South West cancer patients urged to sign up for free online exercise and mindfulness classes

People living with cancer in the South West are being encouraged to sign up for online wellness classes hosted before the end of the year. Cancer Council will be offering yoga, tai chi and mindfulness classes on Zoom through its Term 4 Life Now program beginning later this month. Program coordinator Claire Duffy said the classes were designed to introduce cancer patients to exercise and meditation in a safe and supportive environment. “Research has found that exercise is an effective medicine for people with cancer - those who exercise regularly have fewer and milder side effects from their treatments,” she said. The program is being offered to both cancer patients and their carers, with recent participant Jessica Beal saying it helped her feel better emotionally and physically after a shock stage four lymphoma diagnosis. She first started doing tai chi classes while undergoing chemotherapy. “Having that consistent reason to get out of bed kept me moving, which was really important,” Ms Beal said. “Psychologically it also helped because going through cancer, there was so much stress of so many unknowns. “After six rounds of chemo, in January 2024, I had a follow up scan and was told I was cancer free. So since then, I’ve just been recovering and getting back to life.” Ms Beal said anyone thinking of signing up to the classes should “just do it”. “There is only positive, so I think people miss out if they don’t try what’s offered,” she said. People can apply for the program on the Cancer Council WA website or by calling 131 120.