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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- It's a tradition that's been around for thousands of years, but yoga is rarely used in Western culture for healing purposes.

Local yoga teacher Pat Komarow is trying to change that.

"The physical benefits are numerous. [Yoga] helps nervous systems, settling down particularly with anxiety and depression, as well as just the physical tingling of nerves, like when you feel you can't control things," Komarow said.

But beyond physical and mental solutions, Komarow believes yoga can help strengthen those dealing with diseases like cancer. After being diagnosed with breast cancer years ago, she speaks from experience.

"It helped me come into this better relationship with death and dying and aging as I do, like we're all going to do. It really deepened my meditation process, and I got stronger," Komarow said. "I'm really strong, and I didn't think I would be, so it helped."

She's not alone. Multiple students have been coming to her class since it began more than 10 years ago.

"I was very ill at the time, and what I found was, as I did these poses, all this stuff got released from my body that I never even knew was there: fear and anger and insecurity and vulnerability, and all those juicy things we have to deal with when we're in a crisis," Jane Lawless, a student with breast cancer and degenerative arthritis, said. "It's priceless. It's truly priceless. It'll give you a sense of control you may have completely loss due to your illness."

Komarow teaches Kripalu yoga. It's often referred to as Meditation in Motion, described as, 'an integrative way to get in touch with your body's innate wisdom, strengthen your health, and reconnect to your wholeness.'

Both women believe it's improved their health.

"If I didn't do yoga practically every day, I'd probably be immobilized," Lawless said.

If you're interested in attending, Komarow has multiple classes at Yoga Journeys in the 700 block of North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs.