Yoga, a path to healing while living with Cancer! 

Monday, June 16, 2014 - Posted by Jess at 6:40 PM
    Yoga is everywhere now. You see studios in most towns. Even in those small farming communities in the mid-west! ;) (if you live in Indiana check out Laughing Lotus, www.tiffanyherron.com, amazing studio!) Its even show in places that really don't make sense. (mattress ads!) I have had several students tell me that their doctors recommend yoga as well. All yoga is not the same; so when living with Cancer, or after Cancer, what do you choose for your practice and how is it beneficial?

    So to begin, always check with your doctor first to make sure that yoga is appropriate for you in whatever place you are in on your journey with cancer, then finding a teacher that has experience working with students that have had Cancer. There are group classes available, some specific to cancer recovery as well as private sessions that help address your specific personal needs. But if you are currently going through chemo or treatment of some kind you may be feeling alot of fatigue and pain. And exercise may feel like the last thing you want to do. So at this stage in the game, gentle or restorative yoga postures are more what you need. Maybe even only breathing exercises and relaxation is all you can muster. But the most important thing is to honor where you are at and work from that point. Pushing yourself to hard only hinders the process. So loving yourself enough to be gentle during this process helps in so many ways.  On the days you feel more energetic a practice of gentle movements and some chair and standing postures may help you to feel that strength in your body again. You know your body best.


   So why is yoga beneficial to someone with Cancer? Yoga asana(postures) and pranayama(breathing exercises) help the body to build strength and flexibility, remove toxins, boosts the immune system, gives more energy, relieves stress and anxiety, lessens pain and eases insomnia. During treatment you are experiencing alot of symptoms and their are studies that have been done that have shown that yoga helps to lessen those symptoms and help the patients to have a better and more peaceful outlook on the process and their life. Yoga is not a cure for Cancer but helps to aid in the healing process. Giving you more joy while living with the effects of Cancer.

  There are many complimentary practices on your journey into healing. Yoga is said to be one of the more successful alternative practices for cancer. Many living with this debilitating disease state that it was a life-saver for them. So if you are someone who is living with Cancer or a Survivor I send you many blessings on your path to healing. And hope I can serve you in your recovery.

Namaste'

Jess


-Beloved Lord, Almighty God!
Through Rays of the sun,
Through the waves of the air,
Through the All-pervading Life in space,
Purify and revivify me, and , I pray.
Heal my body, heart, and soul.
Amen.
-Hazrat Inayat Khan