Each year, thousands of women experience the fear, uncertainty and worry that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis.
For women undergoing breast cancer treatment - and for those in recovery - yoga has been found to improve sleep quality, minimize fatigue, depression and joint pain, increase flexibility and ease the overall discomfort and anxiety of going through this disease.
“Patients are stressed about the future, treatment and life in general, and yoga helps them relax, focus on breathing and just take a moment for themselves,” says Eleanor Walker, M.D., director of breast radiation oncology at Henry Ford Health.
Low to moderate exercise is helpful for patients, Dr. Walker says, as treatments like chemotherapy take a toll on your overall health, stamina and strength. Exercise helps people return to pre-cancer activity levels much faster than those who don’t exercise during treatment. By practicing a low-impact exercise like yoga, patients can be active while also focusing on their mental health.
How To Get Started With Yoga When You Have Breast Cancer
It can be daunting to start a new fitness regimen, especially when you've been undergoing cancer. But you can start slowly: just 15 minutes a day for six days a week can give you 90 minutes of exercise per week, whether via a virtual or in-person class, or a video online.
Individual Exercise Plans for Cancer Patients
There are many different levels and styles of yoga, and you can start with what's easiest for you. Hatha yoga, for example, is primarily concerned with mastering control over the physical body. It focuses on breathing, meditation and understanding body awareness - which is a great starting point for those who have breast cancer.
You can also try chair yoga, which is exactly what it sounds like - yoga practiced while sitting on a chair (or using the chair when needed for support). It offers all the benefits of yoga without any hardship to the body. It helps people ease into poses that would otherwise take years to master. It also eliminates some of the challenges of yoga – such as getting up and off the floor and weight-bearing of the upper extremities – a primary worry for people who have breast cancer.
“The ability to de-stress that comes with yoga is one of the greatest benefits,” says Dr. Walker. “Every effect of cancer compounds into stress and yoga helps people work through this.”
Reviewed by Eleanor Walker, M.D., director of breast radiation oncology at Henry Ford - Cancer and medical director at the Henry Ford Center for Integrative Medicine.
