HOW TO USE THIS COURSE:

This course was originally developed as the yoga protocol intervention for participants of the 2014 Healing Yoga for Cancer Survivorship research project funded by Piedmont Yoga Community and the Yoga Dana Foundation in California. The goal was to provide simple, practical and effective yoga practices that cancer patients and survivors could do at home to help them increase physical, functional, emotional and spiritual well-being.

The course is divided into chapters of 5-10 minute practices with easy to follow instructions for practices proven to help reduce cancer treatment side-effects including:

• Setting an intention to focus the mind toward a goal for healing and set the tone for the practice
• Chanting uses simple sound practices to enhance body and breath awareness
• Mudras to reduce anxiety and enhance immune function
• Breathing techniques to promote healing and relaxation
• Reclining and seated postures to reduce pain andconstipation, and promote the movement of lymph through the body - they can be used as a warm-up or stand-alone practice on days when energy is low.
• Kneeling and standing postures to build energy, strength and stamina
• Supported restorative postures to induce deep relaxation
• Body Scan to enhance body awareness and focus
• Final Relaxation and guided meditation to create ease in the body, mind and spirit and envision healing on all levels

Each practice session, decide which chapters you wish to follow to create a customized practice for yourself. There are a nearly endless combination of practices that you could create from the practices found here. The practices are simple and gentle enough that any chapter could be practiced alone or as part of a customized selection.