Bosom Buddies Yoga

See the science

Behind the benefits of yoga in breast cancer care and recovery

How yoga can help

In numerous studies, yoga has been shown to help in the recovery process following breast surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in the following ways:

  • Cancer fatigue
  • Lymphedema*
  • Range of Motion
  • Quality of life (during diagnosis, treatment, and post-treatment)
  • Balance (caused by cancer fatigue and/or neuropathy)
  • Depression
  • Improved immune system response
  • Improved sleep (reducing cortisol)
  • Decrease in recurrence  (when combined with some form of aerobic activity)
  • Reduced mortality  (when combined with some form of aerobic activity)
  • Sexual side effects (pelvic floor, atrophy) and hot flashes as a result of treatment

*Five years post-op, 5% of patients who have had sentinel lymph node biopsy and 16% of patients who have had axillary lymph node dissection will develop lymphedema.

References

Yoga for Patients with Early Breast Cancer and its Impact on Quality of Life – a Randomized Controlled Trial. F Siedentopf, I Utz-Billing, S Gairing, W Schoenegg, H Kentenich, and I Kollak. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 2013 Apr; 73(4): 311–317. doi:
10.1055/s-0032-1328438: 10.1055/s-0032-1328438

Breast Lymphatics. Rachel M. Rinaldi; Amit Sapra; Lisa S. Bellin. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553093/ (Accessed Jul 10, 2025)

Managing Lymphedema, Increasing Range of Motion, and Quality of Life through Yoga Therapy among Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review. Vasudevan Saraswathi, et al. International Journal of Yoga, Volume 14, Issue 1.  January-April 2021. doi: 10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_73_19

Management of Fatigue in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO-Society for Integrative Oncology Guideline Update. Julienne E Bower, Christina Lacchetti, Yesne Alici, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2024 Jul 10;42(20):2456-2487. doi: 10.1200/JCO.24.00541. 

Association of Physical Activity With Risk of Mortality Among Breast Cancer Survivors. Lie Hong Chen, DrPH; Michael R. Irwin, MD, PhD; Richard Olmstead, PhD; et al. JAMA Network Open. Nov. 17, 2022.

Persistent Cancer-Related Fatigue After Breast Cancer Treatment Predicts Postural Sway and Postexertional Changes in Sit-to-Stand Strategy. Journal Rehabilitation Oncology. June 28, 2022.

The role of yoga in inflammatory markers. Carolina Estevao. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2022 Feb 1;20:100421.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.10042

Yoga for Breast Cancer, Healthline.com. https://www.healthline.com/health/yoga-for-breast-cancer