Yoga - for stiff joints.

                                                                 

Ouch!

One of the effects of Chemotherapy has been a gradual stiffening up of the joints. It's only now that I'm really beginning to feel it. Join me in a gentle floor Yoga session, to help loosen up the body, and bring about greater flexibility and ease. Try using Ujjayi breathing (see previous videos) to deepen the practice. This session will help to create energy and vitality for the day ahead. Do allow yourself 10-15 mins. of Savasana (relaxation) to complete the session. Enjoy.

Love

                                   Love means to look at yourself
                                   The way one looks at distant things
                                   For you are only one thing among many,
                                   And whoever sees that way heals his heart,
                                  Without knowing it, from various ills-
                                  A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.

                                                                               Czeslaw Milosz

 
                                 

Being Present

A Yoga Master used to walk over to his students and hit them, for no reason. After a while, the students would spend most of their time tense, afraid, expecting to get hit, and ready to ward off the next blow even before it came. After they got themselves all worked up, spending their time in class running around feeling fearful, tense, and dreading the next blow, the Yogi would tell them they were ready to learn the lesson.

 “You can either spend all your time tense, anticipating and dreading the pain, trying to control and deal with it before it arrived, or you can stay peaceful and serene, knowing a certain amount of pain will always be present in life. Then wait until it happens and trust your self to deal with the pain as it comes up”.

The Yoga Mat – it's place in my Cancer care

The following is an article I wrote for Journeying beyond Breast Cancer a great resource and excellent blog by Marie Ennis O'Connor

 

A brief smile with eye contact is made. The wrist band is held up and read back to me. I answer “yes” to give permission to whatever procedure follows. It might be to take blood, put up an IV line, or prepare for theatre. In this moment my life’s story has been reduced to these 3 short lines on the band, which hopefully will keep me safe as I venture into scary territory and place my trust in these health professionals.

A Yoga Session to deal with some side effects from Chemo

                                 The Lotus

 

The Lotus flower is the emblem of Yoga. It symbloizes our spititual evolution. The roots thrive in muddy dirty water - our lower nature, the stem rises up to the surface - our intuitive search, and the flower blossoms in sunlight- self realization. A short practice follows to deal with side effects from Chemotherapy.

Introduction to the session - dealing with some side effects from Chemo.

Everyone  reacts to Chemotherapy differently, that's true. However, there are common side effects that most people experience. A day before my first treatment, an oncology nurse sat me down and went through these side effects. I was alone, and I later wished that someone had been with me. I suppose it hadn't dawned on me that they had to inform me of the worst possibilities. It was a lot to take in, and I felt unsure as to what was actually said, and what I had heard. Since then, I've found that it is helpful to bring someone with me, and then see what they heard, which is very often very different than what I heard, and maybe also different than was actually said!