Integrating Yoga Into Cancer Care

Abstract

Although yoga has been practiced in Eastern culture for thousands of years as part of life philosophy, classes in the United States only recently have been offered to people with cancer. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to bind, join, and yoke. This reflection of the union of the body, mind, and spirit is what differentiates yoga from general exercise programs. Yoga classes in the United States generally consist of asanas (postures), which are designed to exercise every muscle, nerve, and gland in the body. The postures are combined with pranayama, or rhythmic control of the breath. As a complementary therapy, yoga integrates awareness of breath, relaxation, exercise, and social support--elements that are key to enhancing quality of life in patients with cancer. Yoga practice may assist cancer survivors in managing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain, and fatigue. As with all exercise programs, participants need to be aware of potential risks and their own limitations. The purpose of this article is to familiarize nurses with yoga as a complementary therapy, including current research findings, types of yoga, potential benefits, safety concerns, teacher training, and ways to integrate yoga into cancer care.

The Effectiveness of Practicing Pranayama Yoga on Some Respiratory Indicators in Patients Suffering from Bronchial Disease

“…Previous studies have reported that yoga is beneficial people with cancer in managing symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, mood disturbance, and stress, and improving quality of life (Distasio, 2008). Most yoga practices emphasize the importance of breathing and breathe regulation (Saraswati, 2002).…”

Impact of Yoga on Functional Outcomes in Breast Cancer Survivors With Aromatase Inhibitor–Associated Arthralgias

“…[18][19][20] Yoga (both asanas and meditation) may be particularly beneficial for BCSs with AIAA as it is generally nonselective and could alleviate a wide range of additional cancer-related sequelae, such as psychological adjustment, which could address coping strategies for pain management.…”

“…17 Previous trials of yoga for BCSs, although they showed improved QOL, lacked sufficient objective measures of function. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] To determine the effects of yoga on AI-related arthralgia, we proposed a pilot study to test the impact of yoga for treatment of AIAA among BCSs. The specific aims of this study were to (1) demonstrate the feasibility of recruitment and retention to a yoga trial, (2) determine the safety of the intervention, and (3) explore the effects of yoga on function, pain, and QOL.…”

Cancer-related fatigue: a review of nursing interventions

“…Small scale studies involving yoga (DiStasio, 2008), acupuncture and acupressure (Johnston et al, 2007;Molassiotis et al, 2007), massage (Cassileth and Vickers, 2004), healing touch (PostWhite, 2003) and aromatherapy, foot soak with reflexology (Stasi et al, 2003) have all demonstrated promising results. Further intervention studies with greater statistical power are required to build a larger body of evidence with more substantive conclusions.…”