Learning yoga has many benefits. Besides helping us to deal with stress and anxiety, who knows that yoga actually useful for cancer treatment. This is not a theory but it is a fact. Many testimonies come from cancer patient that yoga is a guard- safer for them. The Secret behind this is the healing power produced by yoga movement. Since cancer patients have to deal with the stressful symptoms comes from the disease, yoga might be the only helpful thing for them.
Reasons on yoga gives benefit to cancer patient
Scientifically, researches prove that less or more yoga really give benefits toward cancer patient and survivor. Here are the reason why.
1. Yoga = exercise
Yoga equals to exercising the body. Cancer patients might be weak and lack of energy because of the symptoms. Therefore, doctors may not suggest a hard exercise to cancer patients. Yoga is the best option to them for yoga consists delicate poses and movements that requires less energy.
2. Toxin remover
Medical world says that yoga is the best in removing toxin that caused by treatment process. The healing and exhaling breath process works the best because it provides more oxygen flow to the brain, replacing broken cells and provide nutrients.
3. Reduce stress and anxiety
Stress can happen in cancer treatment process. The best medicine to decrease tension and enable patients to get back to their senses is yoga exercise. If stress for cancer patients continue for long time, it might cause patient’s body immune drops. Therefore, it is better to deal with the stress while doing the treatment for the disease as well. Be cautious of Health Risks of Stress
4. Improving physical functions
Cancer makes the body becomes stiff since cancer patient does not move much. Mostly, patient spends most of their time in hospital or rehabilitation center. Therefore, practicing a little yoga pose can make their body functioning well and more flexible.
5. Mood booster
The same as how chocolate can be our mood booster when we are down. Studies prove that yoga can release endorphin and produce gamma-aminobutyric acid which regulating nervous system and manage your mood. Moreover, yoga practice boosts patient’s self confidence since it gives more positive vibe toward them.
Yoga Poses Recommendation for Cancer Treatments
To get benefits of Yoga for cancer patients, here are the exercises:
Simple poses
Here are simple and best poses yoga that may encourage and helpful toward cancer patients such as Health Benefits of Sun Meditation.
1. Half sun salutation
- Stand straight and close your leg
- Put your hand together as if you were clapping
- Look to the front and keep your chin straight
- Inhale as deep as you can and raise your arm above your head
- Then, exhale
- Bend at your waist toward your feet
- Touch the fingertip of your toes with the end of your fingers and keep your back straight
- Inhale and back to the first position
2. Butterfly pose
You better prepare some cushions for this pose so you can do it comfortably. Now, here are the steps.
- Sit down and put cushion behind you
- Put your feet together and bent your knees
- Let your knees fall away from the hips
- Lean back and exhale at the same time
- Rest your lower back on the cushions and upper back on the floor
- Rest your arm on the floor with palms facing up
- Hold this pose for 15 minutes or more
3. Corpse pose
This is the easiest pose overall. All you need to do is lying down on the floor, let yourself loose and relax. Concentration and focus are the main thing that are needed in this pose.
Extra attention teaching yoga patients
Cancer patient are more fragile than any other patient. Therefore, teachers need to be extra careful while teaching them. Here are the requirements to be a yoga teacher for cancer patients.
1. Special training for teachers
Most yoga teachers always received a training before they are given a license to be a teacher. However, teacher specialized in teaching cancer patients have to have extra training since teaching cancer patients might be more complicated than any other patients.
2. Prioritize their safetiness
There are some movements in yoga that should be avoided by cancer patients; for Example, Forward bend. Since cancer patients suffer from bone-less caused by chemotherapy, doing a forward bend pose without warming up beforehand might cause a fracture on the bone or spinal.
3. Risks
Yoga teacher might bear some risks that may occur in yoga learning process for what I said before cancer patient are more fragile. Wrong movement in yoga practice could cause abdominal sensitivities, missing muscles, decreasing in immune system which may cause more harm toward the patient.
4. Becoming a real teacher
Teacher has more burden in doing his or her job. The reason is because teacher has the responsibility in taking care of the students while teaching them the real lesson. Which is why I think that a yoga teacher has to be extra patient toward cancer sufferer. Well, before teaching them, we should know more about them.
First, the effect of chemotherapy towards their body, next, the most simple poses that are easy to be practiced at home and more beneficial compared to other poses, and the last is wrong poses may cause danger toward them.
Side effect of yoga
Yoga is a good healing process for patient cancer. However, there are some things that we might consider as well. As yoga gives some positive impact, it does not mean that it is good overall. Of course, there will be some lacking too as everything in this world is not perfect.
1. Not recommended for children
Children under 16 years old are not suggested to do the moves in yoga since their body is still growing and yoga might interfere their growing process.
2. Bad for glaucoma patient
Since yoga might cause complication for glaucoma patient, yoga is not recommended for them. Some movements contain pressure to the body; therefore it might cause more pressure to the eyes.
3. Strain on muscles and back pain
If you practiced it aggressively, it may cause spinal side effect. An overstretch might happen when you do not do a warming up before starting yoga practices. It may also happens if you ignore your body’s signal and go beyond the limitation.
Another helpful treatment besides yoga
There are some several treatments that can help to decrease the side effect caused by chemotherapy for cancer patient or sufferer besides yoga practices. Better check this out.
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture is believed to be able to treat any kind of light diseases. More or less, it provides some benefits toward cancer patient as well. Scientifically proved, acupuncture might help in relieving nausea and any pain caused by chemotherapy. However, make sure that it is done by a professional and licensed practitioners. Never try to do it yourself or else you might cause harm toward your body. You may also read Benefits of Acupuncture For Health and Beauty
- Exercise
Avoid doing hard exercises; such as, sit up or push up or any movement that required lots of energy and power. Instead, do a gentle exercise that may help in releasing stress and fatigue due to chemotherapy. Slowly but sure, add more exercises as you go. Never force your body to exercise for hours. 30 minutes should be enough. You should know Benefits of Exercise for Healthier Lifestyle
- Aromatheraphy
Aromatheraphy by using fragrance oil may cause patient cancer get back to their senses. It helps them to relax and release the tension of their body. It is helpful for nausea, dizzines, and stress. Aromatheraphy is safe to be done by your own without a practicioner. However, for caution, you may discuss it with your doctor since some doctors do not suggested this to their patients. You may want to know other Benefits of Aromatherapy for Cancer Patients
- Meditation
Meditation helps you to focus on one mind; such as thinking in a positive way. Every time, you done practising meditation, you would feel that your body becomes lighter as you emptied your mind. Meditation is safe to be prcatised by your own or it is much more better if you could get a lesson from the expert.
- Music theraphy
Have you ever heard a quotes saying that music heals? Well, it is a fact. Music therapy is found useful toward cancer patient or survivor as well. Either you can playing an instrument, sing a song, writing lyrics, take part in a band or watching some operas. Music therapy is save to begin with and you don’t need to have a music talent in yourself.
- Massage
Don’t forget to tell your massage practitioner to do it in a light and gentle way. Since during massage, practitioner kneads your skin, muscles, and tendons to relieve muscle tension and stress. You may ask a suggestion from your doctor to introduce you to an expert massage practitioner since it is much safer than you find a massage practitioner by your own. There are many Health Benefits of Thai Massage
Those are how benefits of Yoga for cancer patients or survivor. Even, people who are not suffering from cancer found out that yoga is useful not only in relieving stress and releasing tension in muscles. You might also know Benefits of Yoga