Yoga: Energy & Core Stability For Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Yoga Core Pose

As I prepare for this weekend’s Master Yoga Class on CORE Stability and its affect on recovery wellness I can’t help but think about it’s true relevance. Core stability is a misunderstood term. When we think of CORE we usually identify it with the abdominal muscles groups, and stability as a form of resistance exercise.  Although in actuality CORE consists of much more, (transverse abdominis, internal obliques, external obliques, rectus abdominis), hip abductors/ adductors, hip flexors, and lumbar spine. In addition, the lumbar spine is primarily responsible for posture and stability. Strengthening our lumbar spine calls upon strengthen of our abdominals. Here we can  provide the strength needed for stability, especially when rebuilding our recovery. 

CORE is the foundation upon which the rest of our functional strength is built. Strengthening the body’s ability to hold poses in a controlled and safe manner calls upon more. It calls upon our breath. How important is our breath to CORE stability? Well, our breath is key to regaining energy and building CORE strength. When exploring yoga poses we want to combine proper breathing to exercise. The diaphragm muscles when activated help to train an effective yoga pose, which both make better use of the body's energy. The breath is pure energy when drawn in. It fills us wide and full. It becomes the pose. Increased awareness and efficiency of breathing is one of the most unexpected benefits of a yoga practice.We use only a fraction of their lung capacity when breathing. This is an untrained, unconscious breath. Usually we only use the upper lungs instead of engaging the diaphragm and drawing air into the lower lungs. This results in inefficient oxygen exchange and premature exhaustion. University of California research and elsewhere studied the effects of yoga on athletic capability. The studies show that as little as 8 weeks of yoga can lead to significant increases in flexibility and strength. What was surprising, however, was that there were relatively large increases in lung capacity and VO2 (volume of oxygen) max. This means that yoga has been shown to increase endurance! Learn to use the capacity of your entire lungs and watch your endurance increase. Now I know that it isn’t just the pose alone; it is the pose and the breath that brings back energy and stability.

Diana Ross, E-RYT500
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