A close friend and fellow yoga teacher recently asked me this question —”What Yoga Poses Do You Recommend After Breast Cancer Surgery?” – she’d just been through surgery herself and wanted to know where to start with yoga poses after breast surgery. It’s one of the most common questions I get, and honestly, one of the most important.
So here’s my honest answer: all of them. Every pose has something to offer. The real question isn’t which poses — it’s what do you need right now?
After breast surgery, that list of needs is usually long. Scar tissue. Restricted range of motion. Loss of strength in the arms and upper body. Protective posturing — that instinct to round forward and guard the chest that can become a habit if you’re not careful. Fatigue. Stress. And depending on your surgery, possible risk of lymphedema. These aren’t caused by cancer itself — they’re the side effects of treatment. And practicing yoga poses after breast surgery, with the right guidance, can help you address all of them.
When someone asks about post-surgery poses specifically, I hear an underlying concern about the upper body — the chest, the arms, the back, the breath. So I’m sharing four movements I come back to again and again, both from my own recovery and in my work with students. There are many more in my book Yoga for Cancer or here on the website, but these are a good place to begin.
Cactus Clap
This one gently opens the chest and works the arms and shoulders through a range of motion that many people lose after surgery. It’s active but accessible — you control how far you go.
Dirty T-Shirt
Think about the movement of pulling a t-shirt up and over your head. This is a functional, real-life range of motion that surgery often takes away. This pose helps you get it back, gradually and safely.
Restorative Fish
After surgery, the body tends to close in on itself — shoulders round forward, chest muscles tighten, breathing becomes shallow. Restorative Fish is a gentle counter to all of that. It opens the chest passively, supports the spine, and gives the nervous system a chance to settle.
Full Body Stretch
Recovery can make the whole body feel contracted and small. This sequence reminds you that you have a full, strong body — not just a surgical site to protect. Moving and breathing in unison can help reclaim your physical self.
These four are a starting point, not a ceiling. As you recover, your practice can and should expand.
One thing I want to say clearly: the focus on the breast and upper body after surgery can be a little short-sighted. Any breast surgery — mastectomy, lumpectomy, reconstruction — brings risks that extend beyond the chest. Lymphedema is one of the most significant, affecting up to 42% of breast cancer survivors to some degree. Movement plays an important role in managing that risk, but it needs to be the right movement. I’ll be sharing more on yoga and lymphedema in a dedicated post because it deserves its own conversation.
The bigger picture is this: yoga isn’t just for the area that was operated on. It’s a tool for supporting your whole body — your immune system, your strength, your nervous system, your sense of self — through treatment and beyond. That’s what it was for me, and that’s what I want it to be for you.
