therapeutic Yoga
For WOMEN living with & beyond
Breast Cancer
Rhyanne is passionate about supporting Women through their journey with Breast Cancer using the mind-body practice of Yoga. She has undertaken specific oncology yoga training in order to skilfully and safely adapt the practice to meet changing needs of each individual holistically. The sessions are suitable for Women who have recently been diagnosed, recovering from surgery, managing treatment symptoms / side effects, in remission.
WORK WITH ME :
Rhyanne offers small group classes and 1-2-1 sessions for Women across West Essex.
Rhyanne has recently been awarded funding to run an 8 week therapeutic yoga course to support Women with Breast Cancer, starting in October 2023. The funding covers the full cost of attending the classes so participants can attend for Free (also welcome to bring a friend / family member for support ).
The classes are based in our comfortable studio in Epping.
No previous yoga experience is necessary. The classes will include movement, breathing techniques, deep relaxation. All equipment is provided. Booking is required as spaces are limited.
With thanks to Active Essex, Find Your Active and The London Marathon Foundation for supporting this project.
DATES: Sunday 1st October - Sunday 19th November
TIME: 10am - 11.15am
VENUE: Epping Golf Club (studio upstairs)
COST : Free of charge. You are welcome to bring a friend / family member along with you for support
Parking available on site
Why yoga for Breast Cancer?
Yoga Therapy can offer a variety of benefits to support those who have experienced Breast Cancer. From improving mental and physical wellbeing, symptom management and general quality of life. Read below for more detailed insight into how Yoga might help you on your journey with Breast Cancer. Due to its therapeutic nature, these classes are complementary to cancer care treatments.
These small-group sessions draw upon the ancient teachings of yoga within a scientific evidence-base, meaning that the practices you will be guided through have been chosen for their specific therapeutic benefit, guided by the latest research and scientific understanding. Weekly simple, evolving and modifiable practices to meet each individual where they are at.
Cancer related fatigue & Sleep disturbance
‘Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) often co-occurs with sleep disturbance and is one of the most pervasive toxicities resulting from cancer and its treatment’ (Lin et al., 2019) A nationwide study found Yoga therapy to be effective for treating Cancer-Related Fatigue, in part due to its effect on improving sleep.
During these specialist classes you will be given the tools to confidently include the use of micro-rests in your day. Rest is incredibly important for those undergoing treatment or in recovery, regular micro-rests allow the body & mind to receive many of the benefits associated with sleep. These sessions will help you to learn how to listen to your body and identify what you need on any given day.
The practice of yoga has also been shown down regulate the sympathetic nervous system (flight and fight mode) and reduce stress hormones which can impair our ability to fall asleep at night time. Yogic practices have been shown in many studies to improve quality of sleep and time taken to fall asleep.
A 2019 study concluded that ‘Oncologists should consider prescribing yoga to cancer survivors for treating CRF and sleep disturbance’ (Lin et al., 2019)
Stress Reduction
Navigating your way through or beyond cancer treatment can be a stressful time.
It is well documented that Yoga can improve mood, reduce anxiety and depression. Holistic by nature, yoga simultaneously impacts mind and body. It was concluded by Cramer et al, in a 2012 study that ‘Yoga can be recommended as an intervention to improve psychological health during breast cancer treatment’.
Another study in 2018 suggests that ‘Yoga has an effective role in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression’ (Azami et al., 2018)
Quality of Life
Life with Cancer is still Life.
Yoga Therapy is especially useful in improving quality of life for individuals with breast cancer, as it uses a whole-person approach to improving wellbeing. This means that not only will you be working on supporting the body and mind via the more commonly known practices such as yoga asana (postures) pranayama (breathing techniques) meditation and deep relaxation. But, Yoga Therapy also offers a lense to explore other components that make the individual a whole-person. It offers a framework to explore what in life brings the individual a sense of joy and how they can more deeply connect to their own wisdom and intuition through the medium of yoga philosophy teachings and reflections. It empowers a sense of personal autonomy and is highly adaptable therefore able to meet the person where they are at on any given day.
‘Yoga practices comprising of relaxation techniques reduce many side effects and improve the QOL of women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer’ (Saini, Prakash and Pugazhendi, 2020)
Our findings indicate that women with a diagnosis of breast cancer can use yoga as supportive therapy for improving their quality of life and mental health, in addition to standard cancer treatments. (Cramer et al., 2017)
Effects of yoga were shown on QoL, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms (Olsson Möller, Beck, Rydén and Malmström, 2019)
Moderate‐quality evidence supports the recommendation of yoga as a supportive intervention for improving health‐related quality of life and reducing fatigue and sleep disturbances when compared with no therapy, as well as for reducing depression, anxiety and fatigue, when compared with psychosocial/educational interventions. (Cramer et al., 2017)