Yoga Michigan
Uniting all seekers on their quest for Truth
Can yoga cure cancer?
Q: I have read many articles about the benefits of yoga, including some that say that it can help or even cure cancer. What is your opinion on this?
A: Since you ask for my opinion, I will say that yes, it can help and in some cases, even cure cancer. Before causing an uproar with critics however, this is not to say that taking a yoga class once or twice a week will miraculously cure everyone who has cancer. There is more to it than that.
In yoga we teach that there are 5 sheaths, or layers, to a human being - physical, pranic
(life force), mental, wisdom, and causal. When these bodies are not in harmony, it can cause imbalances and eventually lead to disease. Some yoga studies say that up to 90% of all diseases have a psychological basis. Cancer especially is a disease in which the body declares war on itself.
We often hear expressions such as "so-and-so is battling cancer." In the yogic way of thinking, however, this is not the correct way to deal with a disease. We advise patients to make friends with their cancer. Accept that they did something wrong over the years to create an environment that started the disease process, and then work with their body so that the cancer will no longer find it a hospitable host. Health is the natural state of the body, they just need to rediscover that state.
I would say that to get full benefit of yoga for cancer, there are three requirments: 1) a strong desire to become well; 2) faith in yourself and the methods; and 3) a constant and persistent effort. For those who lack one or more of these factors, yoga can still help reduce pain and discomfort as well as improve one's mental well-being. No two persons are alike, so results would vary with each patient.
