When discussing breast health, most women know that breastfeeding, menses, pregnancy, menopause, and perimenopause can and will all affect their breasts and breast health. And to be honest, apart from promoting the importance of regular self-breast exams, breast health doesn’t really get much more attention, or at least, little is mentioned about yoga poses and exercises for healthy breasts that women may try.
That said, in this article, the experts from Breast Care Center Miami bring you some of the best yoga poses for breast health.
Exercises for Healthy Breasts: How Can Yoga Help?
Unfortunately, Western cultural attitudes differ widely from the cultural patterns of the Eastern world. While we are all accustomed to seeing bare breasts in advertising, public breastfeeding is frowned upon, and general breast health exercises and their importance are often overlooked.
In the meanwhile, around the world, especially in Hindu and tantric iconography, bare-breasted goddesses embody a more sacred view of breasts. These goddesses are courageous, open-hearted, and brave; their chests are associated with confidence, courage, and love.
On the note of healthy breasts, well-rounded yoga sessions may offer several benefits. According to some experts, expanding the muscles, the tissue, and the networks in the breasts may help with improving circulation and the work of the lymphatic system, leading to improved immune function.
More generally, yoga exercises and poses can help practitioners boost their immunity and reduce stress. That said, there’s some available research that suggests a positive correlation between breast cancer and stress responses, especially in relapse and resurgence, and also between survival rates and relaxation responses.
Yoga may also help practitioners become more involved in engaging in other forms of exercise, further reducing cancer and cardiovascular risks.
Breast Anatomy and Breast Health
To gain a better understanding of how yoga practice can influence this vital region of the body, let’s briefly delve into its anatomy. The breasts, also known as mammary glands, consist of lobules, specialized glandular structures responsible for milk production in women. These lobules feed into ducts, forming connections that transport milk to the nipple. Positioned between the glandular tissue and ducts are adipose cells and connective tissue. (In males, breast anatomy is nearly identical to that of females, with the exception of milk lobules.) It’s worth noting that breasts lack muscle tissue but are situated adjacent to the pectoralis muscles in the upper chest. Furthermore, the breasts, the surrounding armpit area, the upper chest, and the groin regions house intricate networks of blood vessels, lymph glands, and lymph nodes that serve to filter and eliminate impurities from the body.
Yoga For Breast Health: The Best Yoga Exercises for Healthy Breasts
Child’s Pose
This pose helps compress the front portion of the body while lengthening the back. To perform it, you just need to kneel on your carpet or mat while bending over your legs. While leaning forward, you should draw your hips to your heels and drape your belly over the thighs. Your forehead should rest on the floor (you can use a soft padding layer or a folded blanket for this).
Warrior II
This pose may help improve lymphatic drainage in the breasts when you lift your arms above your shoulders at a higher angle.
To perform this yoga pose for breast health, step out with your feet at least a leg-length apart. Your right foot should be forward with your right knee bent to the point when it aligns over the ankle. Then, turn your left foot inside, slightly toward your right foot. Then, plant your left foot as firmly as you can to strengthen your left inner thigh. Then, open your arms as a “T” while looking at the middle finger on your right hand and drawing your shoulder blades backward. As mentioned above, lift your arms a bit higher to improve lymphatic drainage, and hold the pose for 8 to 10 longer breathing cycles, then switch.
Reclining Supine Twist
This pose may also help you improve lymphatic drainage as you expand the front of the chest.
Lie flat on your back and bring your knees toward your chest. Cross one knee over the other and gently rotate them to the opposite side of the upper knee. Stretch your arms outward from the center of your chest, or position them in a “cactus arms” configuration to enhance lymphatic drainage. Take a deep breath in, allowing your shoulders to relax against the floor, and turn your gaze in the direction opposite to that of your knees.
Matsyasana/Fish Pose
This pose will lengthen your sides. To perform it, you need to lie on your back while arching it as you lift your sternum’s center. Make sure that your elbows are bent, pressing your forearms on the floor with the backs of each hand. Your toes should be pointing upward while you aim to breathe through the body.
Savasana/Corpse Pose
This yoga pose for breast health is capable of switching the nervous system into its parasympathetic state, allowing deep relaxation and boosting the immune system.
Recline on your back with your arms extended a few inches away from your hips, palms facing up and open. Keep your legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Place a rolled-up blanket under your knees to provide back support. If you have any cervical spine concerns, consider adding a small roll of blanket or towel (about an inch thick) under the base of your skull to maintain the natural curve of your neck. Optionally, you can cover your eyes with an eye pillow or blindfold and create a dim environment in the room. Dedicate 10 minutes to relaxation in this position.
Seated Spinal Twist
In this pose, practitioners expand the chest, release the shoulders, and rotate the thoracic spine, which may help detoxify the back organs and help the lymphatic system’s function. It also helps expand the chest.
To perform this pose, you need to sit comfortably on your mat and extend your left leg forward while bending your right knee. Also, pick up your right foot, step it outside the left leg, and ground it to the floor. Maintain the left leg in a straight position for a level one modification, or if you prefer the traditional variation, bend the left knee and place the left foot on the outside of the right hip. Extend your left arm overhead, then bend at the elbow, wrapping it around the right knee. Draw the right knee in towards your abdomen. Turn your gaze towards the right shoulder, expanding and aligning the collarbones as you do. Continue elongating your spine and take deep breaths. Ground your sit bones into the floor. Hold this posture for a minimum of 8 slow breath cycles, then repeat on the opposite side.
Reach Out For More Breast Health Tips
Yoga has several health benefits, both physical and mental, meaning that incorporating a few sessions in your exercise routine may bring you positive benefits, affecting your breast health as well. Still, if you want to learn more about healthy breasts and what else you can do to keep them healthy, schedule an appointment with us today.
