 Re: "Terminal" cancer patient new to yoga. Help?
Well you are a very courageous and strong person. This is really
beautifull. Yoga is the union. As you said you were in your class trying
to do like others. Have you ever had that same feeling in your life
where you want to do like other and end up hurting yourself more..
I think you have the chance now to see and observe and reflect on every
little thing. As you probally understand you have to listen to yourself
first, even if the teacher tell you something else, even if the book say
something else, you can only listen to yourself now. No book nor dvd nor
teacher will teach you yoga, you are learning it from inside and you are
far further than many of us, than many person on the planet now, because
you have accepted the impermanance. You will die, like everyone of us,
but now you are face to face with it, something that we can't understand
until someone tells us.
My only advice is that you know everything. You have to listen to
yourself, listen to your inner guru to your inner self, to your dream,
but mostly to your body. Your body is going away now but doing yoga will
help it, but team up with your body one last time and let him tells you
how you will do your yoga. It's time to cherish it and to go it's way
and don't worry it will tells you what to do and your body will hurt
less and less the more you get friend with it.
You are doing great, keep on, you are beautifull
Namaste
In the light
David Covell wrote:
> I'm a 51-year-old leukemia patient and veteran of 7 years of chemo,
> radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. I am relapsing for the third tim
e
> and the medical community has nothing further to offer. My latest chemo wa
s
> very toxic and did not produce the desired effect, so I have "washed my
> hands" of the toxic treatments. I am now on palliative care, and I am
> completely at peace with my situation. Being classed as "terminal" actual
ly
> makes me laugh, since I'm still pretty active and certainly don't look or
> act like I'm end-stage. I don't fear death, nor am I waiting around for i
t
> to happen.
>
> My only problem is pain. The disease and the large number of toxic
> treatments have produced severe pain in the joints and muscles. Inactivit
y
> during treatment has greatly increased the stiffness, pain and weakness.
My
> only exercise has been hiking, so my lower body is in much better shape th
an
> my upper body.
>
> I have considered yoga in the past but have feared it would be too painful
> on the knees and shoulders. Yesterday morning I awoke at 2AM in so much
> pain that I resorted to the big-gun Fentanyl patches which I reserve for t
he
> really bad times. I dislike these strong opiates, and they aren't very
> effective. In desperation I Googled up "yoga AND albuquerque" and found
a
> link to a center that was doing classes for cancer patients. Fearfully I
> went just to check it out, and I ended up going through the class. The
> amount of pain and difficulty I felt confirms how very much I need this. I
> bought a book for over-50 beginners but it is weak in instructional
> material. It has pictures of poses but not enough. I will visit the
> bookstore today and look for something better, possibly with a DVD.
>
> My concern today is that yesterday's session has aggravated my left
> shoulder. During the session my left shoulder made a lot of cracking and
> popping sounds, loud enough for everyone to hear. Today the muscles in th
e
> upper left arm are intensely sore, to the point where I can't move my arm
> without a lot of pain. There is another yoga-for-cancer session tomorrow
> and I am worried about putting any weight on that side. The pain is not i
n
> the joint but in the tendons and down the upper left arm. I think I overd
id
> it. What should I do? I am very motivated to pursue yoga, but maybe I ne
ed
> to go a little slower than yesterday. I was the only newcomer (and the on
ly
> man) and I was trying to do what everyone else did, though not to the same
> extents. Everything feels good today except for the arm. All the crackin
g
> and popping and today's pain seems to indicate that this shoulder is in ne
ed
> of special attention. I'm at a loss as to what to do. Tomorrow's session
> has a different teacher so I'll need to explain the situation to her. Oth
er
> than that, what should I be doing now? Also, I'm an active and avid
> guitarist and am curious about what role that may play in yoga. I play in
a
> contemplative style born of my habit of playing guitar while hiking in
> scenic locations. My style is similar to what I've heard on satellite aud
io
> on songs with titles indicative of yoga. Music in the outdoors, whether
> hiking or sitting and marveling at nature, is currently my form of
> meditation. Undisciplined and not goal-oriented, but fulfilling. I'm ver
y
> curious about how music will fit into a yoga lifestyle.
>
> Any feedback welcome.
>
>
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