Regular yoga practice offers many benefits, including improved flexibility, increased muscle strength, prevention of cartilage and joint breakdown, and increased bone health. Yoga for cancer patients, however, offers a host of additional benefits, many of which empower patients to take back control of their lives.

Yoga4Cancer (y4c) is a class offered to cancer patients and survivors through the Westminster Recreation & Outreach Center (WROC) and taught by Shawna Locke, a Yoga4Cancer certified instructor.

“Yoga4Cancer is an evidence-based methodology of constructing a yoga practice specifically for cancer patients and survivors, taking into account the physical, mental, and emotional tolls that surgeries and treatments take on the body and mind,” explained Shawna, a y4c instructor since 2018.

“Cancer and its treatments wreak havoc on the body and mind,” said Shawna. “The y4c methodology is conscious of that, and incorporates breathing exercises and movements to stimulate the immune system, rebuild bone density, improve strength and flexibility, and reduce anxiety.”

In addition to the physical benefits, the y4c classes offer a host of other benefits, including building a sense of community. “I’ve heard many of my class attendees discussing doctors, treatments, and side effects before and after class. In one of the first y4c classes that I taught, a woman brought a shoebox full of wigs to share with others who were currently going through chemotherapy,” recalled Shawna.

"Witnessing the support and love they show for one another has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a yoga teacher.”

For more information about the y4c classes and all our Fall 2022 fitness classes, visit the website at wroc.westminster-church.org or contact WROC director Kathy Long at 412-835-6630x200.