We know that a regular yoga practice offers many health benefits whether you are an experienced practitioner or just starting out to try yoga for the first time, but more and more often, studies have shown yoga has many benefits that stretch way beyond having flexible hamstrings.
If you or someone close to you is the estimated one in eight women with breast cancer, please read and share this article. Yoga is scientifically proven to help in many positive ways.
Researcher Suzanne Danhauer, Ph.D. from the Wake Forest School of Medicine says, “Mind-body therapies improve mood, quality of life, and treatment related symptoms in people with cancer.”
According to a study published in an issue of Psycho-Oncology, women who participated in a ten week program of 75 minute Restorative Yoga (RY) classes gained differences in their status of mental health; specifically depression, emotions and spirituality (measured by feelings of calm and peacefulness) compared to the control group.
Of the 44 women who took part in the study (22 per group), all had breast cancer and were either undergoing cancer treatment or had already completed their treatment. Each participant completed a questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of the ten-week RY program. The results imply the women who practiced RY therapy had a 50% reduction in depression and a 12% increase in feelings of peace and meaning. In addition, women who began the study with more negative feelings and less of a sense of well being derived greater benefits from the RY than the control group.
“This was a pilot study to identify the worthiness and feasibility of conducting a larger randomized control trial on restorative yoga and women with breast cancer,” said Danhauer. “Our results are very promising and will allow us to embark on a much larger scale study.”
Restorative Yoga is a mild style of yoga that utilizes props such as bolsters, pillows, blocks and straps to gain the most comfort in each pose. The poses are designed to restore flexibility of the spine, increase range of motion, and bring about total relaxation in a passive and gentle way, with minimal effort. Restorative yoga is an available method of yoga for all levels and abilities.
(via: Medical News Today)
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Yoga Eases Pain of Breast Cancer