Stress, Health & Yoga, Part 2

Almost exactly three years ago, I wrote a post about stress. I'm revisiting this topic with more information this time around. On a daily basis, I work with people who are weeding cancer from their bodies, or are learning to manage chronic pain, and the common topic that I always talk about is

stress.

As I mentioned in the 2010 post, stress isn't all that bad. We need stress to grow, but the stress-relaxation responses that are wired into the most ancient parts of our brains were meant to be in balance, like the yin-yang symbol. Once the cycle of stress is complete, we need to

relax,

in order to regain balance. Look closely at these the stress response cycle:

First, our brain perceives a threat, either through our senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) or internally from the brain itself (thought, dream, vision).

Then, our fight or flight response is activated, releasing adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol hormones in order to:

• Increase heart rate and breathing for quicker oxygenation of the tissues in support of physical activity
• Release Fats and Glucose into the system to be used for quick energy consumption
• Divert blood flow from non-essential areas of the body (including reproduction, digestion and elimination organs) to muscles and the brain
• Increase perspiration to support physical activity
• Suppress immune system response

All of this is for our own survival, or so our brains and bodies believe.

Finally, when the threat is removed, another chemical called acetylcholine is released, which is a modulator for the nervous system, slowing heart rate and reducing other fight-flight reactions. Adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are used during the physical release, which also expends physical tension, so the system returns to normal.

That's the way it's supposed to work, but the response gets hijacked sometimes, and we end up in

chronic stress,

a place where balance and normalcy don't exist, no matter how hard our brain, nervous system and body tries.

Over time, chronic stress begins to erode our own ability to heal. When cortisol, for example, isn't able to regulate the level of inflammation in the body, we become more susceptible to

Balance Restored: Lorien om-ing on top of a mountain
in Sedona, a very relaxing moment after a long hike

disease. 

If our pain response is triggered, that feeds the stress response, and the chronic stress situation may not be able to sort circuit the pain response, so the two keep feeding each other until we are in

chronic pain.

Which is why I am always talking about stress management!

Whether you are tending to a small patch of cancer or pain weeds in your personal garden, or you are overhauling the entire "back 40", it's important to use the right tools. The correct application or yoga, breathing, chanting, meditation, acupuncture, massage, energy work, diet, mental, emotional and social support can make a big difference in your internal environment and ability to find the necessary balance between stress and relaxation.

Announcements

Please see the Events page for more information about these upcoming special programs:

• Sunday, March 31 (Easter): OM for Peace
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8: Yin Yoga 14-Hour Immersion
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8 AND Saturday, April 13 - Sunday April 14: Yin Yoga Teacher Training
• Sunday, April 28: Yin Yoga 1-Day Workshop

Compassionate Cancer Communication

Sometimes I feel like I am constantly doing research around cancer. I am always looking for ways to interact better with people who have been diagnosed. Since I have not gone through my own cancer experience, I feel I need the background in order to serve people better.

A while ago I came across a great article written by Lori Baker called "What Not to Say to People With Cancer". It was published in a magazine for the staff of M.D. Anderson, as a way to help them better communicate with cancer patients. Baker's suggestions of how to communicate can help us all. Even if you don't work with cancer on a regular basis, the odds are you'll be in contact with someone with cancer at some point. Here are some tips on how to make that communication more compassionate and, potentially, more healing. You can find the complete article here.

 DOs:

• Sincerity and caring
• Empathetic/realistic statements: “I’m sorry you’re going through this.”
• Genuine and specific offers of help
• Treat me like you did before I was diagnosed/Talk about something other than cancer
• Respect my choices/wishes: the treatments I’ve chosen, when to be alone, not talk about it, etc.
• General questions that let me decide how much to share: “How is your day going?" (rather than “How are you doing?”)
• “You’re not alone.” “I’m in this with you all the way.” “We’re here for you.”

DON’Ts:

• Telling stories about others with cancer, especially if a patient died
• Saying, “I know how you feel.”
• Telling me how I should feel/ what I should do (including mind-over-body comments, alternative therapies*)
• Trite, over-used platitudes/ metaphors
• Pity
• Unrealistic optimism: “Things are going to be OK.” “I’m sure you’ll feel better/get out of the hospital soon.” “One day you’ll look back and see the good that came out of all this.”
• Any comments on hair loss/ re-growth
• Comments that indicate it’s behind me: “You’ve beaten it.” “You’re cured.”
• “You’ll get back to your old self.”

* You could take this statement to mean different things: keeping the perspective of the writer in mind, you could see this comment as a way for the medical institution to ensure its plan is not questioned, and its patients not highjacked; or, you could see this as a way for patients to reduce unsolicited advice and remain focused on the task at hand. I choose the latter interpretation. The work that I do falls into the category of "alternative therapies", so I will always speak about it, but only if asked. (I remember all the unwelcome advice I received when I was pregnant - what to eat, wear, listen to, exercise to, journal about, etc., which was kind-hearted but mostly unhelpful.) Everyone has their own cancer path to follow and no one really knows which one they "should" take.

Namaste

Announcements

Please see the Events page for more information about these upcoming special programs:

• Wednesday, February 20: Next 6-week series of Restorative Yoga for Cancer Survivorship begins at Kaiser Santa Clara; for more info, see Schedule
• Sunday, March 31 (Easter): OM for Peace
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8: Yin Yoga 14-Hour Immersion
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8 AND Saturday, April 13 - Sunday April 14: Yin Yoga Teacher Training
• Sunday, April 28: Yin Yoga 1-Day Workshop

Cancer: Western Medicine vs. Yogic Perspective

Lorien Teaching Yoga for
Cancer Survivorship Workshop

The word cancer carries with it many emotions. I wish to change the perception about the term cancer for all of us. I want people to realize that more and more people are living with cancer every day. In this post, I've compiled descriptions of cancer from the Western Medical model to the yogic perspective.

Western Description of Cancer 

To begin with, we must understand that the Western model of medicine is one of reductionism. In his article, “The Language of Healing”, Dr. Timothy McCall writes, “reductionism seeks to narrow the complex nature of a disease process down to one, or at most, a few elements that can be studied and then treated individually.” If we use this approach to define what cancer is, we can reduce the complexity of all cancers to one issue: the cells refuse to follow the natural lifecycle and continue to multiply when they should be dying off. Each cell has a genetic code that is copied with every cell division, or cell “birth”. If there exists a genetic mutation in the code, or a “mistake” in the copying of the code, the cell no longer has the cue to die off at the end of its lifespan. These mutations occur naturally in all of us, but can statistically increase in certain situations, like age, exposure to known agents, or in hospitable environment for cancer cells to grow unchecked. The difficulty with using this model is that cancer is not a single disease; it is a category of several diseases.

Yogic Description of Cancer 

Unlike the Western medicine perspective, cancer from the yogic perspective is viewed holistically. I approach cancer by using the kosha model to ensure I am affecting the whole system. Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati writes about the koshas on his website:

“We humans are like a lamp that has five lampshades over our light. Each of the lampshades is a different color and density. As the light shines through the lampshades, it is progressively changed in color and nature... The Yoga path of Self-realization is one of progressively moving inward, through each of those lampshades...”

Using yoga as a tool to work with cancer means addressing each of these lampshades, or layers, through various practices that integrate us more fully, allowing us to be at peace with an ever-changing reality; it addresses the mental, emotional, energetic and physical components related to living with cancer, not as a curative practice, but as a practice to support total quality of life, for however long that life may be.

Namaste

Announcements

Please see the Events page for more information about these upcoming special programs:

• Wednesday, February 20: Next 6-week series of Restorative Yoga for Cancer Survivorship begins at Kaiser Santa Clara; for more info, see Schedule
• Sunday, March 31 (Easter): OM for Peace
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8: Yin Yoga 14-Hour Immersion
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8 AND Saturday, April 13 - Sunday April 14: Yin Yoga Teacher Training
• Sunday, April 28: Yin Yoga 1-Day Workshop

Lymphedema and Fascia

People with cancer - especially those with breast cancer, hear the term "lymphedema" often, but I wonder how many actually know what it is? The lymphatic system runs parallel to the circulatory system, but has no pump (like the heart) to move the lymph through it; instead, it relies on our physical movements to encourage the flow through the one-way valves and channels. The flow supports 1) the drainage of waste and 2) our body's ability to learn what to defend against, in terms of illness and disease; it's for this reason that exercise is recommended to keep us healthy, and for this reason that all of my yoga class for people with cancer include gentle movements. I met Daya Fisch at a talk she gave in San Jose for the Cancer CAREpoint organization, where she explained how the fascia has a great deal to do with the flow of lymph through the body.

Daya is a wonderful educator, a certified massage therapist, specializing in lymphatic massage, holds an MS in Holistic Nutrition, and is Director of the Breast Health Project, which is dedicated to educating women in practical holistic techniques that can be used to increase their breast health, changing attitudes from fear to knowledge and empowerment.

Daya made this informative, accessible video and I'm so thrilled she's sharing it with all of us. Please watch it - even if you are not affected by cancer, because it will explain how the fascia works and how tightness, injury or surgery can affect it and, subsequently, the circulation of lymph.

Namaste

Announcements

Please see the Events page for more information about these upcoming special programs:

• Sunday, March 31 (Easter): OM for Peace
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8: Yin Yoga 14-Hour Immersion
• Saturday, April 7 - Sunday April 8 AND Saturday, April 13 - Sunday April 14: Yin Yoga Teacher Training
• Sunday, April 28: Yin Yoga 1-Day Workshop