photo: Mike Baird/Creative Commons via flickr
DCL
Not too long ago researchers at the University of Texas got awarded $4.5 million to study how yoga can help women with breast cancer. Continuing on that theme: YogaDork is highlighting a new study to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting that shows that a regular yoga practice has some serious benefits for cancer recovery more broadly.
Called YOCAS, the four-week program involved sessions of hatha and restorative yoga twice a week for 75 minutes each, in combination with breathing exercises and meditation. Among the 410 participants, who were divided into yoga and traditional follow-up care groups, those practicing yoga recorded nearly double the improvement in sleep quality and reduction of fatigue compared to those not practicing yoga. They also reported better quality of life overall, [Karen Mustian from the University of Rochester Medical Center] says. "And the yoga group had all of these benefits while reducing their use of sleep medication," she says.
Nothing like some solid clinical back-up for something which yoga instructors and gurus have been saying for some time. As YogaDork says "Yay for Yoga!"
