Tag Archives: chemotherapy

Cindy Fraser: Finding Balance in an Imbalanced Situation

May 23, 2017Podcastbalance, cancer, chemotherapy, compassion, daoism, patience, simplicity, taoism, yogaDianeMcDaniel

Receiving a cancer diagnosis and undergoing treatment can quickly put one’s life out of balance. How can one endeavor to find equilibrium while facing extreme fear and trauma, as well as undergoing harsh but potentially life-extending therapies and treatments?

Today I’m speaking with Cindy Fraser, artist, writer, and teacher, who leads a yoga class for people living with cancer and chronic illnesses. Cindy talks about yoga’s usefulness as a tool to help us navigate our lives, in particular when dealing with something as overwhelmingly frightening and traumatic as cancer and its treatment. She also discusses the grounding of her work in the Chinese philosophy of Daoism (Taoism), seeking balance within ebb and flow, and the guiding principles of simplicity, compassion, and patience.

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Catherine McDonough: Cancer is My Biggest Yoga Pose

April 25, 2017Podcastbreast cancer, breast self exam, cancer, chemotherapy, downsizing, health, lumpectomy, meditation, mindfulness, nurse practitioner, psychological freedom, radiation, UCLA Breast Center, yogaDianeMcDaniel

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer is a shock, even to medical professionals who are well aware that cancer can happen to anyone. How does one cope with and respond to the changes in self-perception that occur when cancer intervenes?

Today, I speak with Catherine McDonough, yoga teacher and nurse practitioner, who in 2017 was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. We explore Catherine’s use of yoga and meditation as complementary practices to traditional oncology protocols. Catherine talks about her coping strategy of simplifying and becoming more mindful, less external. She also explores how this dreaded diagnosis has given her a measure of psychological freedom that has promoted her to lighten her attachment to things and leave a smaller footprint in her wake.

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Kris Ellenberg: Wellness is a Balancing Act

April 18, 2017Podcastacupuncture, alternative treatments, breast cancer, cancer, chemotherapy, Chinese herbs, community, Gyrotonics, hypnotherapy, Judaism, lymphatic massage, lymphedema, mastectomy, meditation, radiation, wellness, yogaDianeMcDaniel

Finding wellness during and after cancer treatment can be challenging. Given the physical and emotional rigors of treatment and its aftermath, how can one develop and nurture a state of wellness that encompasses the mind, body, and spirit?

In this episode I talk with Kris Ellenberg, who in 2011 was diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer. We explore Kris’s strategies for finding wellness during and after her cancer treatment. Kris talks about developing a practice around wellness that supplemented her medical treatments for cancer with less conventional approaches such as Gyrotonics, yoga, lymphatic massage, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, meditation, and hypnotherapy. We also discuss the roles that community and social support, spiritual practice, and simply taking care of one’s self play in the active pursuit of wellness.

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