I Have Breast Cancer
Activities
The Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation Support Program offers an array of free activities, from yoga classes to art-therapy workshops. We can also refer you to other services. It is a nice way to spend some fun quality time and gain support from women who are living through similar experiences.
Given by professionals, these activities are meant to guide you in your quest in achieving a certain degree of well-being. All professionals and their workshops have been approved by the Foundation. Yoga classes and art therapy are available in Montreal, Laval, and Quebec City.
Consult upcoming events and workshops
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conducted a study confirming the numerous benefits of the Foundation's Program
A study carried out by ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) in 2006 reported that yoga participants had greater physical and social activities, a better perception of their health, lower levels of fatigue and improved sleep than patients who do not practice yoga during their battle against breast cancer. There was no significant improvement in affective states such as anxiety and depression between the two groups during the study.
Source: ASCO 2006 abstract 8505 – L. Cohen & al
For more information on the Sérénité Program, contact us or download the Sérénité brochure.
Yoga and meditation
Anxiety caused by medical treatment and surgical interventions for breast cancer does generate muscular tension. Several studies have shown that practicing light exercise, such as yoga, can contribute to energizing bodily functions which in turn, improves sleep, reduces side effects of the treatments and promotes post-surgical healing. These yoga sessions do not require any special athletic skills and help find peace of mind.
The benefits of Yoga, by Diane Blouin, Yoga instructor for Sérénité.
Yoga and Breast Cancer
In 1999, a few days after her 40th birthday, Dominique Lanctôt found out she had breast cancer. While searching for comfort to better cope with chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, she became acquainted with a wise man from India, Madan Bali.
Today, at 84 years old, Bali has developed his own yoga method and has already helped many women during the course of their breast cancer. Dominique Lanctôt benefited so much from her experience that she decided to abandon her practice as a psychologist to share her discovery with women who have breast cancer.
“In 2004, Dominique applied for a psychology doctorate and said she wanted to scientifically measure the accuracy of the Bali method in people undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer,” said psychology professor Gilles Dupuis, who directed her doctoral thesis.
Ongoing since October 2007, the study follows one hundred women who either have undergone partial surgery of the breast or are being treated with chemotherapy. The patients are to participate in eight yoga sessions in small groups, once a week for a duration of 90 minutes. Between each session, they can continue to exercise at home with the help of a DVD. Their quality of life and their physical and psychological health are evaluated by questionnaires before and after the parameters of study.
The Bali Method
Gilles Dupuis received training from the master of the Bali Method in his Montréal yoga centre. “What is different with the Bali method compared to other yoga methods is the connection it makes between the mind, body and soul” explains Gilles Dupuis. “Our thoughts and our emotions affect our physiological reactions”. By exercising, women learn to develop positive thinking which helps them regain control of their body and better manage the stress generated from the disease and its treatments.
“The method’s other distinctive aspect,” says the professor, “is that it is not important to perfectly execute the yoga postures. Exercises must be done respecting to the body’s limits.” The method also offers specific exercises for women who have breast cancer. “For example, after the removal of the lymph nodes, the exercises help the affected arm to regain flexibility”, explains Gilles Dupuis.
Source: Journal L'UQAM, vol. XXXV, no 6 (November 10, 2008) – Free translation: Lynda Lajeunesse
Art therapy and breast cancer, why?
Art therapy offers a favorable environment for women affected by breast cancer. It allows them to express themselves through art, drawing, or writing. Art therapy is practiced under the artistic and therapeutic supervision of a specialized professional.
Women can freely and safely express their traumatic memories in depth, in the form of various artistic works during art therapy workshops. These expression techniques help affected women to open up their minds, allowing them to create a new environment which helps them achieve a certain degree of self-confidence and serenity.
Comments from Violaine Dasseville, art therapist, workshop animator at the Foundation