"Cancer" is a word that changes everything... And not just for the person diagnosed: loved ones, medical professionals and even yoga teachers become part of the equation. This book offers tools for everyone involved using yoga practices that date back thousands of years, presented in clear and simple language.
After 10 years of teaching yoga to people dealing with cancer, Yoga Therapist Lórien Neargarder has written a book that blends complex teachings with evidence-informed practices and provides her readers from all perspectives with techniques to bring more calm in the face of cancer's chaos.
Most people equate yoga with pretzel poses, but Lórien explains in simple terms about some of the other aspects of a yoga practice that don’t involve physical athleticism, and these important concepts become magnified when someone undergoes treatment and an athletic practice is no longer available. She describes practices that can be done in the hospital waiting room, during treatment, as well as recovery, regardless of physical prowess.
This book was written for someone who has been diagnosed, as well as their caregivers, yoga teachers and medical professionals because cancer is a word that changes everything, for everyone involved.
REVIEWS
"What Lorien offers in Cancer + Yoga is a comprehensive overview of two topics that cover a vast array of material and distills it down in such a way that the salient points are highlighted, context is retained, yet one is not overwhelmed or distracted by extraneous details. She then provides a 4-point system that one can keep in mind, whether a student, a teacher, a caregiver, or combination thereof, to guide how one practices. What I find beautiful about everything Lorien offers in this book is that it is all aimed at reducing suffering and it is all laid out very systematically, allowing the reader to quickly find what they are looking for that is tailored to their specific situatioin. Taken as a whole, the spirit of this book and applying the practices outlined within, one realizes it is most deeply about empowerment. Whether that manifests as being able to breathe slightly more comfortably, or walk with a little more ease, or tie one's shoes, or go back to work, or hold your child, or be present with a loved one, or whatever most matters to you, as a 4-time cancer survivor and a yoga teacher is that this book is about empowerment, even when it looks and feels subtle."
Dr. Veronica Reis, PhD
Health Psychologist, Yoga Therapist and Cancer Survivor
"Fighting cancer with Lorien is a great combination...I love the spirit in which Lorien presents her well thought out Yoga program for cancer survivors and friends... The reality is once [you are] in recovery, more slow activity makes all of the difference and progressing from there is a signal to your immune system that you are going to thrive. It is easy to slip into the passive, patient mode that you experience during treatment because the treatment if very challenging. As an 8 year breast cancer survivor, I would follow any advice coming from Lorien and have purchased and shared her Yoga practice videos many times. Lorien comes from a science background and most of her knowledge is fact based and applied to this practice."
Mary Webb
Breast Cancer Survivor