Yoga
10 Best Practices for Breast Cancer Survivors
We have been working with Breast Cancer Survivors at Vasantha Memorial Trust over 3 months now. A regime has been formulated and designed exclusively for them and has yielded great result. Our sense of accomplishments was enhanced further with constant and positive feedback we received from the participants. This feedback gave us the ability to improvise and improve our program to suit their specific requirement.
Focal Point
- Increasing the body’s alkalinity was the very first focus. We watched and understood their breathing pattern, corrected it, normalised it and then taught them some of the basic yet effective ‘breathing practices’. This control over their breath gave them the stimulus they needed to get control of the reins of their mental and emotional wellbeing to a greater extent. Just breathing right can-do wonder for your alkalinity enhancement.
- The second level of practice, primarily, included the stretches which lubricate, and thereby bring elasticity in the upper part of the body, i.e. the breasts, armpits, upper back, neck, hand, arms etc. It is common to develop stiffness and inflammation around the shoulders and arm after the surgery for breast cancer.
- The last focus was on stamina and strength building practices. We also included mudras at this point of time.
- We started teaching them the nutritional value and the ‘Right Eating’ pattern, which needs to be an integral part of their life.
The resultant glow of happiness and health spoke contentment. According to the participants, Yoga has brought a new lease of energy, positivity and sublime vibe in their life. On practical level, they witnessed increased productivity in their profession. At home front, they could perform better as they had become more dexterous. Their physical dependency reduced, which by default, reduced their mental dependency on others as well.
This is what Yoga does to one.
Makes one independent on all the levels so that one can be liberated in their living.
I am listing 10 practices in this blog, which when practiced regularly, can show miraculous results if you are a Breast Cancer Survivor.
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| 1 | Yogic Breathing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g58JruFZ5Gs Your gateway to a blissful mental and emotional peace. Your oxygen intake is increased and optimal carbon dioxide is eliminated. Twice a day 3-5 minutes. |
| 2. | Combing your Hair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWlmBxoWRX4 A simple practice which can be performed any time and anywhere of the day to release the stiffness around your shoulders. |
| 3. | Hands in and out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JClXUOJWyCw This practice is aimed at lubricating the ball and socket joint of the shoulders. |
| 4. | Arms up and down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxJj-FPEhkI Adds vertical extension to the spine along with enhancing elasticity of the arms and shoulders. |
| 5. | Fingers hooked – elbows pulled apart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LOIfq8B4Do Predominately focuses on shoulders, deltoid and strength building. |
| 6. | Fingers hooked – side to side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn3RQmDm7yk We are leveraging the above practices to stretch and strengthen the neck and the upper part of the spine. |
| 7. | Fingers hooked – Back & front rolling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhot6WV4iuE This movement enhances the range of motion of the scapula, thereby, also strengthening deltoid, trapezius, scapula, pectoralis muscles etc. |
| 8. | Fingers hooked – elbows pointed up & down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r94wJ2w2aPw With this movement, you are predominately working on the elevation, depression, adduction and downward rotation of the scapula. |
| 9. | The Master Stroke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygHJ2GfKdTk This is the combination of the above four which stimulate the upper part of your body to its maximum. |
| The practices from 5-9 can be ideally done during your break at work. However, it would be a good idea to perform them at least thrice in a day, 3-5 times each, to maintain the consistency.
The key is to perform these as slow as possible. |
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| 10. | The Mudra Magic
Mudra is a world in itself within the Yogic World. The beauty of mudras, is that anyone in any condition can perform these without much effort and still reap all its benefits. |
May be getting the breast cancer was not in your hand but keeping it at bay and expediting a fast recovery is.
Author BIO
Ms. Shammi Gupta, a Lifelong Yoga Practitioner, Yoga Mentor, Counselor & Life Coach, Healer, Yoga Therapist and Naturopath is the founder – director of Shammi’s Yogalaya and Shammi’s Yogalaya Foundation. She works passionately on the theme, ‘Healing with Alignment’ with a believe that ‘Imbalance’ on any front is the source of all the miseries in life.