By: Jillian McKee
Body, Mind, And Spirit
According to the American Cancer Society, yoga can be a very useful method for dealing with chronic illnesses like arthritis, heart disease, and even cancer. Yoga promotes increased relaxation and fitness, good for the body, mind, and heart. Although yoga is not supported by science as a cancer treatment or cure, it can certainly enhance a person’s quality of life. Many cancer treatment centers today offer yoga as a supplement to standard medical treatment.
Yoga, sometimes called Hatha yoga, is an ancient healing tradition. The non-aerobic practice incorporates deep breathing exercises, precise posture,gentle movements, and meditation. In ancient Sanskrit, the term “yoga” means “union.” This holistic practice serves to create balance between a person’s mind, body, and spirit.
Health Benefits Of Yoga
People who regularly practice yoga claim to experience physical health and relaxation as well as peace, happiness, and tranquility. Studies show that yoga can lower stress and increase stamina. In addition to stress reduction, increased fitness, and even weight loss, yoga provides major health benefits for cancer patients.
Medical experts at the Mayo Clinic say yoga can help patients cope with their disease and the related pain and depression that often accompany cancer. One of yoga’s most important benefits is the effect it has on the minds and hearts of cancer patients.
Research by the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests that yoga can help with sleep problems, fatigue, and the overall quality of life in cancer patients and survivors. While yoga cannot cure cancer, it has been shown to improve emotional well-being. This, in turn, creates a sense of peace that many cancer patients fear they had lost forever.
A Tool For Empowerment
Cancer is an ugly disease, and it rears its ugly head in many forms: breast cancer, leukemia, mesothelioma, melanoma, prostate cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, and dozens of other cancers. This complex and aggressive illness is often very painful, and invasive medical treatments only extend the pain.
Yoga gives cancer patients a sense of control. Those who supplement their chemotherapy and other medical treatments with yoga find the tool to be very empowering. As one patient stated, “it’s something you can do that isn’t harmful to your body.”
According to recent studies, it is unclear which element of yoga is most beneficial for people with mesothelioma, breast cancer, and other forms of cancer. Researchers believe that all three components — breathing, posture, and meditation — work together to calm the minds and spirits of cancer survivors and other patients of chronic illness.
Of course, yoga cannot extend mesothelioma life expectancy, reverse breast cancer, or eliminate abnormal cells from a person’s body. But the ancient holistic practice can give patients a sense of peace and hope as they fight their battles and work through recovery.
One Comment
Beautiful, Jillian. Thank you.