#integrativetherapy

Going beyond your doctor’s office can help you feel better! The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently endorsed the Society of Integrative Oncology’s recommendations regarding the use of Integrative Therapies during and after breast cancer treatment.  Here's what's recommended: Music therapy, meditation, stress management, and yoga are recommended for anxiety/stress reduction. Meditation, relaxation, yoga, massage, and music therapy are recommended for depression/mood disorders. Meditation and yoga are recommended to improve quality of life. Acupressure and acupuncture are recommended for reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

International Yoga Day Bonus!

Celebrate with some of these relaxing poses from Yoga Journal :

1) The Hip Walk: 

Begin by sitting on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. As you inhale, consciously elongate your spine upward through the crown of your head so that the pelvis tilts slightly forward and the back is straight. Alternate scooting or lifting first one hip and then the other forward until you have moved to the front edge of your mat. Then "walk" your hips backward in the same way. Continue walking forward and backward for a few minutes or as long a sit feels comfortable. Use deep breaths and abdominal contraction on exhalation.

BENEFITS: Boosts energy, activates pelvic and abdominal muscles and massages organs, helps lymph drainage

2) The Cormorant

Begin sitting on a chair with both arms extended out in front of you, parallel to the floor or at a slightly higher angle. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees. Throughout the movement, keep the lower arms perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other, with each hand directly above its respective elbow. Keeping the arms and elbows at shoulder height or slightly higher when moving them allows gravity to facilitate lymph drainage down the arms and into the chest. Exhale as you bring the elbows toward each other in front of you. Be sure to keep the forearms parallel to each other—do not let the hands come any closer to each other than the elbows are able to come. Then, inhale and fill your lungs to capacity to open the chest upward as you open the arms as far out to each side as they'll go. Maintain each hand directly above each elbow. Continue moving through this practice for as long as it feels comfortable. Start small, with a few repetitions; you can build to 8 or 10 repetitions over the course of a few weeks. Rest as needed.

BENEFITS: Activates and strengthens the midriff and chest muscles; encourages healing after lymph node dissection

3) The Silly Teapot

Sit on an armless chair and place your left hand on your left hip for support when you start moving. Imagine that your torso is a teapot that you are filling as you inhale. Lengthen the spine upward from the tailbone to the crown of the head. Lift the right arm alongside your right ear, pointing the hand toward the ceiling (or bend your right elbow and cup the back of your head with your hand). On an exhalation, bend sideways to the left in a flat plane. Imagine that you are pouring the tea out through the right hand or elbow. Keep your chest open and your shoulders stacked (no twisting or turning) as you tilt sideways, with both sides of the torso long. Return to the vertical position on the inhalation. Repeat the same movement on the other side.

BENEFITS: Activates the inner and outer intercostal muscles (the muscles between the ribs) to help support deeper, freer breathing; stimulates the upward flow of lymph fluid through the trunk of the body and the downward flow of lymph through the arms 

4) The Cat Purrs

Sit erect and comfortable on the front edge of your chair with your feet on the floor or supported by a cushion. Place your palms on your knees. Exhale as you tuck your tailbone in and point it forward to round your pelvis and lower back. Continue rounding along the entire spine and tuck your chin toward your chest as you extend the arms forward on the thighs. Then, inhale as you point your tailbone down toward the floor, drawing your hands up along your thighs. Elongate up through the spine to a gentle arch. Lift the chest upward. Exhale each time you tuck and round; inhale each time you extend and elongate. Remember to purr as you relax into the movements of this sequence, enjoying whatever range of motion you have along the forward and backward axis of the spine.

BENEFITS: Increases spinal flexibility; encourages abdominal strength

5) The Winding Twist

Stay seated in your chair, lengthen your spine, and reach the crown of your head toward the sky. Rest your feet on the floor, with each knee directly above each ankle. Place your left hand behind you, palm down on the chair seat, and extend the right arm out in front of you, parallel to the floor. Follow that hand with your gaze as you exhale and twist to the left, palm facing left, from the base of the spine. Invite that right arm to stay parallel to the floor. Time your exhalation to finish when you reach the full range of your twist. Then inhale as your right arm returns, with the palm turned in the direction of the movement. As you continue inhaling, let the arm sweep around to the right side of the body. Continue coordinating the breath with the movement and rest at the first sign of tiredness or muscle fatigue. Switch sides and continue for as long as it is comfortable.

BENEFITS:  Stimulates muscles along the spine; massages the internal organs

6) The Settling Self

Lie on your back on a cushioned mat and rest your calves on a chair at a height that allows your knees to be at a 90-degree angle. Rest your arms away from your torso, off to the sides, elbows slightly elevated on soft pillows, and place your hands on your abdomen. You can let the eyes close or use an eye pillow if that feels comfortable. Exhale and draw your abdominal muscles toward the spine as you breathe, and imagine the energy generated from your practice flowing through your palms to nourish your center. Reflect on the miracle of being alive and invite your conscious imagination to direct healing energy through the breath to every cell, every muscle, every tissue, every organ, and every system in the body so that you are envisioning physical, mental, emotional, and energetic healing. Rest here in the center of your being, restoring and renewing the life within you.

BENEFITS:  Gravity helps the lymph fluids passively drain toward the front of the chest, where they enter the blood supply to be cleaned by the body's organs of elimination; helps circulation and the drainage of lymphatic fluid; calms and balances the nervous system and settles the mind