Yoga & Cancer Conference 2018

Presented by Lorien Neargarder, C-IAYT, Lindsey Kolb, RYT-500, & Veronica Reis, PhD, RYT-500,

CCHTHayes Mansion, San Jose, CA

July 14 and/or 15, 2018

Yoga & Cancer Conference

Understanding Stress to Understand RelaxationAnd the Echoes through the Layers

These are “branches” of the Autonomic Nervous System where messages travel along the same nerve, known as the Vagal Nerve, which is why you cannot intensely activate both branches at the same time. So as one is more active, the other is less so. The great news is you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the vagus response) very quickly by taking slow, deep breaths (pranayama).

A more recent theory put forth by Stephen Porges, PhD, that updates fight-or-flight called polyvagal theory, explains why some people withdraw or collapse in the face of threatening stressors while others actually turn toward the stressor and meet it adaptively as noted at the base of the diagram with the green shading. Dorsal refers to our back sides and ventral refers to our bellies/front sides.

I wonder what our “webs” look like? And, this is just one of many ways we can tax our nervous systems!

Some layers through which there are echoes of all we are and do and experience. When we allow ourselves to fully relax, we are able to experience more of the deeper layers represented within the “koshas” farther to the right in the diagram above. When we are perpetually stressed, it is more challenging to get past the “koshas” represented more to the left in the diagram above, the “grosser” levels we discussed during the conference.

Your Brain on Chemo

Most studies have been done on people who have had breast cancer because they are most numerous. The results are preliminary but certainly show that the concerns that were previously dismissed were done so unfairly. There seems to be about a 17% prevalence rate which could grow as more studies are done. Scientists are grappling with teasing apart other factors that can contribute to cognitive difficulties such as surgery, anesthesia, radiation, fatigue, other medications, mood disorders, anemia, other medical conditions, etc. Recent data reported that 45% of people asked if they experienced cognitive difficulties after chemotherapy responded that, yes, they did.

Dr. Patricia Ganz, a leading breast cancer researcher at UCLA, believes inflammation may be a factor in cognitive impairment after cancer treatment. She and her colleagues have found a strong association between fatigue and cognitive complaints after cancer treatment in patients with specific polymorphisms in the genes that regulate the cytokines that promote inflammation. Dr. Tim Ahles, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center reported that in several small studies using animal models, the antidepressant prozac was shown to prevent or improve memory problems associated with the chemotherapy treatment 5-FU (and this is just one of many chemo drugs used today).

What Can I Do If I Have Chemo-Brain?o Stick to routine as much as possibleo Exercise your brain by learning new thingso Exercise your body by moving it regularly (walking is fine)o Focus on one thing at a timeo Sleep wello Eat well, with anti-inflammatory foods in mindo Put frequently used items in the same placeo Find the planning system that works for you and use it regularlyo Know there’s no shame in asking for help and ask

Dry Brushing

Your skin, the largest organ in the human body, is an organ of elimination. One third of your body’s toxins are excreted through the skin and dry brushing helps to unclog pores and excrete toxins that become trapped in the skin.To get started, follow the simple steps below:

1. Purchase a natural (not synthetic) bristle brush with a long handle so can reach all areas of your body.

2. Get naked and stand in a bathtub or tiled surface to catch the falling skin. (It's a bit gross, I know.)

3. Begin brushing by starting at your feet and moving in long sweeping motions toward your heart. Always brush toward your heart.

4. Brush several times in each area, overlapping as you go.

5. Take care as you brush over more sensitive areas, like breasts. Your skin will become less sensitive the more you dry brush.

6. Once you've brushed your entire body, jump in the shower. (I like to alternate between the hottest water temperature I can tolerate and the coldest. This stimulates blood circulation, bringing more blood to the top layers of the skin.)

7. After getting out of the shower, pat dry skin and apply a natural fruit oil like rose hip or coconut oil.

8. Continue to dry brush your entire body every day. Twice a day is recommended for best results. Remember to clean your brush with soap and water once a week. Leave to dry in a clean, sunny spot to avoid any mildew accumulation on your brush.

Try this for 30 days and see the results for yourself!

Some benefits of dry skin brushing:1. You'll exfoliate dead skin.Forget your in-shower loofah and body scrubs, this will ensure you have silky-smooth skin all year round!

2. It stimulates your lymphatic system.Dry brushing your skin will kick start your lymphatic system, which helps you remove toxins from the body. The stiffer the bristles on the brush, the better the lymphatic stimulation you’ll create.

3. Dry brushing helps to reduce cellulite.***Cellulite is simply toxic materials that have accumulated in your body’s fat cells and are trapped, unable to be eliminated from the body. Forget lipo, dry skin brushing

helps to break down any trapped toxins from within the body and help your body eliminate them through its usual elimination channels.

4. It unclogs pores and de-congests skin.Dry skin brushing unclogs your skins pores and helps your skin absorb more nutrients. Daily skin brushing promotes healthy, breathing skin. It's a real treat for the largest organ in our bodies!

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12675/a-stepbystep-guide-to-dry-skin-brushing.html Accessed 7/5/18***This is not backed up by science, but the other claims are; however, not a whole lot of studies have been done in this area overall.

Different Levels of Consciousness and Focus/Attention

*Our minds are naturally unruly, hence the term “monkey mind”; each of these methods are ways that can help try to soothe or tame our monkeysMonkey mind videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt9OcLynjwE

Great definition of mindfulness and a short video from Jon Kabat-Zinnhttps://greatergood.berkeley.edu/mindfulness/definition#why-practice

*Our minds are not our friends, although we can lose sight of this because they can be very helpful at times, especially if they are great problem solvers; however, emotions cannot be “solved” like math problems

*Mindfulness is a form or meditation but not all meditation is mindful

*Meditation does not mean that you have to completely clear your mind of all thoughts; meditation is focusing solely on one thing

*Visualization is a form or meditation, which is simply concentrating on an image in your mind’s eye

*Hypnosis also uses the power of images (visualization) and suggestion to bring about healing and other powerful changes

*When measuring brain activity during different ways of focusing/concentrating, we notice different patterns of brain waves via EEGs as well as via fMRIs and PET scans

Some words we like from Jon Kabat-Zinn contributed by Lindsey:

Embracing Formal Practice: Tasting Mindfulness

Have you ever had the experience of stopping so completely?of being in your body so completely,of being in your life so completelythat you knew and what you didn’t knowthat what had been and what was yet to come,and the way things are right nowno longer held even the slightest hint of anxiety or discord?It would be a moment of complete presence, beyond striving,beyond mere acceptance,beyond the desire to escape or fix anything or plunge ahead,a moment of pure seeing, pure feeling,a moment in which life simply is,and that “isness” grabs you by all your senses,all your memories, by all your very genes,by your loves, andwelcomes you home

By: Jon Kabat-Zinn

What Does Healthy Sleep Look Like?

7-9 hours, minimal awakenings, feel refreshed upon waking, includes REM (dreaming). Increased REM in the latter half of sleeping with sleep cycles lasting ~90 minutes.

What are some of the ill effects of not getting enough sleep?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation Accessed 11/4/17

Stress and Your Nervous System

One definition of stress, offered by Merriam-Webster, is “a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.; something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety; physical force or pressure.”

A fuller definition of stress as it relates to human beings should include events we perceive as both positive and negative.

http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/human-function-curve.jpg Accessed: 11/4/17

Other Sleep InfluencersCircadian Rhythms

Of note, our circadian rhythm for sleep is not quite 24 hours (~24 ¼) This is where the importance of a consistent sleep and wake time cannot be overemphasized. In order to train ourselves to sleep well, it’s crucial to stay on a schedule so we don’t drift farther and farther away from being in a 24 hour rhythm. Bring your attention to what happens when you stay within a half hour of the “bookends” of sleep (i.e., when you go to bed and when you wake up).

Hormones related to Sleep

https://www.sciencealert.com/chemical-messengers-how-hormones-help-us-sleep

Accessed: 11/11/17

https://www.polar.com/blog/sleep-hygiene-tips-infographic/ Accessed 11/4/17

Yogic Approach

http://www.ahimsa-academy.com/single-post/2016/04/01/Ashtanga-Yoga-The-8-limbs-of-Patanjalis-Yoga Accessed: 11/4/17

Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga and, just as yoga does, incorporates a truly holistic approach to living a balanced, healthy life to

include mind, body and spirit. Each of these is also touched upon in Yoga Nidra when done after asana.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5448beb8e4b003f5bab8c2eb/t/55db911fe4b06db5067db6c8/1440452906924/ Accessed: 11/4/17

From the Ayurvedic perspective, difficulty sleeping is due to an imbalance of Vata energy. We all have each of the 3 doshas present; however, each has a tendency for one to be predominant. The Ayurvedic clock also represents the philosophy of each of these energies predominating at

different points throughout the day and night. Imbalance at large is also conceptualized as indigestion. This can be of food, thought or emotion.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/386605949233050554/ Accessed: 11/4/17

The 5 Koshas (Sheaths) of the Human Body Addressed in Yoga Nidra

Another look at the 5 koshas – each of these are touched upon when you practice yoga nidrahttp://wellness-space.net/pancha-kosha/ Accessed: 7/16/18

References to yoga nidra can be found in Patanjali’s sutras: #1.38, 3.16, 3.18, and 3.23. (Yoga Nidra, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, ©2008)

Links to online Yoga Nidra practices:

Jennifer Piercy recording: https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/yoga-nidra-sleep

Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Nirlipta Tuli: http://www.yoganidranetwork.org/downloads

Kamini Desai, PhD, video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rogU4H6LlEk

Kirtan KriyaCan be done as a standalone practice or in combination with physical practice

https://www.spiritrisingyoga.org/kundalini-info/kirtan-kriya Accessed: 11/12/17

The chant for Kirtan Kriya is Saa Taa Naa Maa, which each syllable having a specific vibration or meaning:

Saa: Beginning, infinity, cosmos Taa: Life, existence Naa: Change, Transformation, Death Maa: Rebirth

http://www.heartcenteredrevolution.com/the-benefits-of-the-meditation-for-our-time-aka-kirtan-kriya/ Accessed: 11/16/17

For more information on the benefits of doing Kirtan Kriya just 12 minutes each day, which include improved memory, decreased stress, better sleep, etc., check out this blog post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dharma-singh-khalsa-md/meditation-alzheimers_b_3625181.html Accessed: 11/12/17

Article citation: David S. Black, Steve W. Cole, Michael R. Irwin, Elizabeth Breen, Natalie M. St. Cyr, Nora Nazarian, Dharma S. Khalsa, Helen Lavretsky, Yogic meditation reverses NF-κB and IRF-related transcriptome dynamics in leukocytes of family dementia caregivers in a randomized controlled trial, In Psychoneuroendocrinology, Volume 38, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 348-355, ISSN 0306-4530, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.06.011.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453012002260)

For more about the impact on those with Alzheimer’s Disease and their caregivers, visit: http://alzheimersprevention.org/

Set yourself up for sound slumber with these calming foods and beverages.Chances are, you know that eating heavy meals and certain foods can keep you up at night, and you probably try to avoid them. But you may not realize that some foods and beverages can actually put you in the mood to snooze. In particular, foods that contain tryptophan (an amino acid that turns into relaxing brain chemicals like serotonin and melatonin), whole-grain carbs (which boost serotonin production), certain minerals (like calming calcium and magnesium), and some herbs (that have a relaxing effect) can put you in a soporific state.

If you want a night of sound slumber, consider having a light sleep-inviting snack about an hour before bedtime. Good choices include:

Half a Banana and a Handful of Almonds: The combination of tryptophan, carbs, and calming magnesium can help make you drowsy. Don’t like bananas? Have some cherries, a natural source of melatonin, instead.

Whole-Grain Crackers with Peanut Butter: It’s another magical combo (tryptophan + complex carbs) that will promote sound slumber.

A Mug of Warm Milk: Grandma was right—drinking warm milk before bedtime can help you sleep better, thanks to the dairy drink’s tryptophan, calcium, and magnesium. Just make sure it’s a small mug and not a huge glass, or else you’ll be running to the bathroom all night.

A Small Bowl of Whole-Grain Cereal with Milk: The milk’s tryptophan, calcium, and magnesium, coupled with the cereal’s calming carbs and magnesium can make you feel sleepy. Opt for a low-sugar cereal, so you don’t get a spike in blood sugar that could rev you up. Or make hot oatmeal with milk, because oatmeal is a rich source of sleep-promoting melatonin.

Half a Turkey Sandwich: Make it with whole-wheat bread (rich in complex carbs and magnesium) and a couple of slices of turkey (the most famous source of tryptophan) and you’ll be ready to hit the hay in no time. Low-sugar cranberry sauce optional, if you’re really craving that Thanksgiving feeling.

A Mug of Herbal (Decaf) Tea: Chamomile, passionflower, and valerian teas each have a sedating effect. For an extra dose of calm, add a teaspoon of honey, which contains tryptophan. (Stay away from ginseng tea, though, because it can have a stimulating effect.)

Just be sure to keep your bedtime snack on the light side. The last thing you want to do is overload your stomach and set yourself up for a night of tossing and turning—or consume extra calories in an effort to lull yourself to sleep.https://sleep.org/articles/foods-for-sleep/ Accessed 11/4/17