Iyengar yoga improves recovery after breast cancer treatment

Breast cancer patients may benefit from Iyengar yoga after completing their treatment, according to a study published in Cancer Nursing (2010 Sep-Oct;33(5):369-81). 

Included in the study were breast cancer survivors who completed questionnaires about their physical and mental health at the beginning of a 10-week session of Iyengar yoga and after the 10-week session.

The study revealed that after the yoga session, 94% of the participants reported improvements in their quality of life, 88% felt better physically, 87% reported being happier, and 80% were less tired. Other improvements were reported in body image and in decreased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Amy Speed-Andrews, the study’s lead researcher and research fellow at the University of Alberta, hopes to conduct future studies to examine how Iyengar yoga might benefit women with advanced-stage breast cancer.