
Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products
Related Resources
52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice
by Rina Jakubowicz
A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance
by: Gail Boorstein Grossman
YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH
by B.K.S. Iyengar
TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques
By Mark Stephens
Patrick, D.L. , Ferketich, S.L. , Frame, P.S. . National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference Statement: Symptom Management in Cancer: Pain, Depression, and Fatigue, July 15-17, 2002. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2003; 95: 1110–1117.
Raub, J.A. . Psychophysiologic effects of Hatha Yoga on musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary function: a literature review. J Altern Complement Med. 2002; 8: 797–812.
Joseph, C.D. . Psychological supportive therapy for cancer patients. Indian J Cancer. 1983; 20: 268–270.
Cohen, L. , Warneke, C. , Fouladi, R.T. . Psychological adjustment and sleep quality in a randomized trial of the effects of a Tibetan yoga intervention in patients with lymphoma. Cancer. 2004; 100: 2253–2260.
Cohen, L. , Thornton, B. , Perkins, G. . A Randomized Trial of a Tibetan Yoga Intervention for Breast Cancer Patients. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, March 2005; Vancouver, BC.
Culos-Reed, S. , Carlson, L.E. , Daroux, L.M. . Discovering the physical and psychological benefits of yoga for cancer survivors. Int J Yoga Therapy. 2004; 14: 45–52.
Carlson, L.E. , Culos-Reed, N. , Daroux, L.M. The Effects of Therapeutic Yoga on Salivary Cortisol, Stress Symptoms, Quality of Life, and Mood States in Cancer Outpatients: A Randomized Controlled Study. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, March 2005; Vancouver, BC.
Moadel, A. , Shah, C. , Shelov, D. . Effects of Yoga on Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Patients in Bronx, New York. Presented at the 7th World Congress on Psycho-oncology, August, 2004; Copenhagen, Denmark.
Speca, M. , Carlson, L.E. , Goodey, E. . A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: the effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosom Med. 2000; 62: 613–622.
Carlson, L.E. , Speca, M. , Patel, K.D. . Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress and levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and melatonin in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004; 29: 448–474.
Carlson, L.E. , Speca, M. , Patel, K.D. . Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress, and immune parameters in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychosom Med. 2003; 65: 571–581.
Kabat-Zinn, J. . Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York, NY: Delacorte Press; 1990.
Shapiro, S.L. , Bootzin, R.R. , Figueredo, A.J. . The efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction in the treatment of sleep disturbance in women with breast cancer: an exploratory study. J Psychosom Res. 2003; 54: 85–91.
Khumar, S.S. , Kaur, P. , Kaur, S. . Effectiveness of shavasana on depression among university students. Indian J Clin Psychol. 1993; 20: 82–87
Woolery, A. , Myers, H. , Sternlieb, B. . A yoga intervention for young adults with elevated symptoms of depression. Altern Ther Health Med. 2004; 10: 60–63.
Waelde, L.C. , Thompson, L. , Gallagher-Thompson, D. . A pilot study of a yoga and meditation intervention for dementia caregiver stress. J Clin Psychol. 2004; 60: 677–687.
Ray, U.S. , Mukhopadhyaya, S. , Purkayastha, S.S. . Effect of yogic exercises on physical and mental health of young fellowship course trainees. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2001; 45: 37–53.
Malathi, A. , Damodaran, A. . Stress due to exams in medical students—role of yoga. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1999; 43: 218–224.
Harinath, K. , Malhotra, A.S. , Pal, K. .Effects of Hatha yoga and Omkar meditation on cardiorespiratory performance, psychologic profile, and melatonin secretion. J Altern Complement Med. 2004; 10: 261–268.
Wood, C. . Mood change and perceptions of vitality: a comparison of the effects of relaxation, visualization and yoga. J R Soc Med. 1993; 86: 254–258.
Helgeson, V.S. , Cohen, S. , Schulz, R. . Group support interventions for women with breast cancer: who benefits from what? Health Psychol. 2000; 19: 107–114.
Antoni, M.H. , Lehman, J.M. , Klibourn, K.M. . Cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention decreases the prevalence of depression and enhances benefit finding among women under treatment for early-stage breast cancer. Health Psychol. 2001; 20: 20–32.
Goodwin, P.J. , Leszcz, M. , Ennis, M. . The effect of group psychosocial support on survival in metastatic breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2001; 345: 1719–1726.
Iyengar, B.K.S. , ed. Light on Yoga. New York, NY: Schocken Books; 1995.
Iyengar, B.K.S. , Razazan, D. , eds. Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health. London, England: Dorling Kindersley Ltd; 2001.
Please feel free to share our posts with your friends, colleagues, and favorite social media networks.
Please feel free to share our posts with your friends, colleagues, and favorite social media networks.
See our testimonials to find out what our graduates have to say about teaching yoga sessions and our selection of inexpensive yoga instructor courses.
1 thought on “Teaching Yoga for Cancer Patients”