‘Downward dog’ helps prostate cancer survivors

CALGARY- You won’t see any complicated head stand poses in the yoga class at the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre. In fact, the men there don’t consider it a yoga class at all.

“This is more of a stretching, weight lifting and trying to get used to what happens after the operation so you don’t hurt yourself class,” explains Gary Cain.

Cain underwent surgery for early stage prostate cancer seven weeks ago, and has since been taking part in the program developed by the University of Calgary’s health and wellness lab.

“What we’ve done is brought together some of the resistance exercises that we’ve seen loads of positive benefits from, and then we’ve added yoga-type stretching to that program which is based on recent research that’s been done,” says Lisa Daroux-Cole, program co-ordinator for the Strength and Stretch program.

The class is based on the research of University of Calgary Kinesiology investigator Nicole Culos-Reed, who recently published a study on the therapeutic effect yoga can have for prostate cancer survivors. That study found yoga helped men battle one of the major side effects associated with treatment: fatigue.

“Its been remarkable how we’ve seen improvements to cardiovascular health and improvements in strength, but on another side reduced anxiety, reduced stress and improved coping,” Daroux-Cole explains.

Participants have also experienced an unexpected psychological benefit from the class.

“It’s a group of guys that have gone through the same thing,” says John White. “It reminds me of group therapy, we don’t need a psychologist, we have each other.”

The strength and stretch class is currently only available at the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre, but organizers are working with the City of Calgary Parks and Recreation department in the hopes of offering the class at other locations.

Prostate Cancer Canada is also helping the team disseminate the program nationally.