Chair Yoga For Leukemia (Blood Cancer): Chair Yoga For Bone Marrow And Immune System
This week I got the pleasure to be a speaker and teach a chair yoga class for Leukaemia Care (Your Blood Cancer Charity) as part of their Wellbeing Workshop where individuals impacted by leukemia and their families got to experience how a chair yoga gentle class can help them.
I was joined by Marguerite from MacMillan Move Morewho covered cancer and physical activity and Pinky who talked about how the stress of a diagnosis affects the body & tips to help manage the psychological impact.
One of the main reasons that people with cancer take part in chair yoga is because it makes them feel good. During the chair yoga class, the different postures and breathing techniques help the patients and their families to calm their mind so that they can cope better with their cancer and its treatment as well as the symptoms and side effects such as pain, tiredness, sleep problems and depression.
Chair yoga is a great gentle practice that respects the student's body and their discomfort while creating a customised yoga sequence for them as symptoms can vary from student to student. Each pose can be adapted to each individual student following their own fitness and flexibility level. Also, checking their energy levels. For example, a restorative chair yoga sequence for students post chemotherapy or radiation and at times even after a bone marrow transplant. These poses are done with support to help reduce body pain, lethargy, insomnia, heaviness, etc., that can be practiced on any single day of the week.
Prior to start chair yoga, the students need to check with their doctor and if ok, chair yoga can help improve the quality of life of the student.
Benefits of chair yoga for Leukemia patients (as per 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Report)
Provide provide physical and emotional support for those with leukemia specifically;
Improve sleep;
Meditative breathing helps to clear the mental fog of chemotherapy;
Stretches help decrease stress levels and rebuild the immune system.
During the chair yoga session, the different poses addressed the neck, upper back, chest, rib cage, stomach and spleen, lower back, hips, spine and more importantly the tailbone.
Ended the class with a guided meditation that you can also practice here:
Please consult with your doctor to ensure you can do chair yoga or any questions you may have.
For more information, check Leukaemia Care Org website and resources in this link: https://shop.leukaemiacare.org.uk/collections/information-booklets
If you want to know more about chair yoga contact sara@flowithme.com or visit www.flowithme.com for further information to organize your own class.