RATIONALE: Yoga may improve symptoms and quality of life and reduce stress in patients with ovarian cancer or breast cancer and may help them live more comfortably.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well yoga works in controlling symptoms and reducing stress in women with ovarian cancer or breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the feasibility of implementing a restorative yoga intervention as a complementary supportive therapy for women with ovarian or breast cancer.
• Measure changes in fatigue, psychosocial distress (anxiety, depression), psychological well-being (positive emotions), and overall quality of life from baseline to completion of the study treatment.

OUTLINE: This is a pilot study.

Patients undergo a 75-minute restorative yoga session once a week for 10 weeks.

Patients complete questionnaires regarding fatigue, psychological distress (anxiety, depression), positive affect, and quality of life at baseline, immediately after the final yoga session, and then at 2 months after the final yoga session.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of breast or ovarian cancer

  • Must be 2-24 months post-primary treatment (e.g., surgery) for breast cancer and/or have had a recurrence of breast cancer within the past 24 months
  • Must be 3-24 months post-primary treatment (e.g., surgery) for ovarian cancer and/or have had a recurrence of ovarian cancer within the past 24 months

• Hormone receptor status not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Female
• Menopausal status not specified
• Zubrod performance status 0-3
• No medical contraindications
• Understands written and spoken English

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics