Yoga

WHAT DOES YOGA THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH CANCER INVOLVE

Our Yoga Therapists take a customised approach to cancer to address each person’s individual needs, and we do this in one-on-one private Yoga Therapy sessions and in group settings.

INDIVIDUAL YOGA THERAPY

It doesn’t matter if you’ve never practiced Yoga before as each person is met where they are at in a private Yoga Therapy session.

We do our best to book these sessions in around other existing appointments to reduce your travel times and the appts run for around 60 minutes. You’ll be asked to wear something loose and comfortable, and the session usually begins by exploring what support you need, or which side-effects are impacting you the most.

Your Yoga Therapist will check your current range of movement and breath capacity, considering any restrictions or treatments you are undergoing – we may try some simple movements, breathing exercises or even sound if you’re interested.

Following this session a customised, gentle, daily practice can be developed and provided to you with ongoing support.

GROUP CLASSES

Our LivingRoom yoga classes encourage you to be mindful in movement and breath, facilitating your connection to yourself despite any challenges you may be facing.

Short, seated meditations are part of every LivingRoom yoga class to encourage students to learn these valuable mindfulness skills that you can also practice in your own time.

If you feel any discomfort during a LivingRoom yoga class, you should stop and rest and let your instructor know.

You are welcome to rest seated, lying down or in child’s pose if you need a break at any point during the practice. Yoga poses may sometimes be a little uncomfortable and you may feel a very deep muscular stretch, but the poses should never feel painful.

A therapeutic yoga practice may include a mix of any of the following:

Deep relaxation – Yoga Nidra

This yoga tool can be used by anyone at any time and is profoundly relaxing and beneficial for both mind and body. Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation practice using body scan and visualisation techniques. This easy-to-learn technique can be practised pre- or post-surgery for enhanced coping and healing as well as to reduce the side effects of cancer and its treatment such as anxiety and depression.

Gentle Asana

Yoga Therapy offers a range of gentle movements or Asana, designed to help you build strength and flexibilty, reduce stress, release tension and improve your sense of wellbeing. Asanas can be done seated, standing or lying and are designed to not feel painful or difficult.

Restorative yoga

Restorative yoga uses props and sustained postures to release muscle tension when the body is depleted or in pain. Restorative postures do just as the name says – restore you and reduce symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatment such as fatigue and muscle tension caused by stress.

Pranayama

The way we breathe impacts our physiology and our mental states and is a foundational link that can help us to improve our circulation both cardiac and lymphatically and to regulate our nervous system. It is integral to both the movements and postures of yoga ,which are called Asana, and to the development of mindfulness. Breathwork in Yoga can vary from person to person depending on the desired outcome and is never forced or uncomfortable.

Mindfulness

Yoga emphasises the importance of being aware and alert in the present moment. This simple act leads us to greater acceptance and appreciation for whatever is going on in our lives and gratitude for the simple pleasures.

Emerging research shows promising results supporting yoga therapy as a means for managing symptoms and treatment side effects in people living with cancer.

The benefits of yoga practice for those living with cancer include:

• Improved strength and freedom of movement
• Management of fatigue and improved energy
• Reduced depression or anxiety levels
• Enhanced wellbeing
• Stress relief
• Deep relaxation, which has been shown to benefit the immune system
• Increased feelings of acceptance and coping

Yoga can be done in a chair or in bed by anyone with or without an instructor.

Recent studies

Researchers at Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Genomics Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the United States found that mind body techniques that induce a relaxation response (such as yoga, mindfulness and meditation) can change how the body’s genes respond to stress. The research, though still in the early stages, seems to indicate that yoga can actually change gene expression in both short- and long-term practitioners.

Another US-based study by researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center concluded that breast cancer patients who practise yoga experience lower stress and improved quality of life compared to those who only do stretching exercises. The study found that the patients who practised yoga reported lower fatigue levels, improved wellbeing and general health than those who just did simple stretches or neither yoga nor stretches. The yoga group also tested with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is important considering that high cortisol levels are linked to worse outcomes in breast cancer patients. The study’s lead author Lorenzo Cohen commented that yoga can be a useful coping tool to ease cancer patients’ transition from active therapy back into daily life, a process which some find very stressful.

• Bower J.E., Garet D., Sternlieb B., et al (2011). “Yoga for persistent fatigue in breast cancer survivors: A randomized control trial”. Cancer 118(15) 3766-3775
• Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K.Bennett J.M., Andridge R, et al (2014) “Yoga’s impact on inflammation, mood and fatigue in breast cancer survivors: A randomized control  trial”. Journal of Clinical Oncology
• Bower JE, Woolery A, Sternlieb B, Garet D (2005) “Yoga for cancer patients and survivors”.Cancer Control 12(3): 165-71
• Raghavendra RM, Akaikumar BS, Vadiraja HS et al (2010) “Role of Yoga in modulating fatigue, sleep disturbances , salivary cortisol, and immune measures in breast cancer survivors :a randomized controlled trial”. Journal of Clinical Oncology
• Yoga And Meditation Change Gene Response To Stress

Group Classes

We are currently running a weekly Zoom Yoga Class on Fridays at 11:30hrs for people who are or have been treated for cancer. These classes aim to improve lymphatic return, improve breathing, focus and nervous system resilience.

Modifications are offered for those who need extra support although you may need to be assessed individually if you are still in active treatment, have had recent surgery or are unsure about your capacity for gentle movement.

Face to Face Classes

New face to face classes of 4-6 weeks duration are in development for specific cancer groups.

To make an appointment and to find out the full range of our fees, please call 02 8514 0038 (leave a message) or email livingroom@lh.org.au.

We are here to help you so if you are having financial hardship please contact us. Our main priority is to care and support you, that is what we do.

We look forward to hearing from you.