Through yoga, the qualities that help us deal with a life-changing illness are encouraged to unfold: inner strength and resilience, self-awareness and self-discipline, and emotional and mental stability which enable us to meet all of life’s challenges and to use them as an opportunity for growth and change.

Cancer is an illness in which damaged cells proliferate out of control of the immune system.  Yoga is a powerful aid to healing, not least because it can help to strengthen the immune system. For anyone with cancer, yoga is a genuine source of empowerment – because it is something that you can do for yourself.  Here is more information about the techniques that are introduced in the class, to help you decide whether they could help you.

Relaxation is possibly the most vital element in healing, because it relieves stress that is so detrimental to the efficient working of the immune system.  In relaxation, muscles release tension, the heart rate and blood pressure drop, breathing and mental activity slow down, and tension and anxiety begin to dissolve.  When body and mind ‘let go’ and surrender themselves to the stillness and peace of deep relaxation, healing can take place, because we are creating conditions conducive to repair of cells.  We are actively co-operating with our immune system and encouraging our inner healing forces to work for us.

Breathing exercises release tension, replenish energy, and calm the mind, nerves and emotions.  Our emotions affect our breathing: when we are anxious, angry or frightened, it responds by growing shallow and erratic.  The reverse is true too; our breathing affects our emotional state: deep, rhythmic breathing is both energising and calming.  By becoming aware of our breathing pattern and consciously, gently, changing it, we calm the sympathetic nervous system so that we let go of anxiety and stress, and restore calm and balance.

Breathing that is habitually shallow and restricted can make us lethargic or tense and may contribute to depression, anxiety and physical illness.  Deep, relaxed, rhythmic breathing in which the lungs are fully utilised can help to avoid and overcome illness.  We practice simple breathing and stretching exercises to restore the elasticity of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles and replace inefficient breathing habits with more healthful, life-enhancing ones.

Meditation is calming to the mind and emotions.  By sitting still and allowing our thoughts and feelings to surface, we can look at them instead of ignoring or repressing them.  Basic meditational practise of breath awareness is taught, a process that develops the clarity that enables us to look at the realities of our situation, and to acknowledge and accept them and the powerful emotions they give rise to.  Once we can do that, we can let go of our fears and move on.  Buried emotions trap our energy and create more stress; acknowledging them liberates energy and reduces stress, so this is a vital part of healing, and of coming to terms with cancer.

The physical exercises of yoga work in various ways on the internal organs and all the body systems, particularly the nervous system, as well as on the joints, muscles and ligaments.  They affect breathing, posture, circulation, digestion and elimination, as well as physical strength, stamina and flexibility.  We will learn a range of simple practices especially designed to help speed removal of toxins and improve energy flow.  (Don’t worry if you haven’t exercised for years and are a bit stiff and creaky: it doesn’t matter!)

These practices also help us to cope with the traumas that come with a diagnosis of a life-changing illness, which, as anyone with cancer knows, brings with it emotions that can be overwhelming: shock, fear, anger, guilt, anxiety and grief to name the most obvious.  Having experiencing them, I know how the simplest breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques can help us deal with them.  They can also be of considerable help in coping with the stresses of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Monday | 4 - 5.30 pm