Perceived Health Benefits From Yoga Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to describe the health benefits reported by breast cancer survivors following an 8-week yoga intervention. Design. This phenomenological study employed three focus groups with six breast cancer survivors each (n = 18) following the yoga intervention. Setting. The focus groups and yoga classes were conducted in a large hospital in a midsized town in the Midwest. Subjects. Eighteen female breast cancer survivors who were at least 9 months posttreatment participated in the focus groups following the 8-week yoga intervention. Intervention. An 8-week yoga intervention designed specifically for this population was led by a yoga therapist. Measures. A semistructured interview guide was utilized to guide each focus group. Analysis. Interpretative phenomenological analysis methods were employed to explore breast cancer survivors' experiences after participating in an 8-week yoga intervention. Results. The findings revealed that the women in the study found health promoting benefits in the areas of physical health and healing, mental health and healing, and social health and healing. Conclusions. Yoga may be an important tool in the healing process for breast cancer survivors.