Making Yoga an Inherent Part of Your Cancer Response

Making Yoga an Inherent Part of Your Cancer Response: Why this tool for physical and mental well-being can be a vital part of treatment and survival

My client walks in the room, puts her bags down, and starts to cry. She tells me it’s just too much- the fatigue, the loss of strength, the nausea and constipation, the anxiety. On top of that, the practical worries of bills, and the deeper, more troubling questions: will I survive? How long? What happens to my daughter?

All I can really think to do is listen. Eventually, the panic subsides, and she finally says “Ok how are we starting today?” We lay down on our mats and close our eyes. 

The general benefits of yoga are evident in it’s longevity and adaptability. It is a practice that has been in continual use for 5,000 years, and used in a variety of ways with spiritual, physical, and mental effects. It is only in yoga’s recent history , the past 100 years or so, of being brought to the West, that culturally we have begun to awaken to it’s many gifts. 

One of the primary appeals of the practice is it’s foundational assumption that we are working with the whole being, rather than an either/or of the physical mechanisms of the body, or the psychological underpinnings of the unconscious, or the spiritual wanderings of the soul. The practice of yoga acknowledges and addresses each of these dimensions of the self and appreciates the way they weave together and influence each other. I believe this is why the practice resonates so profoundly with people, and why people leave feeling seen and changed: there is a relief in discovering a system of support and health that recognizes one’s entire self, rather than diminishing the “self” to muscles, or cognition, or spirit. Yoga doesn’t reduce; yoga expands our idea of the “Self”.

Yogic philosophy describes 5 Koshas, or sheaths, of the self in it’s PanchaMayaKosha theory. The outer-most sheath is the physical or “food body”, followed by the pranic or “energy body”, the “mind body”, the “witness body”, and the innermost sheath, the “bliss body”. The practice of yoga works within and between each of these “bodies”, asserting that bringing balance to one brings balance to the rest. Asana, or poses, strengthen, tone, and open up the physical body, breath and awareness move and change feelings of energy in the body, meditative training improves mental concentration and quiets the mind, as well as separating one from one’s thoughts, self-observation brings balance to the mental and witness body. The effect is that yoga works inwardly, bringing one closer to a profound sense of oneself, and outwardly, bringing us towards ‘something greater', defined differently to each of us. This is the “bliss body”. 

Imbalance in the body is experienced in every dimension of the self. For example a torn rotator cuff impacts the experience of the physical body, but can have mental effects including frustration, anger, and inhibition, which may lead to a depression or anxiety and make one’s energy feel heavy, thus influencing the physical, energetic, and mental bodies. Cancer has been interesting for me to work with because it’s impact is universal to the body, effecting deeply every of the aspect of how we understand ourselves. First, there are often the trials of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other therapies that manifest huge change in the structure and function of the physical body. Energetically, there is often fatigue and heaviness, combined with chaotic and swirling thoughts. Mentally, depression and anxiety often simultaneously overwhelm the mind, making it difficult to separate from the thoughts, and to bear witness and observe one’s own experience, confusing one’s sense of reality. Existentially, one may worry about the essence of survival, or the fairness of being struck by the disease a yearning to survive and watch one’s children grow. All of this creates a vital strife in the most core aspects of the self. Cancer spares nothing in its attack on the various dimensions of the self, which is why it is such a devastating and confusing disease. 
Yoga is well designed as a partner to many current cancer treatments because it addresses the entire being. In yoga we use asana to release tensions in the body and re-build strength. Pranayama or breath work neutralizes heavy energy, to balance the breath and nervous system. Meditation and mantra focus the mind and calm the brain, and self-awareness practices create a space between ourselves and our thoughts, so we are less likely to get carried away by the unstoppable flow of ideas through the brain. In using all these practices together, along with actively being in community with others in similar circumstances, we are brought closer to our true selves and an unshakable sense of peace that does not depend on outside circumstances.

Research is emerging on the value of yoga as a partner to traditional treatment in helping to soothe the effects of cancer through all the koshas. One study by the American Cancer Society found that targeted yoga interventions significantly improves fatigue in breast cancer survivors, where fatigue is experienced by as many as 33% of patients. Another study by the ACS found that “yoga improves multiple aspects of quality of life, cancer-specific symptoms, psychological outcomes, and important biomarkers, such as stress hormone, regulation, immune function, and inflammatory markers,” (Addington et al., 2019) and recommends that yoga be practiced in tandem with medical interventions to improve the patient experience and adjustment to cancer and cancer treatment. A third study at Wake Forest University found yoga improved mental health and quality of life (including depression, anxiety), fatigue, and sleep. Patients also valued the feeling of community offered by group classes as a major benefit of the practice. Yoga cannot change what is, but it can be a great aid in learning to live with what is, and soothe some of the more difficult side affects to improve quality of life. 

We can celebrate that the medical field continues to improve and advance the practice of treating cancer, I am also heartened that there is a growing acknowledgement of other practices and tools that, in conjunction with western medicine approaches, can greatly affect and improve the experience of living with cancer. We are lucky to have access to a way of managing our health that has survived for so long, yet continually has new things to teach us. 

When my client gets up to leave class she seems calmer and more grounded, and tells me as much. Because her ability to move is limited, we’ve focused on gentle movement, breath work, deep relaxation, and meditation. Yoga is the tool but the real work is done by her, within her, every day. I’m honored to support her in her journey.

Sources:
Danhauer, S. (2016, September 20). Yoga Research with Cancer Patients and Post- Treatment Survivors. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.iayt.org/resource/resmgr/docs_syr2016/10_Danhauer-oral_tue11.pdf

Bower, J.E., Ganz, P.A., Garet, D., Greendale, G., Irwin, M.R., Olmstead, R., Sternlieb, B. (2011). Yoga for persistent fatigue in breast cancer survivors. The American Cancer Society Journal. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cncr.26702

Addington, E., Albinati, N.K., Cohen, L., Culos-Reed, S.N., Danhauer, S.C., Puymbroeck, M.V., Sohl, S.J. (2019). Yoga for symptom management in oncology: A review of the evidence base and future directions for research. The American Cancer Society Journals. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cncr.31979