4 Ways Yoga Teachers Can Support Their Students with Cancer
The prospect of supporting someone with cancer can be daunting. In truth, it's not that complicated. The mistake most people make is...
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Teach Yoga for Cancer Course
Heal the Whole Person
Learn to share yoga safely and compassionately with anyone affected by cancer
21 hour CPD Workshop or 40 Hour Teacher Training Course
Teach Yoga for Cancer Course
TRAINING DATES:
Course dates: 15 - 17 July 2024 9am - 5pm
Course dates: 21 - 23 October 2024 9 - 5pm (email info@yogabynature.org to book the Oct. course)
The three-day course is followed by 3 x 2-hour live or self-paced online sessions and assignment work. Live online sessions are Tuesday 10am - 12pm and can be attended live or self-paced.
Complete the full 40 hour training within three months of live sessions ending.
LOCATION:
Zoom
PRICE:
£300 21 hour CPD Workshop | £450 40 hour accredited Teacher Training Course
21 hour CPD Course £300
40 hour Teacher Training Course from £450
If you initially sign up to the 21 hour CPD course, you can upgrade to the 40 hour Yoga for Cancer Teacher Training after the course for £200
Instalment plans are available to suit your budget. Email info@yogabynature.org to ask about payment plans
Teach Yoga for Cancer Course
Hi, I'm Morven, I am a a YAP accredited Senior Yoga Teacher, YAP accredited TrainerPro and breast cancer survivor. I have been in the teaching profession for 3 decades and have taught all over the world.
Get a free Teach Yoga for Cancer e-book HERE
Yoga and education are my twin passions, and my mission is to help yoga teachers work safely, effectively and compassionately with people affected by cancer. I have helped hundreds of people affected by cancer live better through yoga and have certified numerous teachers since 2016.
I am often asked "How different can Yoga for Cancer be from normal yoga?" - you will be surprised by the answer! Understanding the physical and psychological landscape of cancer and gaining detailed knowledge about how illness and treatment affect the body, mind, spirit, relationships and community mean you can go from just "not breaking someone" to really helping them thrive and live well with the impact of cancer.
On the Yoga for Cancer training course, you will learn a whole-person approach to:
no longer feel worried or overwhelmed about including people with cancer in your classes
work effectively one to one to help cancer patients live well
design courses for groups of people affected by cancer
understand the landscape of yoga and teach from a place of compassion and understanding
This course is for you if:
you are a yoga teacher who wants to help people coping with cancer to live better
a student of yoga or a professional in another field such as hospice work, nursing, physiotherapy, or psychotherapy
you believe in yoga's power to heal (not cure!)
Our accredited Yoga for Cancer Teacher Training will give you a grounding in the diverse aspects of working with those on the cancer journey. This course is applicable to working with cancer and other life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses.
Do a self-paced online 5-hour Foundations Yoga for Cancer taster course with Morven HERE
This yoga training course course aims to give you a grounding in the psychological, emotional and physical reality of cancer, so that you can share yoga in a way that is physically and emotionally safe for the attendees. You will also learn about the impact of cancer on the body, mind and spirit, learn in detail how we can serve the body with cancer, and learn therapeutic applications of other facets of yoga practice in order to serve the whole person - body, mind, spirit and relationships.
I developed the Healing the Whole person holistic approach to yoga for cancer while working as a yoga teacher and course facilitator at Penny Brohn Cancer Care UK. I completed advanced teacher training in Mindfulness for Health with the Breathworks Foundation, and I share what I have learned along the way in this course. Read more about me HERE.
Included in the cost of the course is a comprehensive training manual for Yoga for Cancer, including:
Morven's tried and tested six-week Yoga for Cancer course which can be adapted for any group in a cancer care setting
transcripts of Yoga Nidras and meditations you can use in a Yoga for Cancer class and adapt for the individual
Mindfulness for Health course, focused on pain management and mental health
Restorative Yoga module
Example sequences that can be adapted for therapeutic purposes to assist with symptoms and side effects
...and much more. The manual gives you everything you need for your onward journey in teaching Yoga to people affected by cancer.
Not ready to sign up to the full course? Do a 6 hour self-paced introductory Teach Yoga for Cancer course with Morven HERE
COURSE OBJECTIVES
You will learn to:
👉 create unique, holistic yoga for cancer programmes for one to one work
👉 integrate people with cancer into your regular classes
👉 design courses for groups and individuals on the cancer journey
👉 apply Mindfulness concepts and techniques to your yoga teaching
👉 compassionately hold space for those who are potentially in physical, emotional, mental and spiritual difficulty
👉 mindfully teach from a place of compassion and active listening
DESCRIPTION
This Yoga for Cancer teacher training course covers the cancer journey throughout diagnosis, treatment (or not), recovery, remission and what comes next. We will also explore working with people at end of life. The loved ones and support persons of those with a diagnosis are considered in this course, as they are coping with cancer too.
Each day, Morven will teach a class from Morven's Healing the Whole Person six -week Yoga for Cancer course and we will have a group Q&A afterwards where we will unpack the class content. You will be able to see how each practice is chosen to nurture every person, and how to adapt for your own group. This will assist you in your process for designing your own yoga for cancer classes.
The course includes practical application of asana and sequencing, mindfulness and mindful movement, restorative yoga, yoga nidra, breathwork and meditation. Participants are encouraged to explore their own responses to life-threatening illness including their own preconceptions and fears.
There will be plenty of space for Q&A, discussion and practice, enabling participants to be grounded in their own unique process.
You will receive a comprensive course manual written by Morven Hamilton. It is both an accompaniment to the course and an ongoing support for your reference.
Yoga and Mindfulness have been shown to:
Improve the immune system
Help people to cope with the effects of treatment
Accelerate healing from surgery
Recover mobility more quickly following surgery
Improve body image
Help with sleep issues, depression, stress and anxiety following a diagnosis
Please note, our courses do not qualify you as a yoga therapist.
COURSE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE
Course Structure
21 hours live online. Recording available after course end
3 contact days, 9AM - 5PM on Zoom with the lead instructor SYT Morven Hamilton
To complete 40 hours of Yoga for Cancer Teacher Training you will do an additional 19 hours of self-paced mentored study including reading course texts, completing practice teaching videos, assignment work and live feedback/mentoring sessions.
We’ll use props to recreate some of the physical movement restrictions that patients often suffer. Through this and other course elements, you’ll be encouraged in your own personal transformation towards an embodied understanding of the person with cancer.
Presentation (teacher to student and peer to peer)
Led practice
Discussion
Enactment
Peer to peer teaching practice
__________
Published research and articles on yoga, meditation mindfulness, complementary therapy and cancer:
Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial of Yoga for Sleep Quality Among Cancer Survivors
Yoga reduces inflammatory signalling
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/reserch/continuous_update_project.php
mindfulness and cancer 2013 perceived health benefits – breast cancer
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/07/regular-yoga-can-help-cancer-survivors/
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2013/09/108886/lifestyle-changes-may lengthen-telomeres-measure-cell-aging
Syllabus / Modules
Module 1 - The cancer journey
Anatomy and physiology of cancer
The most common types of cancer
Types of treatment and their effects
Lymphodoema - what causes it and how it shows up in yoga class
How to work with PICC lines, chemo ports, colostomy and ileostomy bags
Osteoporosis and other bone conditions
Wider repercussions of cancer on the whole person – body, mind, spirit and relationships
How the trauma of investigation, diagnosus and treatment can change us and how it can be transformed.
Module 2 - Yoga as Medicine
The benefits of yoga and meditation for people with cancer and their loved ones
The effect of yoga on the entire immune system
Application of therapeutic asana for common effects of cancer in the body
Asana modifications for common limitations experienced on the cancer journey
Planning therapeutic treatment programmes for individuals
Restorative yoga - key poses, modifications for nervous system rebalance
Vagus nerve stimulation techniques
Pain management techniques
Pranayama, relaxation, mantra, visualisation adapted for cancer
Yoga Nidra as a therapeutic practice adapted for cancer patients
Module 3 - Ethics, compassion and the whole person
Exploring personal responses to disease and death
Boundaries, safety and trauma sensitivity
Working holistically with people with life threatening illness
Dealing with loss as a teacher and as a yoga community
Creating a safe environment - practicalities
Module 4 - Designing your course
Putting together a progressive programme – things to consider and what to include
Using themes – how to choose a theme and develop it in your Yoga for Cancer class/ course
Including people with cancer in your mainstream class
Module 5 - Mindfulness and yoga
Introduction to Mindfulness for Health
How to incorporate mindfulness into your yoga class
Accessible mindfulness techniques for overcoming pain and living well with illness
Mindful movement
Module 6 - Business
Choosing the right venue
Approaching organisations
Resources
Communicating with the press
Best practice for establishing trust and confidence in your business
Additional study to complete 40 hours of training
Read course texts (text list given on enrollment)
Lesson planning
25 minute teaching assessment (you will deliver this live or optionally video yourself teaching and send us the video for the group to watch)
1500 word case study: You will work with someone on the cancer journey and prepare a case study report of your work with them
PAYMENT & OFFERS
There are TWO options for booking a Teach Yoga for Cancer Course with Yoga by Nature:
21 hour CPD Course £300
40 hour Teacher Training Course from £450
If you do the 21 hour CPD course, you can upgrade to the 40 hour Yoga for Cancer Teacher Training after the course for £200.
Instalment plans available to suit your budget. Email info@yogabynature.org to ask about payment plans
Charities - ask us about bursaries
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Thank you for your interest in the course!
Example daily schedule
08:00 - 09:30
09:30 - 10.00
10:00 - 11:30
11:30 - 12:30
12:30 - 13:30
13:30 - 15:30
15:30 - 16:45
16:45 - 17:00
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MORNING PRACTICE
CHECK-IN
YOGA TECHNIQUES & MINDFULNESS
ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY
LUNCH
METHODOLOGY / LIFESTYLE / ETHICS
TECHNIQUE & PRACTICUM
CLOSING CIRCLE
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Postural Hatha yoga, relaxation and meditation.
A group check-in to set the intention for the day ahead.
Asana, pranayama, kriya, bhanda, mantra, mudra, meditation.
Anatomy in action & applied philosophy, lifestyle and ethics.
A chance to nourish, relax and refresh together.
Yoga on and off the mat, sequencing, postural applications.
Teaching & practice with peers in small groups.
Space to share and meditate
Are you ready to become your best you?
Reveal the most radiant, confident, skilful version of yourself, as well as
gaining a professional qualification.
Curious? Contact info@yogabynature.org to discuss your next steps
"This course was one of the most powerful and empowering experiences of my life. I found the holistic approach enlightening and thought provoking and I felt very supported in exploring some big topics and ideas for myself. While I now feel confident to teach yoga, this course hasn’t just facilitated an ability to teach yoga; it has truly developed a bedrock for my whole life."
Jess - 200 hour training graduate
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