Twisting and stretching their bodies into awkward positions, a group of cancer patients is using yoga to heal themselves emotionallyand create a support group.
High Desert Yoga, a local yoga center funded in part by UNM's Cancer Research and Treatment Center, is helping people diagnosed with cancer to see yoga's health benefits, said Supriti Kotler, the center's manager.
"Yoga offers a complete physical, emotional and spiritual support system for these people," she said.
The yoga courses, which have been offered for more than a year, are specifically tailored for cancer patients, many of whom have undergone invasive surgeries or chemotherapy.
"Many kinds of cancer requires surgery that impacts these people's strength and range of motion," Kotler said. "Yoga supports the restoration of motion and general well-being."
Yoga is any of several exercises intended to lead a person to spiritual discipline. It is a method of training designed to lead people to spiritual health, Kotler said.
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She said the classes are free to anyone receiving treatment from the University's Cancer Research and Treatment Center and are also available to anyone else with cancer for a nominal fee.
Harriet Kraye, director of communication affairs with the cancer center and the person spearheading the yoga classes, said the idea came from the director of the center who began practicing yoga to deal with the job's stress and found tremendous success.
"The research and treatment center's goal is to heal the whole person, not just treat their cancer," said Kraye, adding that yoga is by no means a cure for cancer, but an innovative way to cope with the emotional and physical side effects of the disease. "The goal of the collaboration with High Desert Yoga is to provide a support network for people experiencing cancer and at the same time show them an alternative method of achieving inner-peace."
Margaret Somm, an Albuquerque resident whose cancer is in remission and who has attended the yoga classes, said they forced her out into the world and showed her that she was not alone in her struggle with the disease.
"Cancer is a life-changing event in anyone's life," she said. "Having people there to help you through the experience is invaluable."
The success of the program, which is measured in the happiness and sense of well-being of the participants, is undeniable, said Patti Lentz, High Desert yoga instructor.
"These people have formed their own little community and really care about each other," Lentz said. "They understand each others' problems and what they are going through."
The classes, which are offered twice a week, draw crowds of as many as nine people and bring a heightened awareness of what's going on in a person's body, she said.
They also provide a "gentler, softer" way to rehabilitate than the traditional physical therapy cancer patients receive.
"Instead of having them exert themselves physically, we focus on the basics, like breathing," Lentz said. "Our ultimate goal is to help them drift away from their aches and pains. To get some reprieve, at least for a moment, from the scary thing that is going on in their life."