In the last blog, I wrote about the transformative power of yoga and about building a connection with the divinity within. There are many stories in my book Yoga Therapy – As a Whole-Person Approach to Health, confirming that when we practice over time, we enter an inner transformation process. Such a process may manifest in different ways for different people however it always contributes to inner well-being and...
The swing of week 1 – totally wasted, week 2 – slow recovery and week 3 – functioning more or less, went on for six months! What the doctor’s pamphlets didn’t say was that my recovery after the treatment would never reach my previous levels of energy. I would recover physically but never to the extent of how I felt prior to the previous treatment. The side effects would...
During a recent yoga therapy class at the oncology clinic, I listened to a breast cancer patient talk about her chemo treatment experience. She said she was surprised at how little the treatments affected her. She said she felt fine, even right after treatment and that no one would have known about the chemo had it not been for her lack of hair. “I hope you realize how lucky...
Chemotherapy, also called chemo, may come in different stages for different cancers. For those like lymphoma and leukemia, chemo comes right after the diagnosis, as there is no surgery involved. For cancers that involve tumors – carcinomas and sarcomas – chemo typically comes after the surgery, as a preventive measure. However, in cases where a tumor may be too big to operate, chemo may be recommended before surgery to...
The time I call “post-surgery” is the time for healing after the surgery. Depending on the individual and the seriousness of the operation, it takes four to six weeks to recover. Recovery, in this case, means the time before going to the next step of the recommended treatment. Increasing levels of anxiety, fear of the unknown and physical pain mark this four to six-week period. We are surrounded by...
The first few days after surgery passed in a fog – I was heavily sedated but comfortable at home. I was surrounded by love and friendship and took my time to heal the wound and recover from complete anesthesia. I didn’t realize how big of an impact complete anesthesia can have on a person. I was healing very quickly, so about three weeks after surgery, I felt well enough...
In this blog, we will consider the first stage of the cancer journey – diagnosis. We live somewhat balanced lives, with long and short-term plans and think that we know where we are going! However, a phone call from our doctor can destroy this balance with the news that “there may be a problem and we have to do more tests.” So, we now enter a new world where...
From April 8 to 29, 2013, the Kaivalyadhama Health Care Centre introduced the first three-week residential program for cancer patients: Beyond Cancer (then called Detoxify and Rejuvenate for Cancer Patients). Participants came from four countries: India, Canada, Poland, and Brazil, with breast, ovarian, colon cancers and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Three of the participants had finished chemotherapy just one month prior to coming to India. The first few days were spent...
(Photo courtesy of Bryan Minear) There is a big gap in cancer medical care that I have recognized from my own experience. Typically, after surgery, cancer patients undergo chemotherapy and radiation, which may last from four weeks to a few years. Often, such intensive treatments result in severe mental and physical side effects. The allopathic medical system tends to take us to the point where all our chemical treatments...
What is the main thing that you see that people don’t know about when starting yoga during or after cancer treatment? There is this widespread misconception that yoga equals doing strange poses called asanas, and that you have to be physically fit and slim in order to do it. Unfortunately, this is created by the yoga magazines depicting beautiful young and slim ladies in more challenging asanas. The concept...
