Yoga exercises help recovery after breast cancer surgery

Introduction: 62 breast cancer patients after surgery were divided into two groups. One group practiced yoga twice a week, and the other group did not participate in yoga. After 6 weeks, the patients who participated in the yoga class were better at walking, climbing stairs, and lifting heavy objects than the control group, and had good wound healing and mental health. This is a new research result released by the Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in the United States.

Guo Jian, a specially hired expert at the Vocational and Technical Education Center of the Ministry of Education and principal of Guo Jian Yoga School, said: "Yoga is a fitness method that integrates body and mind and is very suitable for patients recovering from breast cancer. Some yoga movements, such as chest expansion exercises, cow face exercises, and one-handed wind blowing tree exercises, can also stimulate breast tissue activity and prevent scar contracture of surgical wounds and swelling of the affected arm." She herself is also a breast cancer patient. She has been practicing yoga after surgery. So far, she has not found any recurrence or metastasis of cancer cells.

At the same time, practicing yoga can also broaden thinking, improve bad emotions, and help cancer patients restore self-confidence. A healthy and positive attitude may even exceed the efficacy of drugs.

When practicing yoga, breast cancer patients should pay attention to moving slowly and stretching as much as possible within a safe and comfortable range. When practicing, pay attention to correct breathing and do not hold your breath. To insist on practicing every day, you can choose a fixed time or practice in sections.

Yoga movements for breast cancer recovery and chest expansion exercises

Chest expansion exercise: Take a sitting or standing position, keep the spine straight, your legs at right angles to the ground, and hold your hands behind your back or grab the chair. Inhale, expand your chest and tilt back, pull your chin upward, look back, adjust your breathing more than 5 times, and repeat the exercise 3 to 5 times.

Ox Face Exercise: Sit or stand, keep your spine straight. Inhale, stretch the affected arm upward; exhale, bend the elbow and palm as close as possible to the shoulder blade, bend the other arm below the elbow and back, and hold your hands back with your palms crossed. If you cannot connect your hands behind your back with a towel, adjust your breathing more than 5 times, and repeat the exercise 3 to 5 times.

One-handed wind blowing tree posture: Take a standing position, keep the spine straight, inhale and raise the arm on the affected side, as close as possible to behind the ears. The other arm naturally hangs on the side of the body or holds the chair back. When inhaling again, the arm drives the spine as much as possible. Stretch upward, when exhaling, the arm drives the spine to slowly bend, adjust your breathing more than 5 times, and repeat the exercise 3 to 5 times alternately. (Editor in charge: Teng Yun)