Strength & Stretch/Gentle Exercise
What you’ll need: A yoga mat, a pillow, a cushion, or a blanket
About the Class
This 20-minute guided yoga practice combines gentle strengthening exercises with longer stretches. It creates balance between feeling strength and ease. You can practice Strength & Stretch/Gentle Exercise from the comfort of your home or office.
Tara, a certified yoga therapist, shares tips to help you find a comfortable seated position. Then, follow along as Tara provides gentle instruction with a focus on breathing. Slowly, she will ease into a series of guided stretches. Quiet instrumental music throughout the video helps promote a peaceful feeling.
Note: This is a good class to do prior to starting treatment or after you have your doctor’s okay to do weight-bearing physical activity. If you are in the middle of recovery and feeling weak or tired, honor what your body can do now. Avoid doing anything that’s painful or uncomfortable.
Caregivers: You can also do this class to promote strength as you help your loved one through difficult times.
How can yoga be helpful?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, yoga can help improve strength and flexibility and promote relaxation and better sleep. Other benefits may include reduced stress, a brighter mood, and a boost in energy.
Worry, stress, fear, and anxiety are all normal responses to a cancer diagnosis. Practicing yoga can benefit your body and mind during times of stress and illness. However, there may be important precautions to consider based on your personal health needs. If you have questions about what is safe for you, check with your healthcare provider.
We will meet peaks of physical intensity with the breath and then recover by softening and slowing down to stretch. This is similar in life because sometimes we need and want to be strong. Other times, it’s necessary to just be vulnerable, process emotions, and have grace for your cancer journey.
About Tara
Tara is a trauma-informed yoga therapist (C-IAYT, TIYT) and the creator of LOV Yoga, a yoga and wellness business. She was inspired to start LOV Yoga because of her own deep connection with cancer as a caregiver and through losing her husband to melanoma in 2016. Practicing yoga and mindfulness during that time helped Tara find a sense of healing within. Tara has over 1,200 hours of accredited yoga training and 8 years of teaching experience, largely focused around cancer care, grief, trauma, and perinatal support.
