Dawning

I'm writing this on the winter solstice, the time of year with the shortest day and longest night. This event has long been celebrated as the return of the light, because starting tomorrow the days grow longer again. This literal light at the end of winter's proverbial tunnel has kept people going during dark days for thousands of years.

As may of you know, I've been working with people who have cancer for nearly 10 years now and have been fortunate to witness some of them returning to their "light" - their former selves - after treatment. The dawn of hope is powerful medicine.

After moving to Florida I struggled to find my purpose and place, but after 18 months I think I'm back on my path where I can help people with cancer once again and I'm beginning to see my own light dawning...

Cancer + Yoga Book

The book I've been threatening to complete, the one I've written in various forms (handouts to workshops, teacher training manuals and even some blog posts) is finally going to be published publicly! I'm in the final stages of layout edits, but I've approved the cover design already and I hope you all like it.

I selected the image below the woman in anjali mudra because it is a beautiful depiction of stomach cancer cells. People who live with cancer are often describing the fear they have of recurrence in terms of the cells hiding or lurking inside them, but this image has the beautiful light shining on them as a symbol of awareness and action during the time someone needs it most.

I will be so honored if people use my book to find that dawn of hope during their cancer "winter."

Workshops and Classes and Trainings, Oh My!

It feels a bit like I've been growing several ideas underground for the past 18 months, but now they are all starting to burst forth and I'm so excited!

I have a series of workshops at Breathe Together Yoga in Los Gatos, CA to learn more about yoga and cancer as well as more about moving your body in gentle yet powerful ways. See Breathe Together's website for more information.

I'll be offering free yoga classes to people with cancer in Florida starting January 2nd. No registration is needed; see The Zen Room's website for more information.

I've just received the news that my 30-hour yoga teacher training has been approved by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) as an approved professional development course; this means that yoga therapists can take my training and apply it to their required continuing education credit requirements. This news is so fresh that I haven't yet incorporated it on my website yet, but look for the IAYT logo on my courses in January.

And speaking of January... I've also been working on starting a nonprofit organization that offers complementary services to people with cancer in Brevard County (Florida), which I'll explain more about once it's up and running. Getting the paperwork together for a nonprofit is not an easy thing to do, but I believe it will all be worth it once we have our 501(c)3 in place and are able to offer more and more services. 2019 should be interesting and I think I've put enough on my "plate" to keep me busy!

In closing out the year, I want to wish you all laughter and love, wisdom, a light heart and peace. Here's the to dawn...