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Yoga for Cancer

Yogic Management of Cancer can be conveniently divided into three main categories: preventive, corrective and palliative. Preventive means practicing yoga to prevent the onset of cancer, which is feared due to the presence of risk factors, or due to the presence of early or precancerous lesions. This is the best time to begin practicing yoga so that we can try to avoid the development of cancer.

The second category is corrective, i.e. practicing yoga after the onset of cancer with the aim either of limiting, correcting or reversing the cancerous process. When combined with conventional medical therapy, yoga can operate as an adjunct, or it can help to reduce side effects.

The third category is palliative practice, i.e. when the disease has progressed too far to be reversed. In such cases, the aim is to be able to spend the remainder of our time in a positive and healthy spirit, and to be able to pass on with dignity and minimal pain and suffering.

Yogic cancer management basically has five components, which are common to all the  basically has five components, which are common to all three categories. The difference lies in the duration of time devoted to and the depth of the practices in each component. The five main components are:

  1. Shatkarmas or detoxification session

  2. Asana & pranayama session

  3. Yoga nidra and prana vidya session

  4. Visualization session

  5. Diet & Lifestyle

For specific types of cancer, attention will be given to additional needs. The general emphasis in all types of cancers would be to:

  1. Raise the pranic levels by consuming a diet rich in prana and using prana raising practices

  2. Remove the blockages to the pranic flow by detoxification of the system through various asanas, pranayama, amaroli and shatkarma procedures

  3. Adopting a holistic, yogic diet and lifestyle

  4. Strengthen the respective chakras by using the integrated yogic modules.

  5. Emotional stabilization, expression and sublimation of suppressed thoughts, feelings and energy by using yoga nidra, introspection, and implementation of yama/niyama in the daily routine and use of the SWAN principle

  6. Sublimate thee unhealed emotions by practices of nada yoga , karma yoga and the adoption of some yogic practices according to the inclination of the individual.

  7. Help in harmonizing the neuroendocrine axis with use of appropriate visualization practices.