Cancer Yoga

ardha chandrasana variation

Cancer rules the breasts, breastbone, stomach, digestive system, lower ribs, womb and pancreas.

Prana vayu samana  //  Ayurvedic dosha kapha

Meditation : ajna (third eye chakra)

Pranayama: uddiyana bandha / nauli

Uddiyana bandha and nauli breath should always be performed on empty stomach, bladder and bowels first thing in the morning, and never during menstruation. These are powerful pranayama for digestive regulation. By drawing the visceral organs up into the chest cavity at the end of an exhale, the organs are massaged and detoxified as new blood flow is generated. Nauli is the next step after uddiyana is mastered – this is the “wave” motion that can be coaxed from the abdominal wall while uddiyana is performed. Performing these pranayama without proper technique is dangerous, so I humbly refer any curious kitties to live lessons with your yoga instructor. For those yogis who are especially thin, these exercises may be painful at first and you may experience the sensation of organs slipping and sliding over one another – this is normal. Perform in both a seated position and in utkata konasana (goddess pose), hands resting on inner thighs, back rounded while holding. Practice no more than 5 times a day.

  1. chandra namaskar (moon salutation): start in goddess pose –> straighten legs, with arms overhead and hands clasped, pointer fingers together, lateral flexion from side to side –> trikonasana (triangle pose) on one side –> parsvottanasana (pyramid pose) –> lunge or warrior pose (or even something like chair pose with a twist) –> inner thigh stretch –> malasana (squat) or spider pose –> then reverse, starting with inner thigh stretch on other leg –> lunge or warrior pose –> pyramid pose –> triangle –> goddess –> lateral flexion –> goddess
  2. crescent moon warrior
  3. twists from uttanasana (forward fold) or wide-legged forward fold
  4. ardha chandrasana (half moon pose)
  5. ananda balasana (blissful baby) – try one leg at a time, with sole of the opposite foot resting on the ground, knee bent, then slowly begin to extend this resting leg, inching the sole of the foot away from you

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