Yoga

Yoga is a mind-body practice that combines exercise, mental focus, and breathing.

Yoga has many benefits for people diagnosed with breast cancer. Research suggests that yoga may help improve:

• Breast cancer-related fatigue
• Sleep issues
• Treatment-related joint pain and hot flashes
• Symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Overall health-related quality of life during and after treatment

Certain structured yoga approaches can also help improve range of motion after breast cancer surgery.

Some women who participate in yoga studies report less pain, fewer hot flashes, and improved strength and body image.

What is yoga?

Yoga describes a collection of practices focused on physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. It is one of many exercise and wellness options for people of all ages during and after treatment.

Yoga’s physical practice is based on poses that are often linked together with attention to breath awareness and mental focus. A person doing yoga will move the body into a position, hold it, and then move into a new position. A physical yoga practice can look similar to some forms of martial arts, dance, or tai chi.

A well-designed yoga program may help restore mobility and strength after breast cancer surgery. You can adapt yoga to your fitness level and stage of treatment and recovery, changing your poses, called asanas, as you grow stronger or face new challenges over time.

Yoga also aims to slow down mental chatter or racing thoughts and help you feel present in each moment. Breathing and meditation are important parts of yoga. These can be done on their own or added to the physical practice.

Yoga exercises that regulate breathing are called pranayama. Pranayama can be calming and has been ​​shown to improve immune function in people in active cancer treatment.

How is meditation used in yoga practice?

Many people think yoga is a form of exercise. And it can be. But well-rounded yoga also involves meditation. Research shows meditation has many benefits, especially for​ ​people with breast cancer.

Meditation means connecting to a relaxed, aware state of mind. You may focus on your breath, on sounds, or on the movement of the body itself.

Meditation helps you become more aware of what you’re feeling, including uncomfortable emotions. With support from a yoga teacher experienced in helping people with breast cancer, a licensed mental health professional, or others who’ve been diagnosed, acknowledging these feelings can help reduce stress.​​​​

Yoga may also help you feel more connected to yourself and to people around you.

You don’t need to practice yoga to meditate. And you don’t need to meditate to practice yoga. But yoga can help support two important parts of meditation: concentration and relaxation.

It may be difficult to focus your mind at first, even in a yoga class with time set aside to meditate. For most people, meditation becomes easier the more often you practice.

Is yoga a religion?

Yoga can easily combine with traditional religious faiths, or it can stand on its own as a physical, mental, and spiritual practice. If you do not have a spiritual practice and now find yourself searching for one, yoga might meet your needs.

​​​​​Instructors work in different ways. Some teachers do not address spirituality at all. Others use readings or chants to help students center themselves and shift away from the day’s worries, or a simple meditation that focuses on the breath.

All the yoga practices can have an effect that feels peaceful and calm. In this way, they can feel spiritual.

Yoga and mental health

Yoga supports acknowledging difficult emotions: allowing them to be as they are. Yoga also encourages having compassion for yourself and what you’ve been through.

Sometimes, cultivating compassion for yourself can relieve difficult feelings or help you understand what you’re experiencing in a different way.

Even if a spiritual practice isn’t for you, yoga may still be appealing, because it can help you develop a quiet mind and more peace within yourself.

Feel free to ask your teacher about style and methods. The key is to find an instructor who makes you feel safe and who practices a yoga style that works for you.