The evidence that yoga can support the prevention, treatment, and recovery from cancer has grown exponentially in recent years, through qualitative research as well as direct testimonial from the countless people for whom yoga has been a vital part of supporting their journey through the experience of cancer. As Cancer Research UK suggest, “one of the main reasons that people with cancer use yoga is because it makes them feel good. Yoga teachers promote it as a natural way to help you relax and cope with stress, anxiety and depression. Generally, it can help to lift your mood and enhance well being.” source .

How exactly does yoga practice do this? Let’s take a brief look at some of the ways yoga can support prevention, treatment and recovery of cancer.

Prevention Yoga has a profound capacity to help prevent the onset of cancer, by strengthening both the immune system and bone density, as well as supporting weight management, enhancing stress reduction in everyday life, and activating the rest-relax response in the body (which allows the whole system to feel safe and capable of deep rest). In a fast-paced world of pressure and expectation, our capacity for self-care can be greatly supported by a regular yoga practice, thereby encouraging overall health and well being on a daily basis, and in the long term reducing the risk of cancer. While yoga practice doesn’t guarantee a cancer-free life, it certainly supports the reduction of many of the great risk factors such as smoking, excessive meat consumption, and excessive body weight – none of which are associated with classical yogic principles. That’s not to say you have to stop doing the things you love in order to obtain the benefits of yoga, but simply by practising regularly, your lifestyle is likely to take a turn for the healthier, not to mention the physical benefits of greater range of movement and strength created by the physical postures, which enhance overall physical health source During treatment According to this study source of yoga as a complementary intervention for patients with cancer, “yoga was associated with moderate to large improvements in measures of anxiety, depression, stress, quality of sleep, mood, quality of life, and spiritual well-being.” On the basis of this study – and many others like it in recent decades – we can see that yoga has the capacity to enhance emotional wellbeing for people living with cancer treatment. Yoga practice also supports cancer patients to experience wellness on a spectrum.

As suggested in this article source, “through our own efforts and with the help of professionals and our community, we can become “well cancer patients,” who still have cancer but are fighting it from a state of much better health, with generally improved results.” Alongside the benefits already mentioned, attending a yoga class can build a network of support for a person, which can greatly increase their experience of resilience and connection during treatment. The breathing exercises taught in many yoga classes support a person to maintain an underlying equilibrium in the midst of the fear and challenges of receiving treatments that can be invasive and harsh. While yoga is often associated with physical practices, there are philosophical aspects of the practice, which encourage compassion for the self and others. This heightened compassion can help to ease the distress of blaming oneself or the body for having cancer, whilst also providing a greater sense of interconnection with the world.

Perhaps most importantly, yoga practice provides a reliable safe space in which a cancer patient can go to recuperate and reconnect with the spectrum of what really matters to them, beyond the cancer diagnosis. Sustaining life in recovery Yoga has proven to be an amazing tool for supporting the emotional and physical health of cancer survivors. While an ongoing practice helps to sustain us physically, the emotional and social benefits can be just as profound as the physical. Many cancer survivors report that an ongoing relationship with other survivors through tailored yoga classes can immensely support their emotional resilience and optimism. A great example of yoga for cancer survivors can be found here . This sense of community helps cancer survivors not only to ‘get by’ but to thrive source https://laurakupperman.com/resources/. Because yogic practices encourage presence and mindfulness, the practice is helpful for remembering to gauge how you are feeling on any given day, and to take steps to self-care that are appropriate to today – not last week or tomorrow but in this moment, which increases the likelihood of ongoing health.

The practice of yoga also provides an effective toolkit of resources and methods from breathing practices to relaxation techniques and physical postures, which can be called upon at any time to support ongoing mental and physical health on the path of cancer recovery. “You have cancer.” About half of all men and one-third of all women in Australia will hear those words in their lifetime. That’s 40 percent of us. We each hope it’s not us. An increasing body of research shows that yoga can help prevent cancer, and help cancer patients and survivors manage risk and side effects after treatment. Yoga brings balance and alignment to all body parts and systems: muscles, bones, organs, and the mind. It’s a holistic path to wellness that focuses on interconnection. There are six reasons why yoga should be in everyone’s cancer-prevention and/or cancer-recovery plan.

Yoga strengthens the immune system The goal of strengthening the immune system is to keep all of the body’s systems working together. It takes a village: Failure of any one system threatens the health of the whole community. Cancer therapies that seek to strengthen the immune system are increasingly proving to be helpful in fighting a wide variety of cancers. Research shows that yoga boosts immunity. A 2013 study in Norway found that regular practice of gentle yoga and meditation had a rapid effect at the genetic level in circulating cancer-fighting immune cells. Mindfulness meditation also appears to change the brain and immune function in positive ways.

Yoga detoxifies the body Detoxification is the vital metabolic process by which dead cells and toxins (the flu virus, a rogue cancer cell, or another pathogen) are excreted from the body. Yoga is the muscle of the lymphatic system—the body’s plumbing and trash-removal system. Similar to how the heart muscle circulates blood, yoga increases lymphatic flow with specific breathing and movement practices. Inversions, a fundamental part of a strong yoga practice, utilize movement and body positioning to reverse the effects of gravity on our body, enhancing the process of cardiovascular and lymphatic drainage. Another way in which yoga detoxifies the body is through compression. For example, abdominal twists activate internal organs and guide the release of toxins into the lymphatic system.

Yoga detoxifies the mind as well A survivor lives with the fear of cancer returning, and this daily anxiety is a mental toxin. We can detoxify the mind by using the movement of the breath, by relaxing into gravity in a restorative pose, and by quietly watching our thoughts in meditation.

Yoga builds bones How are strong bones linked to cancer prevention? Our bones house bone marrow, where new red and white blood cells are constantly being produced. White blood cells are needed to form leukocytes, our natural cancer-fighting immune cells. If our bones are compromised from a break or from osteoporosis (a side effect of chemotherapy), so too is the production of a nourishing blood supply and immune protection. A recent pilot study by Loren Fishman, MD, applied yoga practice to sufferers of osteoporosis (decrease in bone mass) and osteopenia (reduction in bone volume). The results showed that 85 percent of the yoga practitioners gained bone in both the spine and hip, while nearly every member of the control group maintained or lost bone mass.

Yoga reduces stress Cancer patients and survivors experience stress similar to that endured by military veterans. They are bombarded by frightening information, subjected to invasive procedures, and must endure cold clinics and blank stares. A 2009 study of cancer survivors developed and tested a concept that measures how we respond to “post-traumatic stress growth,” the positive flip side to suffering with stress. This growth occurs when people make the traumatic event a pivotal point in their life, changing their situation by making lemonade out lemons—ultimately thriving after cancer, for instance. The thriving survivor enjoys her blissful moments, which can lead to further change and the ability to find positive ways to manage stress. Yoga can enhance that positivity. The results of a 2009 study on the effects of yoga on emotions found an increase in positive emotions such as calmness and a sense of purpose in more than 50 percent of subjects. Women participating in a 10-week program of restorative yoga classes gained positive differences in aspects of mental health such as depression, positive emotions, and spirituality (feeling calm and peaceful), as compared to the control group.

Yoga assists weight management Obesity is a key, if not the largest, indicator of both cancer incidence and recurrence. In the USA, excess body weight is thought to contribute to as many as one out of five cancer-related deaths, and being overweight or obese is clearly linked with an increased risk of several types of cancer. Research on the impact of yoga on weight gain is still in the early stages. One study showed that yoga had a more positive impact on obesity and depression than aerobic exercise. While yoga for cancer survivors often focuses on gentle or restorative yoga methods (which are necessary and beneficial approaches), it can and should be active, and therefore calorie burning—while also being safe, physically accessible, welcoming, and inclusive. Yoga can help cancer survivors manage weight gain, which improves self-esteem and the ability to function normally, and ultimately reduces the risk of recurrence and mortality. The benefits of yoga for cancer prevention are profound and well substantiated. For yoga teachers who work with cancer survivors and those in treatment, having specific knowledge about the benefits and modifications for this community is imperative. Teachers must understand the limitations and requirements in order to support this community to practice effectively and safely.

Thanks to Nikola Ellis of Adore Yoga for this wonderful Yoga Therapy Research Round Up on Cancer