Releasing the Shock of a Cancer Diagnosis

Course Description:

“You have cancer”; all cancer patients remember the lived experience of hearing those words. They recall the date, the room, maybe even the doctor’s expression.

Some aspects of shock can remain as significant body memory indefinitely – the protective tension at the centre of the body, the eyes wide and rigid, the whole body still, barely breathing.

This sympathetic nervous system tone can linger, continuing to signal the body to protect against imminent danger, resulting in a feeling of uncomfortable vigilance or generalized anxiety. People can feel as though they are not in their body, not in the present, and thus not able to support themselves or direct their care.

Through subtle somatic yoga practices, we can have a direct breath and movement conversation with the nervous system and begin to heal the trauma of a cancer diagnosis. In this workshop, learn simple and unique ways of being with diagnosis shock through practices that cultivate inquiry, compassionately acknowledge the wisdom of the body, and bring curiosity and ease to de-patterning.

Through embodied yoga practice, we can help clients face cancer with authenticity and regain agency in their treatment and self-care.

Short Video Preview of the Course

Learning Objectives

In this online course with Anne Pitman, you will:

1. To develop an understanding of specific yoga practices and systems
2. To learn current evidence and research in therapeutic yoga for cancer patients.
3. To experience yoga practices in oncology
4. To develop the knowledge and skills to improve the healthcare experience of individuals with different needs, illnesses, goals, and objectives.

Audience:

This online course is open to all yoga instructors and healthcare professionals – physiotherapists, physiotherapy students, physiotherapy assistants, occupational therapists, chiropractors, naturopathic doctors, massage therapists, registered kinesiologists, medical doctors, nurses, and midwives.

This session was recorded at the Montreal International Symposium on Therapeutic Yoga (MISTY) in March of 2017