5 Best Yoga Poses To Encourage And Energize Cancer Patients

Cancer, in its myriad forms, constitutes no less than a battle. It is a battle with both the disease as well as its treatment. The debilitating weakness that follows cancer treatment is a test of a cancer survivor’s endurance.

Yoga can help build this very endurance, emotionally and physically. Know more about this healing alternative therapy right here. Have a look.

Yoga For Your Mind And Body:

An ancient practice, yoga works on achieving a balance or harmony within your body, thereby promoting health. It also aims to calm your mind through a combination of stretching exercises, meditation and deep breathing (1).

These stretching postures (asanas) stimulate the nervous system, improve breathing, blood circulation, and flexibility. Yoga helps cancer patients cope naturally with

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Pain
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Sleeplessness

Consequently, yoga impacts a patient’s mood. It enhances their quality of life with better mood, social interactions and spiritual connection (2).

Cancer Care With Yoga:

Yoga may not cure cancer, the deadly killer that the disease is. However, yoga postures designed for cancer sufferers are easy and relaxing so as to encourage resilience. They rejuvenate a person enough to fight for their lives.

Performed daily, patients look forward to the energizing sessions, however tired they may be. It brings about a sense of well-being, pushing the body towards better strength and immunity (3). With internal calm, patients have found physical and emotional healing.

5 Best Poses In Yoga For Cancer Survivors:

Depending on the symptoms of a cancer sufferer’s condition or side-effects of the treatment, each day brings a new pain. Yoga can help a patient cope with nausea and pain using relaxation postures, fatigue using rejuvenating postures and deterioration with strengthening postures. Meanwhile, controlled breathing helps balance the nervous system (4).

Here are a few asanas to get you started.

1. Half Sun Salutation:

1. Make a calming space around yourself and stand straight with your legs close.
2. Press your palms together as if in a prayer, ensure shoulders are down and back.
3. Look ahead, chin straight. Now, inhale deeply and raise your pressed arms above the head.
4. Feel the stretch and on exhaling, bend at the waist to bring your palms towards the feet.
5. You can bend your knees if desired.
6. Touch the fingertips with your toes, keep your back straight.
7. Inhale, return to the standing position.
8. Repeat the salutation as many times as you choose.

The posture warms up the body, opens the hips and improves circulation.

2. Reclining Butterfly Pose:

1. Sit down comfortably with a few soft cushions behind you.
2. Bring your feet together, with the knees bent.
3. Allow the knees to fall away from your hips; let gravity pull your knees down.
4. Now slowly lean back as you exhale.
5. Let your lower back rest on the cushions behind you and bring the upper back towards the floor.
6. Support your head with another cushion if desired.
7. Rest your arms on the floor, palms facing up.
8. Breathe deeply in the posture for about 15-20 minutes.

The posture relieves tension in the shoulders and chest. It is particularly effective for breast cancer recovery.

[ Read: Amazing Benefits of Miracle Drink ]

3. Legs Up The Wall:

1. It’s a simple pose where you lie on your back with your legs propped up against a wall.
2. Make a 90-degree angle with your body with the legs resting flat on the wall’s surface.
3. Place a cushion beneath you lower back for comfort.
4. Concentrate on your breathing for about 20 minutes.

It works well at rejuvenating your mind while improving circulation.

4. Cat-Cow Pose:

1. Start the pose on your hands and knees.
2. Exhale, curve your spine outwards.
3. Look up during this movement.
4. Inhale, curve your back inwards.
5. Face downwards.
6. Repeat the movements as often as possible.

This posture improves flexibility in your back while revitalizing you.

5. Corpse Pose:

1. Lie down on the floor, on your back.
2. Place your hands at your side, palms up.
3. Slowly relax every part of your body.
4. Concentrate on each part while you let yourself feel lighter.
5. Breathe deeply and steadily.
6. Retain the posture until you achieve complete relaxation.

Are you aware of these effective poses in yoga for cancer patients before? These basic poses help tremendously with treatment. Do you have more to share? Please leave a comment below.

Disclaimer: Any information or images on this site are to be used as a reference resource. Please do not depend on it for diagnosis or treatment

Was this article helpful?

Author

Sruthi Chowdhry

All you have is today, so grab it and make the most of what you have. Being healthy, keeping it simple and following your dreams is part of it..

Read full bio of Sruthi Chowdhry