Yoga can be great but classes I feel adds a lot of pressure. YouTube ‘Yoga with Adriene’ she had hundreds of videos and most years start a 30 day journey but this year she just did a 7 day reset. There are a variety of classes some just lying in your back with a blanket. She is based in Texas USA and has her furry friend Benji. I found it wonderful during lockdown and tried so hard to do some everyday, since my diagnosis it’s been a bit hit and miss but when I do it I feel lighter. The breath work helps so much as well.
Always worth a try in the comfort of your own home.
I love going to gigs! I can’t wait to get back to that all being well At minute I’m hardly leaving the house. I’m so paranoid with being bald. I’m just feeling low and full of worry re a pain in my side- scared incase there is spread. CT on Friday and I’m praying to get some reassurance
I hope you are well x
My first time out, out during chemo was to present to a group of 50 rugby players. I was bricking myself. Something that came naturally to me was a bag of “I’m wearing a wig, what if they notice and what if my falsie falls out of its pocket?”
No one looked at me twice. No one notices these things - we think they do, they don’t. Or hide it well.
Post treatment when my hair was a bit of fluff I took my amazingly supportive bunch of girlfriends out for lunch. The only people who looked at me were 2 20 somethings who’d spent too much money on very dodgy aesthetics and looked hideous.
Go for it!
I am well thank you and looking forward to a 90 minute drive a bit later with lots of loud noise surrounding me x
Aww, that’s lovely to hear! I hope you find lots to keep you busy. And yes, do listen to Traitors uncloaked from the beginning- it’s very interesting and funny too xx
Have a look at Pink Sheep Designs for super easy crochet patterns big crochet hook super chunky yarn, I crocheted a cardi as a complete beginner in really quick time (that was pre diagnosis, so maybe I’ll do another!)
In my case Yoga sort of found me really. I can remember watching Wake Up to Yoga in the 70 s with my Mum and doing some of it . At middle school our languages teacher turned out also to be a Yoga teacher and did a few extra curricular classes for sone of us that were interested. Later after moving away and taking up Yoga again I found out that she was still regional secretary for the British Wheel of Yoga. Later when I moved back for a while I took the advice of one of my teachers when looking for classes and checked the BWY website - so maybe do that .
Gyms / Church Halls / Community Centres all tend to have classes . If you know someone who goes that can recommend then that’s also good. There’s a vast array of classes - different styles and level of activity and mindfulness. There are classes specifically for beginners as well. In most cases they will let you do a class to see if you like it without having to commit to paying for a course . I work shifts - and only pay for the classes I attend . Most Yoga teachers I know don’t make much money from it they teach for pleasure and to help keep their own practice up. An all round class with some breathing practice posture work and a bit of relaxation would be a good place to start . A good teacher should find out from you about injuries etc. and offer alternatives to anything you can’t do. I’ve been able to keep doing Yoga in some form through every injury and health problems I have had and it’s helped me to recover .
The strength training that you are doing is really commendable and will help you a lot but I’ve never been able to get on with Gyms . I have found that Yoga has helped my strength posture and balance though . Vinyasa Flow is active but if you want a contrast to the Gym then Yin Yoga is gentler and more meditative .
Best wishes for next week and let us know how it all goes xx
@JoanneN i like the idea of the yoga flow, I’ll have a look at that after surgery although I’m apprehensive of exactly what it’s going to be like with my left arm.
it sounds as though you are quite strong and active so you might well enjoy it but make sure that you work up to it. I was impatient after treatment - I fell over and did my rotator cuff trying to rush somewhere when I wasn’t ready to rush. Then I tried a cold water swim too soon - no damage do e but it felt like something was tearing . After radiotherapy I overstretched a bit at Yin class - it didn’t feel like I was overstretching at the time it hurt the next day. Talk about a slow learner ! Be kind to yourself - it can be frustrating .
Somewhat unusually my Vinyasa Flow class is an all year round outdoor one that we do overlooking the sea so I get a nature fix at the same time. Sadly I’m poorly with a virus so I’m not up for that at present
The type of Yoga that @naughty_boob describes is Restorative I think which I have also done . I can recommend that to help with sleep . My Hatha class was started during lockdown and is still going strong and caters for a wide range of ages and abilities . It’s on Zoom obviously so it’s very convenient to do at home but I don’t know how many teachers are offering this now that we’re out of Lockdown . It also features the antics of the teachers very affectionate and playful cat and her new kitten as well now.
I read in your first post about Audio books - these were a great comfort after my retinal vein occlusion. Recently I have been listening to the Just William books read by Martin Jarvis - hilarious . Xx
Hi there, I did cold turkey from HRT then six weeks later started letrozole. My sleep went to shit and remains a problem. So what I do is:
I have loads of audio books from totally banal, old favourites and then some that require concentration. I also love cricket (although the current escapades down under are neither motivating or inspiring.) So that supports me through the small hours.
I try to walk the dog in the woods daily, even in howling gale with horizontal rain it is my favourite time of day.
Each day I have started to take a breath to check how I’m feeling, what my energy level is and which joint is hurting today . Then plan one thing in the day that gives me joy, that isn’t to say the rest of my day isn’t fun but at least one thing is purely for me.
I also love loud music when doing stuff and find screaming in the car really helpful. ( I live in the country so easy to do with just the odd cow to listen, not sure how it would work in busy city) I also like cooking when energy allows.
This all really helps me, i found the bit before treatment starts is the toughest time. Good luck! If hot flushes become a problem i have found v low dose sertraline was a game changer.
Having one thing in the day that gives you joy kept me mostly sane during the wait between check mammogram after my first procedure and being told that I needed an op. The rabbit hole in my mind would open up in the evening and I concentrated on the lovely thing that had happened that day which was usually something simple and reminded myself that there would be another lovely thing the next day. Oddly enough the good things and few good days ( like Christmas Day with my family who I hadn’t been able to mix with the previous year ) still stand out in my mind now . Some of us have found an increased appreciation of life / different way of seeing things after having cancer . It’s a gift that has come about as a result of something we never wanted but a gift nevertheless. Xx
@JoanneN thabks for the tips, I’ve downloaded Just William! 13 hours of it for 7.99. Bargain! So far I’ve drifted off without hearing a whole chapter so it’s hitting the spot in every way.
If anyone like French and Saunders I love their episodes of “Titting About” rather appropriately names and nothing to do with cancer!
@jennyb1 i like the idea of screaming in the car. Nog sure I’d care who can hear tbh. I did discover that beating the bejesus out of a boxing ball thing helped release the emotion pre surgery. No good for another 6 weeks but some kind of release feels necessary.
I like the idea of taking a breath and planning some joy. It reminds me of artists dates from the book walking in the woods - maybe I’ve got the title wrong? Joanna Cameron or Julie Cameron anyway it’s a lovely book and it encourages you to focus on something creative and enjoyable.
When there was a big bookshop in town I used to go on a Sunday afternoon to browse the books, have a coffee and buy one or two. That gave me lots of joy.
I’m definitely going for more walks in the near future xx
@JoanneN practisibg gratitude is helping me too. I’d started statically before cancer but combining it with mindfully noticing things, especially nature, is quite lovely.
I’ve got to work on some stuff to create joy in my day and mindfully make sure I do that every day.
That feeling of mortality gets you in a way I’m not sure others really understand.
Kath x
Your post gave me goosebumps, like the way you’re showing up for yourself right now is inspiring. The body’s healing journey is complex, but those moments of joy you created today are real, and they matter.
At minute I’m hardly leaving the house. I’m so paranoid with being bald. I’m just feeling low and full of worry re a pain in my side- scared incase there is spread. CT on Friday and I’m praying to get some reassurance 
xx
it sounds as though you are quite strong and active so you might well enjoy it but make sure that you work up to it. I was impatient after treatment - I fell over and did my rotator cuff trying to rush somewhere when I wasn’t ready to rush. Then I tried a cold water swim too soon - no damage do e but it felt like something was tearing . After radiotherapy I overstretched a bit at Yin class - it didn’t feel like I was overstretching at the time it hurt the next day. Talk about a slow learner ! Be kind to yourself - it can be frustrating .
. Then plan one thing in the day that gives me joy, that isn’t to say the rest of my day isn’t fun but at least one thing is purely for me.