Yoga Benefits Include Preventing Cancer

Focused on Health - February 2010

By Lam Le and Rachel Winters

Yoga has become very popular due to its mental and physical benefits. But, can you reduce your chances of getting cancer by yoga woman doing yoga?

Keeping a healthy weight and doing at least 30 minutes of activity every day helps prevent cancer, says the American Institute for Cancer Research. If done at an intensity high enough to get your heart pumping, many types of yoga can count toward your daily 30-minutes of exercise.

“All types of yoga can have benefits because they get you breathing deeply and get your body moving,” says Carla Warneke, a yoga instructor for the Place…of wellness at M. D. Anderson.

According to Warneke, other yoga benefits include:

Increased flexibility
Improved circulation
Improved mood
Improved sleep
Increased balance

“People who do yoga also tend to adopt better eating habits and take better care of their bodies,” Warneke says. “And, living a healthy lifestyle can lead to cancer prevention.”

Different yoga styles for every personality meditation
Yoga is an ancient practice that integrates the mind and body through a series of postures and breathing techniques.

Hatha yoga is a branch of yoga that includes all of the styles that you may have heard of – Bikram, Anusara, Power, etc. If someone advertises a “hatha” yoga class and doesn’t mention a style, it just means they aren’t following a well-known method of doing the postures and breathing.

“Classes and teachers are different, you just have to keep looking until you find a class that fits you,” Warneke says. “Hatha yoga can be very gentle or vigorous depending on how it is practiced. The best way to find out if a class is right for you is to talk with the instructor and try a class.”

Here are a few styles of hatha yoga that might appeal to you:

Ashtanga or Power Yoga is a more athletic style of yoga. This form of yoga gets your heart rate up with its aerobic pace and gives you a great cardiovascular workout that promotes weight loss.

Kundalini Yoga has a strong meditative component to it. It focuses on proper breathing and chanting. While it may not increase your heart rate as much as other types, Kundalini yoga can provide mental clarity and increased flexibility.

Bikram Yoga, otherwise known as hot yoga, strengthens the body through a series of physically challenging postures in a 105-degree room with 40% humidity. This exercise promotes sweating, and relaxing muscles for a deeper stretch and workout. It is sure to get your heart pumping!

All forms of yoga have benefits yoga class
So, now you know that yoga can count towards your 30 minutes of physical activity and improves your overall well-being, which may promote cancer prevention.

“Of the many types of yoga, no one style is better than the other because they all seek to balance the mind, body and emotions,” Warneke says. “While no one style of yoga is the best, there may be a style that works best for you.”

You can adjust yoga poses to suit your physical limits. Don’t think of yoga as a practice that requires you to turn yourself into a pretzel! Take classes led by an instructor and work out with a buddy. These are great ways to start.