Yoga, Meditation Shown to Help Breast Cancer Patients

The breasts are symbolic of nurturing and love. As many of you know, October is breast cancer awareness month. This is an important time to support this vital cause. Many of us have been faced with this health challenge or know someone who has. I have had the privilege of walking with many women as they have moved through breast cancer. I have been given the gift of witnessing the hero's journey that these courageous women must embody to heal themselves. It is not for the faint of heart and is one of the most transformational journeys that I have ever witnessed. These women must learn to not just give love but to receive love, to truly love themselves.

One of the most valuable tools I can offer to help women through this challenging time is meditation. It is one of the most potent tools I know of that teaches us, directly and truly, self-love of the highest kind. It is this quality that we need to develop for optimum healing. We need to take care of ourselves. We need to love ourselves. We need to make ourselves a priority, not just while we are healing, but forever more.

Meditating gives us a place to return to, a home within ourselves where we can renew and rejuvenate. It helps us prioritize all the aspects of our lives and regroup, to strategically and lovingly re-aim our intention for a healthy, meaningful, love-filled life.

Over the 30 years that I have been teaching yoga and meditation I have noticed that many women are better givers than receivers. We need to practice receiving love too. Energy must flow both ways or there will be an imbalance, in and out, just like the breath. In yoga we learn self-awareness. We learn to listen to our bodies and our breath. Through physical movement, breathing and meditation techniques we learn to respect and nurture our bodies, physically, mentally and spiritually. If it should happen that you find yourself or a loved one with this health challenge, a yoga and meditation practice will help strengthen the body's ability to heal.

For instance, a study from the University of Texas at the Anderson Cancer Center showed that breast cancer patients who do yoga tend to enjoy better health, have less fatigue and experience less daytime sleepiness. Even a short yoga program including meditation, relaxation, breathing exercises, stretching, imagery and physical movements can be very useful at reducing the side effects that come with breast cancer treatment. What's more, there is also a direct link between yoga and meditation and improved self-esteem. This can be an important issue given the hair loss and other issues associated with undergoing chemotherapy.

This age-old practice really works. The physical and emotional health benefits of yoga and meditation have been known for thousands of years. This and other studies shed well-needed light on how lifestyle changes such as exercise and yoga help women with the emotional and physical challenges of breast cancer.

So during this month of October, in support of breast cancer awareness and in fellowship with women everywhere, I encourage you to take advantage of these ancients systems in order to gain a whole new perspective on health awareness, from the inside out.

And you can start right now. Just take a deep breath and feel the moment. The moment is now. And now is all there is.

"Everything you do right now ripples outward and affects everyone." - David Deida