Yoga: A Consolidated Approach to Treat Cancer

The practice of Yoga is mainly adopted to keep harmony between the body and the mind. The literal meaning of Yoga is ‘union’, which means union of the body and the mind. Various body postures with meditation and breathing exercises are a part of Yoga, and this practice is performed in India for thousands of years. Ashtanga Yoga includes eight limbs or eight stages of Yoga which helps in attaining mental, physical, and spiritual well-being in humans by regularly practising it. Yoga practice can cure many diseases, and it is beneficial in cancer patients who have received chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Fatigue, body pain, psychological stress is associated with cancer patients undergoing therapies, and Yoga practice is found to alleviate these symptoms in patients and promotes quick recovery. Many randomized control trials have been done to show the beneficial effects of Yoga in cancer patients, irrespective of the type of cancer that caused the disease. This chapter discusses the effects of Yoga practice in cancer patients and underscores the importance of Yoga in cancer therapy.

Keywords: Cancer, Chemotherapy, Fatigue, Yoga.