Yoga for Breast Care

Yoga for Breast Care: What Every Woman Needs to Know (Rodmell Press), written and illustrated by Bobby Clennel.

Breast health is a sensitive subject, and breast problems leave women feeling vulnerable on many levels. In Yoga for Breast Care, senior Iyengar Yoga teacher Bobby Clennell, author of The Woman's Yoga Book and Watch Me Do Yoga, offers a comprehensive program of asana (poses) and pranayama (breathing techniques) to support breast health. Beginning with a description of breast development and structure and the lymphatic and hormonal systems, as well as breast conditions including pain, fibrocystic breasts, dense breasts, and more, Yoga for Breast Care then presents a variety of asana and pranayama divided into categories according to the position the body assumes: standing, sitting, twisting, inverting, bending forward or backward, and lying down. Also included are active and restorative sequences for immunity, energy, cyclic and noncyclic breast pain, cysts, and for pregnancy and nursing mothers. Practices for breast cancer survivors include sequences for those who have recently undergone breast cancer surgery and are receiving intensive chemotherapy or radiation treatment and for those with decreased mobility and numbness in the arm, shoulder, and chest. Whether readers have experienced problems with their breasts or not, this book provides positive and practical methods for raising awareness and regaining confidence in the body.

Through her extensive training in the Iyengar Yoga system, and with women's health issues as a focus, Bobby Clennell has broad experience teaching sequences of postures that give beneficial results. Divided into five parts, this book is designed for beginning and seasoned practitioners:

• Part 1: About the Breasts discusses breast development and structure and the lymphatic and hormonal systems, and gives an overview of yoga poses and how they effect breast health.
• Part 2: Breast Problems describe various breast conditions, including pain, fibrocystic breasts, dense breasts, PMS, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, and breast cancer.
• Part 3: Yoga Poses for Breast Care outlines a variety of asanas and pranayama to help women care for their breasts. Yoga poses are divided into categories: standing, sitting, twisting, inverting, bending forward or backward, and lying down.
• Part 4: Practicing Yoga answers FAQ and offers active and restorative sequences for immunity, energy, PMS, and noncyclic breast pain, cysts, pregnancy, nursing mothers, and breast cancer.
• Part 5: Everyday Breast Care makes lifestyle suggestions.