LotusYogaCaps, Inc.
Wishing you a healthy winter!
Yoga, Cancer and Insomnia
YogaCaps & MCPHS embark upon pilot study 
  
You may know that YogaCaps provides free yoga classes to those with the experience of cancer. Family member/friends are also included. There is at least one class offered on Monday through Friday in New Hampshire hospitals.  Have you ever wondered though... does yoga make a difference?

Well, there are many compelling anecdotal positive outcomes; but, does yoga make a measurable difference?
 
Many studies now indicate the physical and psychological benefits of yoga practices for those with cancer, sometimes even more so than conventional exercise. 
 
In fact, we believe that we are on the threshold of a sea change in how we manage our own health.

One of the most recent studies (Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology. January, 2015) is a systematic review and meta-analysis that demonstrates a statistically significant difference in enhancing health-related quality of life, depression, anxiety and gastrointestinal symptoms for women with breast cancer. 
Quality of life includes many of the cancer treatment-related side effects.
 
A meta-analysis studies the results of all of the previous studies and the purpose is to aggregate data to achieve a higher statistical power. While a meta-analysis may still have some weakness or bias, this is a highly encouraging confirmation for all of us about the impact of yoga, and particularly for women with and recovering from breast cancer. 
   
What if I am in treatment and having sleep problems?

As we continue to expand the integrative oncology offerings in NH hospitals, we are excited to be partnering with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) to investigate the role of yoga for those experiencing cancer and insomnia. An orientation will be held for the study group in March.
 
 If you are presently undergoing cancer treatment and experiencing sleep disturbance (or know someone who is), and would like to be considered for this pilot study, please contact us.
 
This could be a life-changer for not only the participants, but also a stepping-stone towards improving the outcomes for cancer patients and their caregivers everywhere.

 

 

Free seminar at Merrimack YMCA
  

This free community workshop will explore the functional significance of sleep.

 

Why do we sleep?

What happens when we sleep?

How about when we can't sleep?

 

If you are having trouble sleeping, or would simply like to learn more about a topic that impacts your physical, mental and emotional health, join Jay Gupta, RPh, RxYT for this educational session.

 

You will have the opportunity to:

  • Learn about the sleep medications. How do they work? What about herbal remedies? Sleep hygiene? Yoga?

  • Gain helpful tips and techniques for sleeping better naturally.

  • Engage in a simple practice that helps build deeply restorative sleep. This may be done from the comfort of a chair, or bring an exercise mat/towel to lie down on the floor.

  • (optional) tour of the YMCA and be updated on changes.

Let's put insomnia to sleep.
  
WHEN:    Saturday, February 7, 2015
TIME:     12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
WHERE:  Merrimack (NH) YMCA
                 6 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, NH
COST:     Free. You do not need to be a member.

Registration is required! 
  

 

 

Citizens Helping Citizens
  
YogaCaps is an organization made up of great citizens!  From the skilled cadre of weekly volunteers, to the well over one hundred wonderful folks who offer their support throughout the year, we run on 100% volunteer power!
 
VolunteerNH and Citizens Bank recognized the importance of our volunteer service to the state of NH with a Good Citizen Award on January 29, 2015.   
  
We congratulate and thank each one of you for sharing your time, resources or even a good thought toward YogaCaps' mission. Together we can raise awareness about the effectiveness of yoga and create a healthier community: one person at a time, starting with our own selves.

In addition to the honor, YogaCaps gratefully received a $250 donation from the Citizens Bank Foundation.   

 

Therapeutic Yoga Training 

  
This cutting edge training certifies
YOU to provide Therapeutic Yoga for people who
never thought they could do yoga!



Be a part of this group of uniquely skilled and compassionate professionals.
  
For more information - click here
To read the reviews   - click here
  
Enrollment for the April session
 at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, NH is open now.
`

 

Tips for Self-Compassion
  
Sometimes in our yoga classes we
have participants engage in arm movements that end with a self-hug.  It may seem corny; but this little gesture, can go a long way...
  
Lab studies (yes, they do actually study hugs!) show that hugging for 20 seconds creates a soothing, stress-reducing and health-promoting chemical change in the brain and body. Carnegie Mellon researchers recently found that hugs also seem to have a protective effect from the flu virus.

Self-compassion is not ego-driven!
 
When we do the self-hug, we have one yoga participant who jokingly starts to kiss his arms, bat his eyelashes and proclaim that he loves himself!  Hugs can be a marker of a close relationship. I am embracing all that I am. What is our relationship with self?

 

Self-compassion is not about pity! 

 

Pity is a self-indulging way to keep us separate from others. Poor me! Only I am suffering!  Self-compassion as a practice acknowledges that every being suffers. This is an experience that we all have in common. We have not been singled out. It is an opportunity to take the compassion we feel for others and apply that felt understanding to our own experience.  

 

Self-compassion creates expansion.

 

So often our inner self-talk is critical. We literally shrink with the slumped shoulders of all of the 'woulds', 'coulds', and 'shoulds' of our daily travails.  

 

Self-compassion is also an opportunity to move out of our comfort zone. Many times pain acts as a highlighter for something that may benefit from change. Consider the situation as your own wise inner teacher encouraging you to reach into your potential in new ways.

 

May I be kind to myself in this moment!

 

This is a short phrase that is packed with loving kindness. You might repeat it mentally (perhaps even aloud) in trying times.

 

May I be kind to myself in this moment!

 

So, do hugs have the potential to boost your immune system and keep you safe from the flu viruses? Perhaps we can test this by incorporating these tips this winter.  You can even start right now, by simply by crossing your arms and placing the palms on the opposite shoulders... and breathing gently into the space of your own experience.

 

  
In This Issue
Yoga and cancer
Put insomnia to sleep
Yoga teacher training
Self-compassion tips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

       

"Peace isn't an experience free

 of challenges,

free of rough

and smooth,

it's an experience that's expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened."

 

- Pema Ch�dr�n