The power of taking yoga "off the mat"

The benefits extend far beyond that vinyasa flow

Last Friday was International Yoga Day and so, in last week’s edition, I happened to mention that yoga has been shown to reduce your risk of breast cancer recurrence. 

Perhaps predictably, I got lots of messages about this, some of which accused me of peddling airy-fairy mumbo-jumbo (not in those words, but that’s a fun way to say it), others telling me effusively how yoga has changed their life after cancer treatment, and some very reasonable requests to see the evidence.

I was referring to a randomised control trial presented at last year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which I covered in The Times when it happened. The trial showed that yoga reduced inflammation markers in the bodies of more than 500 cancer patients which, when raised, increase the risk of cancer progression and recurrence.

There is already a lot of evidence linking exercise with reduced risk of recurrence, and the thinking behind this trial is that the stress management benefits of yoga reduce the risk even further, with the ASCO guidance going so far as to say that doctors should prescribe yoga classes to cancer survivors.

Here’s my usual disclaimer about how every cancer diagnosis is different and multifactorial, and you could do everything ‘right’ and still get cancer. I only ever talk about things that can reduce your risk, and would never say that anything ‘prevents’ cancer.

Anyway, I thought I’d go a bit deeper into the benefits of yoga this week. You might have heard people talk about “taking yoga off the mat”, which means adopting a yoga state of mind in everyday life.

How does one do that, you might wonder? Well, I asked the experts…

Keep breathing

This sounds obvious. We’re all breathing, all the time, clearly.
But we all know the feeling where we find ourselves breathing quickly and shallowly, or feel breathless as if we’ve been running (when actually we’re sitting at a desk staring at a pass-agg email). “When we’re stressed or anxious, we need to remind ourselves how to breathe fully using our diaphragm, and not our neck and shoulders,” says Vicky Fox, a yoga teacher and trainer who specialises in yoga for cancer.
“Our breath is the quickest way to impact the nervous system, and so we can breathe in a way that energises us, calms us or creates a sense of balance. This is especially important when recovering from illness, surgery or cancer treatment. Breathing full, conscious diaphragmatic breaths will tell the body it is safe, lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and help systems such as digestion and immunity fully function. It is key to helping the body heal.”

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Be present

Focusing on our breath is one way to be in the present moment. Vicky explains how yoga helps us better manage our responses in difficult situations. “If we can breathe and stay steady in a challenging yoga pose, we can use that learning when someone cuts us up in traffic or is rude to us,” she says. “We create a pause and, in that pause, choose to respond in a calm way. Have you ever re-read an email you wrote when angry and, on reflection, you wouldn’t write the same thing?” Erm… busted. “Your response becomes more measured with time,” she says. “We can’t change what life throws at us, but we can change how we respond. This is empowering because it reminds us that we are the driver and not the passenger in our life.”
Sarah Drai, a teacher at London’s legendary triyoga, agrees. “Without awareness, we tend to repeat the same thought patterns,” she explains. “By turning our attention inward, we become more aware of our thoughts and inner talk and better understand the operating model of our minds.”

Be kinder

Sarah’s point about being more aware of our inner talk leads on to the next idea; cultivating a sense of presence and awareness helps us be more kind.
Vicky tells me about one of the ancient texts on yoga, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which has guidelines for life. “The first one is Ahmisa, which means non-harming,” she says. “We can practise this physically in yoga by listening to our bodies and not pushing into pain, but also in the way we speak to others and ourselves. I don’t know about you, but my worst critic is someone called Vicky who is always in my head!”
Being more compassionate to ourselves and others isn’t just “nice”. It can lead to meaningful change. “As we gain control of our inner talk, we gain self confidence and are better equipped to face the demands of life,” says Sarah. “We’re also better equipped to create the life we want. This self-realisation is the purpose of yoga.”

And kindness is contagious, so the benefits will spread. 

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A post shared by @triyogauk

Of course, you can practise all of the above without doing yoga. But the great thing about yoga is that it’s so freely available, with online classes much more affordable than studio ones. Although, if you have the time and resources, getting to an IRL yoga class is not only beneficial in terms of community and social connection, but also it will ensure that you actually do it (I can’t be the only person who’s abandoned an online class when distracted by a bleep from my inbox).

“Simply stepping into a yoga class to avoid constant distractions and allocate an hour to yourself can be very healing,” says Sarah. “The practice requires us to remain present during the class, focusing on the breath and movement and letting go of the constant flow of information, reminders and news around us.”

I personally love yin yoga, where you hold deep stretches for several minutes at a time. It’s more like meditation than exercise, but the stillness is so nourishing as a break from the frenetic world. It’s worth experimenting to find what works for you.

This week, there is a 20% discount at triyoga and Vicky Fox Yoga for all full subscribers to Well Well Well.

Vicky Fox online classes are perfect if you’ve been through cancer treatment, with modifications for everything from fatigue and stiffness to cording and lymphoedema. The discount can be used on monthly or annual subscriptions.
At triyoga, you can book individual classes or save big by buying 240 credits for £240 (£60 off with this discount, earning you back more than the price of your subscription in one fell swoop). Valid across all of their London studios and online classes.

Scroll down for the codes.

This week I’m…

Inspired by Sharmadean Reid’s New Methods for Women: A Manifesto for Independence

Doing a deep dive into nutritional supplements in the Telegraph (with advice from the brilliant Dr Emily Leeming)

Fascinated by Hannah Marriott’s excellent Guardian article on how Gen Z is pioneering fashion’s ugly decade (although I do really want to give those kids a hug and warn them they’ll regret overplucking their brows…)