by Claire Petretti Marti
When I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer on January 12, 2010, my life changed forever. At the time, I’d been practicing yoga for fifteen years and teaching for four. As a yoga instructor, I already understood the incredible benefits of yoga for the body, mind, and spirit. But navigating through cancer treatment showed me just how much yoga could help me stay resilient.
Cancer attacks your body, sure, but it also attacks your mental well-being. Conventional medicine is aimed at destroying the physical aspects of cancer, but it can fail to address the significant effects cancer has on your thoughts and emotions. Yoga, on the other hand, focuses on the entire person. It can make you feel empowered because you are actively doing something for your own health and well-being. Yoga can help you feel more self-confident and allow you to trust your body’s ability to heal and recover from trauma. It can help you find a sense of resilience and inner strength.
Over the course of the year in which I was diagnosed, I endured three surgeries, six rounds of aggressive chemotherapy, and almost two months of daily radiation. I balanced out this assault on my body by eating an antioxidant-rich, primarily plant-based diet; exercising daily; receiving acupuncture; and most importantly, practicing yoga. I continued to teach most of my yoga classes, and I even got certified to teach yoga for cancer therapy while undergoing chemotherapy myself.
Yoga can help you feel more self-confident and allow you to trust your body’s ability to heal and recover from trauma.
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