Yoga

Insurance policies are private contracts between insurance companies and those receiving benefits under that policy, so different health insurance policies are ultimately going to contract in and out of different forms of treatment. As a general rule, you can always look for policies that cover more kinds of integrative therapies if those are important to you and your specific course of treatment.

Outside of shopping around for policies that may have more of the types of services you’re looking for, one way to push for movement in this and any other issue area is to pursue some form of legislative advocacy. For integrative therapies, you can speak to your representatives and tell them that these types of treatments should be covered as “essential health benefits” in all plans.

For information on your elected officials go to: http://www.house.gov (to find your U.S. Representative), http://www.senate.gov (to find your U.S. Senators), and http://www.votesmart.org (to find your local elected officials).
Insurance policies are private contracts between insurance companies and those receiving benefits under that policy, so different health insurance policies are ultimately going to contract in and out of different forms of treatment. As a general rule, you can always look for policies that cover more kinds of integrative therapies if those are important to you and your specific course of treatment.

Outside of shopping around for policies that may have more of the types of services you’re looking for, one way to push for movement in this and any other issue area is to pursue some form of legislative advocacy. For integrative therapies, you can speak to your representatives and tell them that these types of treatments should be covered as “essential health benefits” in all plans.

For information on your elected officials go to: http://www.house.gov (to find your U.S. Representative), http://www.senate.gov (to find your U.S. Senators), and http://www.votesmart.org (to find your local elected officials).

When I can't make it to a live yoga class, I use DVDs. I particularly like Barbara Benagh's Yoga for Stress Relief, which has a menu of short segments so you can custom-design your own class each time you use it. The section for managing lower-back pain has been very beneficial for my sorry spine.

Another thing I've found helpful: After I've been to a yoga class that I particularly liked, I try to recall the sequence and jot it down so I can repeat it at home. Ditto with specific instructions that seemed especially enlightening.

I've also developed a small collection of yoga posters with some basic sequences. Just looking at them makes me feel the benefits!



Well, you are certainly not alone in that! My home practice has become sporadic too. In fact, just the other day I made my way back to the mat (after a long absence) and was knocked out of a lunge and onto the floor by the sudden noise of a leaf blower outside my window.


I ended up posting about leaf blowers and yoga at home, (http://www.wherewegonow.com/debbies-blog/leaf-blowers-and-yoga-home) because it made me realize in a big way what the problem is: too many distractions. Between work, family, laundry, etc., etc., there is always something else to focus my attention on (I fell out of my lunge when turned my head toward the window to see where the noise was coming from – big mistake!)

The only time I have successfully kept up a regular home yoga practice was when I met the distractions head on and minimized them. For me, that means getting up in the morning, putting on my yoga clothes, getting my kids out to school and then getting right to the mat. It helps that I now have a den set up for yoga, where I can close the door and separate myself from the rest of the house. I need that separation because I have never jumped into my work for the day and been able to pull myself out to do yoga.

The other thing that helps me is remembering how beneficial it is to start my work day with yoga. It relaxes, yet energizes me. It’s a true gift of my cancer and one which I know I don’t want to sacrifice to my busy life. I need yoga and I’m grateful to have found it.

I'm glad you asked this! I am thinking about the same thing..... My daughter started practicing Tai Chi and the movements seem much more gentle and appear to require deliberate concentration. Curious what our experts may say..... I'm glad you asked this! I am thinking about the same thing..... My daughter started practicing Tai Chi and the movements seem much more gentle and appear to require deliberate concentration. Curious what our experts may say.....

Yes but you must find an instructor who has specific training in dealing with back injuries and pain. This is not part of every certification. The other option is to use meditation in order to induce deep states of relaxation and help to expedite healing of the body. I have several meditations available on my website www.peacefullife.ca.
Jackie Yes but you must find an instructor who has specific training in dealing with back injuries and pain. This is not part of every certification. The other option is to use meditation in order to induce deep states of relaxation and help to expedite healing of the body. I have several meditations available on my website www.peacefullife.ca.
Jackie

The research measured quality of life indicators and showed that with the 8 week yoga program (1 session per week at the hospital (1.5hrs.) and 3-4 sessions at home with a DVD (20 or 40 minute sessions) the women improved their global quality of life and decreased their depressive symptoms compared to the control group. The results have been presented in a few conferences but are going to be officially published soon so I can add the link when they are.
What I observed as a teacher was that the benefits each woman received were very individual. One woman learned to live more in the present moment. She started out feeling fearful that she would not see her children grow up. When we talked about how fear is created by trying to anticipate the future - which no one can do - she realized that she felt good, her children were healthy and that everyday she would focus on and feel grateful for what she has now - in the moment.
Another woman learned to express her needs. She had spent a lifetime looking after everyone else but forgetting to put attention on her own needs. She had her husband rearrange the furniture so she could do her yoga at home. She told her family she needed the quiet time everyday and she took it. She even started being more aware of the effect of the energy of negative people around her and made changes to reduce it. She was a transformed woman - much more confident and expressive.
Other women enjoyed the physical part and felt stronger and more empowered. Another woman who was very athletic learned about the importance of deep relaxation to release tension and allow the body to heal at a deep level. A lot of women who said they felt too tired to do the home video would just watch it and relax or start gently doing the postures and would find they were more energized afterward.
One woman had lymphedema and wore a elastic sleeve when she started, by the end the swelling was down and she no longer needed the sleeve.
So the benefits were varied and usually quite significant. Overall though I would say the women felt empowered to impact their healing,able to relax more and they felt more hopeful/optimistic. The research measured quality of life indicators and showed that with the 8 week yoga program (1 session per week at the hospital (1.5hrs.) and 3-4 sessions at home with a DVD (20 or 40 minute sessions) the women improved their global quality of life and decreased their depressive symptoms compared to the control group. The results have been presented in a few conferences but are going to be officially published soon so I can add the link when they are.
What I observed as a teacher was that the benefits each woman received were very individual. One woman learned to live more in the present moment. She started out feeling fearful that she would not see her children grow up. When we talked about how fear is created by trying to anticipate the future - which no one can do - she realized that she felt good, her children were healthy and that everyday she would focus on and feel grateful for what she has now - in the moment.
Another woman learned to express her needs. She had spent a lifetime looking after everyone else but forgetting to put attention on her own needs. She had her husband rearrange the furniture so she could do her yoga at home. She told her family she needed the quiet time everyday and she took it. She even started being more aware of the effect of the energy of negative people around her and made changes to reduce it. She was a transformed woman - much more confident and expressive.
Other women enjoyed the physical part and felt stronger and more empowered. Another woman who was very athletic learned about the importance of deep relaxation to release tension and allow the body to heal at a deep level. A lot of women who said they felt too tired to do the home video would just watch it and relax or start gently doing the postures and would find they were more energized afterward.
One woman had lymphedema and wore a elastic sleeve when she started, by the end the swelling was down and she no longer needed the sleeve.
So the benefits were varied and usually quite significant. Overall though I would say the women felt empowered to impact their healing,able to relax more and they felt more hopeful/optimistic.

Yoga has been one of the primary, and most important, aspects of my transition from patient to survivor. Yoga is a breathing practice, and as such, heals the mind, body, and spirit. It has made me stronger and more flexible physically, but it has also deepened my spiritual and emotional connection to my healing. I am not just healing from my breast cancer, but also from the lifelong experiences and issues that helped to create an environment in my body that was a host to the cancer. Yoga helps to cleanse the body of these emotional toxins held by the body and create a new environment unwelcoming to the cancer and its recurrence. I recommend it to all patients and survivors. And the great thing is that it is a practice that accommodates all body types, all levels, and everyone who can breathe! As a behavioral health provider, I recommend yoga to anyone for many reasons.

1. It's physical activity that can be modified to fit any person's ability and fitness level. It's a way to get moving and to improve wellness. Just recently it was announced in a research study that being sedentary is even more detrimental than we thought. Thirty minutes a day does not appear to be enough if we sit for 8 or more hours a day at a job or at home. Getting moving often means weight loss and improved muscle tone which often translates into improved body image as those results are reflected visually. Improved energy level is also a result of increased activity, counter-intuitive as that seems! The less energy we use, the less we have as the body's metabolism ramps down to meet expected demands, and vice versa.

2. Yoga involves breath work. Many of us exhibit poor posture and develop poor breathing habits. We basically do not exhange enough air to be fully oxygenated. This puts stress on the body and means the body may not work at optimum level to repair itself. Specific yogic breathing techniques are good for reducing anxiety and preventing or managing panic attacks.

3. Yoga stretches muscles, providing even more stress reduction and relaxation effect. One of the greatest complications of aging is in the loss of flexibility and balance. Consistent yoga practice can actually elongate muscles and improve balance and stamina.

4. Yoga is a mental discipline. Mastering your focus on breathing, proper body alignment and holding poses will benefit you in other areas of your life that require mental focus on discipline. It's an important transferrable skill that can potentially benefit you any time. Developing mental discipline is often extremely important in pain management.

The benefits of yoga, or Pilates for that matter, are multiple:

Exercises of this sort--and I class both of these as primarily meditative in nature--has a documented ability to lower anxiety in people.

Exercise also lowers body weight, enhances self-esteem and increases a general sense of well being.

Additionally, a variety of research has proven that anxiety delays physical recovery after surgery or traumatic illness. Why? People who are less anxious sleep better, eat better and are less likely to self-medicate than their peers with higher stress levels.

So it follows that exercise, especially exercise that is more meditative and less aggressive, helps exacerbate recovery.

But beyond that--if that weren't enough--this sort of exercise almost always takes place in groups. And the benefit of getting out and going to a gym, group exercise meeting, medical center, school or church to workout with others is very beneficial in its own rite. Less TV time and more face to face interaction with others makes people less isolated, depressed and yes, anxious.

Please remember--all these benefits aside, a patient should get clearance from their physician before entering into any sort of exercise program. Additionally, the patient should make sure the instructor they are working with is qualified and aware of any physiological restrictions the patient may have. The benefits of yoga, or Pilates for that matter, are multiple:

Exercises of this sort--and I class both of these as primarily meditative in nature--has a documented ability to lower anxiety in people.

Exercise also lowers body weight, enhances self-esteem and increases a general sense of well being.

Additionally, a variety of research has proven that anxiety delays physical recovery after surgery or traumatic illness. Why? People who are less anxious sleep better, eat better and are less likely to self-medicate than their peers with higher stress levels.

So it follows that exercise, especially exercise that is more meditative and less aggressive, helps exacerbate recovery.

But beyond that--if that weren't enough--this sort of exercise almost always takes place in groups. And the benefit of getting out and going to a gym, group exercise meeting, medical center, school or church to workout with others is very beneficial in its own rite. Less TV time and more face to face interaction with others makes people less isolated, depressed and yes, anxious.

Please remember--all these benefits aside, a patient should get clearance from their physician before entering into any sort of exercise program. Additionally, the patient should make sure the instructor they are working with is qualified and aware of any physiological restrictions the patient may have.