What the research says

Yoga is an exercise practice originating in India, whose roots, according to today's scientific knowledge, go back to about 1’500 BC. While the yoga exercise repertoire initially consisted exclusively of concentration and meditation techniques, various physical, breathing and relaxation exercises were added over the centuries. In recent decades, the beneficial and health-promoting effects of yoga have become increasingly popular and various yoga-therapeutic approaches and methods have been developed within the framework of mind-body medicine.

In the meantime, yoga is used worldwide by various renowned hospitals and clinics as a supportive treatment method for cancer, in Switzerland for example in Zurich, Baden, Lucerne, Cham and Thun.

There are already over 100 empirical studies on the topic of yoga for cancer, mainly from the USA, Canada and Germany. The research results indicate that regular yoga practice can significantly reduce treatment side effects such as fatigue in particular, and cancer patients benefit from considerable improvements in the psychosocial sphere, especially with regard to anxiety, depression and stress.

Selected articles and scientific publications on the topic of yoga for cancer can be found under Resources.