Cancer remains one of the most feared diseases today, because it is so widespread & life altering & secondly, because it can seemingly strike even a healthy individual at any moment in his or her life. Nobody is ever prepared for cancer & a diagnosis leaves, most patients worried & anxious about what the future hold from internal to external changes to what effect the diagnosis will have on relationship with friends, family, colleagues & their larger social circle.
Disease means- when you’re not ease with your own body
What causes diseases?
More then 90% diseases are psychosomatic. Psychosomatic which means it is created by US due to involvement of mind, emotions & physical body. Cancer is one of them. I do agree that the factors like environment, hereditary, poor lifestyle causes the cancer but upto some extent only. Stress, plays an important role in our life, Stress motivates us to perform our daily chores. What is stress? Stress is a gap between expectations & reality, more the gap high is the intensity of stress.
There are two types of stress, EUSTRESS & DISTRESS
EUSTRESS- positive stress, which motivate us
DISTRESS- negative stress, which create Panick, fear & anxiety
In fact any problem or stress occurs only due to 2 things in life, one is expectations (from self or others) & other is sensitivites (towards situation, person which is experienced & acquired by our 5 senses). The stress is experience by the conscious mind &the energy (prana), this energy is associated with the gland & system which have their own personal characteristics. When the energy is experiencing the constant stress it disturb the function of the systems & gland & hence the organ of the body will damaged. If this stress is continued for longer period of time the body will give the signs & a person will diagnosed with disease or disorders.
The cancer treatment, which adds to the mounting stress on cancer patients- though, much improved over the decades, treatment options like chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, & others have a severe impact on even the most robust of bodies. In fact, the cancer itself don’t give much pain but the side effects of the treatment does, which can change in appearance, hair loss, vomiting, fatigue, nausea, low blood counts, infertility, pain, infections, altered sexual functioning, more…..in other words over all life changing experiences which change the quality of life.
Here comes YOGA, the science of yoga. The YOGA is ancient old Indian therapies or techniques approach to the life, which has been making inroads even outside India. Yoga is just not limit to the asana & Pranayam but it’s a treasure to the life, the science which is applicable to physical, physiological, psychological, spiritual, emotional, behavioural aspects.
However, yoga is a positive approach to life &the ability to master any situation, stemming from well-balanced overall functioning, that is so beneficial for cancer patients & survivors who often stuck in vicious cycle of pain, anxiety, hopelessness & helplessness that leads to overall negativity & severe psychological distress, which in turn affects treatment outcomes & chances of survival. As a growing body of evidence has shown, there is a positive correlation between physiological & psychological interventions & decrease in depression & anxiety as well as increased self-esteem & an improved will to survive as patient adopt an active approach towards coping strategies.
YOGA & CANCER BOTH ARE THE JOURNEY OF THE SELF, THROUGH THE SELF & TO THE SELF
Through the course of Onco yoga therapy, I have seen various touch points that have shaped & influenced by perspective on my personality. Fundamentally I have experienced my role of a therapist. As one who articulates & put into action a vision for a warriors that inspires myself. Along the way it has been the disequilibrium of resistance yo that vision that has been the greatest influence on reshaping my focus & thinking about the cancer survivors.
There have been peak events through this journey that have shaped my perspective about the cancer warriors. This course made me sufficient enough to care for cancer survivors & even care givers.
I found myself liberated from a sense of the self that derived value from titles & power roles. As an independent personality, I found myself free to lead in a variety of ways, emphasising the importance of influence in the context that I was called to serve the world.
Now it is time to start applying this newfound knowledge of Cancer & Yoga, & put it into practice.
Yoga for Cancer Recovery & Rehabilitation is a specialisation & design a safe, healing yoga class for cancer patients & survivors. It is applicable to help cancer patients of all ages, all cancers & at all stages of recovery to lessen the side effects of treatments, & to ultimately live longer, healthier & happier lives through methodology.
What is methodology?
Miriam Webster states: Methodology is a set of methods, rules or ideas that are important in a science or an art: a particular procedure or set of procedures. This Methodology is a set of guidelines that can be applied to any yoga practice or teaching to the cancer community. It is both a science (fact based approach) & an art (a teaching style & the beauty of yoga). However, it is not ‘rule’ based either, it rather provides support on how best to optimise any existing practice or teaching style.From this Yoga Philosophy, unique sequences are carefully constructed with modifications & cautions addressing the needs of cancer survivors.
The methodology rests on 5 pillars that not only give guidance but the knowledge & shared wisdom that guide individuals through challenges & support to replace CHAOS with balance.
How yoga Is useful for cancer survivors?
Among a cancer community arises a big but a valid question: “How Yoga useful to me as a cancer survivor? To them the answer is : “Yoga Is spiritual but It Is scientific too. Yoga represents the way of life that endows perfect health- PHYSICAL, MENTAL, MORAL & SPIRITUAL, so that what is ignoble in humans is sublimated, to what is most noble in them. To achieve this great art & science of life, a comprehensive practical system of self-culture has been formulated. The system, through the development of ones body, mind, & psychic potencies, ultimately leads to physical strength & further on to
spiritual consciousness.
Yoga is a a holistic path to wellness, focusing on the interconnection of all body systems. To help survivors as whole persons, yoga seeks to strengthen all the systems, both individually & collectively.
LETS EXPERIENCE THE GOODNESS OF YOGA & HEAL THE WORLD
Tejal Shah
