Question:
I would like to know about Yoga for the Cancer Patients. Is there are any contraindications? What Asanas are best for them?
Answer
For cancer patients the practices are not so much focused on what asanas but rather on what qualities to promote. The major feelings would be to develop strength and stamina. The other quality to promote is purification. Classical hatha yogis recommend Kapalabhati (head shining) done to purify the kledaka kapha stored in the abdomen. This practice, one of the satkarmas (purifications), is not simply a pranayama. It is done by the directing of pranic will to purify the physical body. As cancer is predominantly a kapha disorder the practices should be done also to help open the heart, kapha’s home region. The teacher needs to open their own heart to nature and life prior to going into the setting to work. Prayer and meditation are a central practice to promote this openness. Asanas that increase immune function include restorative poses from Iyengar Yoga like supported bridge, fish, and Shoulderstand. Also the poses on their own when the strength has been built. Then the progression is to increase the holding time, the heart connection, and one’s feeling of positivity as radiating from a connection to one’s personal Higher Power. The spiritual side of asana as a way to the Divine is emphasized.
