Finding Strength Through Breath: A Breast Cancer Survivor’s Story

by Heather (Sharar) Harris 

During a routine mammogram in 2021, I heard the words no one wants to hear: "We need to review your previous screenings for comparison." Since I had recently moved to Virginia to be closer to my granddaughter, my health records were still in Pennsylvania. (Full transparency: it had been a few years since my last mammogram—something I’ll never let happen again.) Shortly after, I received a call. They had noticed some "architectural differences" and wanted me to come back for an ultrasound.

After the ultrasound, I was asked to get dressed and then ushered into a room with a table and chairs, where the doctor would meet with me. My mind was racing. When the doctor finally came in, they explained over the next ten minutes that I needed a biopsy, scheduled for the following week, and detailed what to expect.

This set off a whirlwind of tests, results, conversations with doctors, family, and my best friend—who, as a breast cancer survivor, became a tremendous source of support. I found myself navigating disbelief, stress, and the weight of all the upcoming expenses. It was overwhelming—everything happened so quickly.

At the time, I was also managing a neck injury that had limited my yoga practice. But yoga means "to unite"—unite the body and breath to calm the mind. Breathwork. Breathwork. Breathwork. The breath practices I had learned through years of yoga training became the most important tool I could rely on during this journey—from the biopsy to post-surgery and through every treatment.

If you’ve attended my yin class, you’ll know I often start with four-part breathing: inhale to the count of four, pause, exhale to the count of four. This became my go-to practice throughout the entire ordeal. In addition, I had exercises to help with arm mobility and prevent lymphedema after surgery, where they removed the cancer and the sentinel node. Slowly and mindfully, I began these movements daily, paired with my breathwork, and in a few weeks, I was able to reintroduce some yin poses into my practice.

I am forever grateful to my yoga teachers who instilled in me the importance of breath and mindful movement in times of stress and anxiety. I know this journey would have been so much harder without the grounding influence of my yoga practice.