Prema Yoga Institute 8/29/24 Prema Yoga Institute 8/29/24

Supporting Immunity with Yoga Therapy During Cancer Care

Cancer is a disease that affects a lot of people not only in the US but also worldwide. From 2016 to 2019, the survival rate for cancer is 68.7%. The shocking statistic is that approximately 41% of people in the US will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Fortunately, there are various health programs that are in place to help those with cancer, including yoga for cancer patients.

As a disease, cancer attacks various systems in a person’s body. One of these systems is the immune system. Read on to know more about what the immune system is, how cancer affects it, and how yoga for cancer patients can help support their immunity.

What is the Immune System?

According to the National Cancer Institute, the immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that help the body’s defense system against infections. They usually include white blood cells and organs and tissues of the lymph system. Some of these are the thymus, spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes, lymph vessels, and bone marrow.

This system fights bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. With the help of the immune system, the body flushes out these things from the body.

When the immune system is compromised, the body is unable to remove these from the body. As a result, the person gets sick.

How does Cancer Affect the Immune System?

When immune cells grow uncontrollably, certain kinds of cancer can occur. These are leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma which affect the immune system directly.

These result in immunosuppression, or the reduced ability of the immune system to fight unwanted foreign objects in the body. Cancer damages the overall function of this particular system and has a huge impact on the T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells.

When the immune system is not working properly, chronic inflammation and other conditions can occur.

How Can Yoga Support the Immune System

Yoga for cancer patients offers a variety of health benefits, especially to the immune system. First and foremost, it downregulates pro-inflammatory markers. It reduces cytokine IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, which are pro-inflammatory markers.

Yoga for cancer patients also helps improve the respiratory function of cells. Improved cells will help ensure that they are functioning properly.

Additionally, yoga for cancer patients can help lower stress levels. It also helps improve sleep, resulting in better quality of life for the individuals.

Most importantly, yoga therapy helps ensure better lymph circulation.

Conclusion

Cancer is a condition that affects various systems of the body, including the immune system. Yoga for cancer patients has shown different benefits that can help improve such conditions.

Are you a yoga teacher or healthcare practitioner looking to incorporate yoga and mindfulness into your practice? Are you interested in learning more about Yoga and Cancer Care? Please check out our annual Yoga and Cancer Care Training - as well as our comprehensive yoga therapy certification at Prema Yoga Institute.

Prema Yoga Institute 7/22/24 Prema Yoga Institute 7/22/24

Helpful Hints for Every Kids’ Yoga Instructor

Yoga can be a very fun activity for children. A session can be a space for them to move their bodies while also interacting with other kids. Yoga is more than just movement, after all.

But how do you create an environment where kids can safely learn yoga and enjoy it? This is where a certified kids' yoga instructor can truly shine. Through effective sessions and playful activities, you can help these little ones get the most out of yoga.

In this blog, we’ll share helpful hints that any children’s yoga teacher can use:

Creating Classroom Agreements

Set up a classroom agreement with all of the participants. These can include being present, respectful, and responsible. If you are handling elementary school and above groups, it will be best to come up with the agreement together. Use the yamas and niyamas - the ethical rules of yoga in the Yoga Sutras - as your guide.

Be sure to also clearly identify the specific situations that warrant the removal of the participant from the session.

Being Relatable

To make the yoga sessions fun and interesting, it's important to get to know the participants. Talk to them about their likes and dislikes and incorporate them into your sessions.

Eliminating Distractions

Distractions are fairly easy to get the attention of young ones away from you and what you're teaching. Be sure to eliminate distractions, including unnecessary background noises.

Incorporating Expressive Arts and STEAM

Depending on the age group of participants you are teaching in a yoga session, you have to make sure that you're using age-appropriate materials into your movements. These include science, music, and art. Doing so will help you reach children with varying types of intelligence.

Incorporating Sensory Experiences

As much as possible, make sure to incorporate sensory experiences during your sessions. These include visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, interoception, and proprioception. While incorporating everything in the entire session may not be logically possible, incorporate them where the participants are amenable.

Modeling

When breathwork exercises and movement, be sure to use modeling. The modeling method is where you perform the movement or activity and then explain the rationale of each step. Doing so helps the kids understand what the activity is for and why they are doing it.

Using Repetition

While children may be eager to learn, it's also important to help them retain the movements and postures that you are teaching them. Repetition will be the best course of action so there's time for integration.

Have a Backup Plan

Since you will be dealing with youngsters with different personalities, there can be instances when your planned session doesn't work out. That's okay. Just be sure to have a tried-and-tested backup plan that you can use.

Using Repetition

Conclusion

Teaching a kids’ yoga session can be successful with the help of these tips as well as going through certified kids’ yoga instructor training.

Interested in training to become a Yoga Alliance Certified Kids Yoga Teacher? Our Yoga Alliance-approved Kids’ Inclusive Yoga Teacher Training course is online, and focuses on sharing yoga with all kids! Please check out all the information HERE.

Prema Yoga Institute 7/15/24 Prema Yoga Institute 7/15/24

Setting Up the Class (Via Zoom & In-Person): A Guide for Kids’ Yoga Teachers

Over the years, yoga has continued growing in popularity among children. Through kids' yoga, the young ones are able to cultivate self-awareness and inner calmness, while also getting physically active in a fun way. Kids can greatly benefit from yoga through various activities, whether they are in a yoga studio or even in their own homes.

As children, it is important for them to have a well-structured class. A kids' yoga teacher needs to overcome the challenge of keeping these little ones engaged for the entire session as well as teaching them new poses effectively and safely. Kids' yoga instructor training courses can help in developing the skills necessary to overcome such a challenge.

In this blog, we’ll share helpful tips on how you can set up an effective children’s yoga session, whether via online or via in-person.

General Tips for Setting Up Zoom Sessions

Zoom sessions are really popular at this time due to convenience. So, here are some general tips on how to prepare the Zoom session as a certified kids’ yoga instructor:

1. Use the chat box to set parameters.

Depending on the age group of the participants, It’s important to establish the rules beforehand. Use the Zoom chat box to lay down these rules.

2. Use the mute button as necessary.

Younger children can be very vocal during sessions. So make sure to use the mute button to your advantage. Zoom has a feature that allows you to mute participants.

3. Pin/spotlight yourself.

You don’t want the kids to get distracted. Be sure to pin or put the spotlight on yourself so they can focus on you and your instructions.

4. Use emojis as applicable.

Kids love fun. Using emojis during sessions can help make instructions more fun for them.

5. Use things that can be found in their homes.

When performing the online games or activities, be sure to incorporate various things that the young ones can easily find in their homes or easily within their reach. By doing so, you can keep them engaged and not have them wander around looking for such things.

General Tips for In-Person Classes

If you are thinking of setting up in-person classes, these are general tips that most kids’ yoga teacher training programs will advise:

Keep distractions at a minimum.

Children can easily get distracted, especially in the younger age groups. Remove items that are not needed in the session. If you’re unable to physically remove these items, cover them up. Kids won’t be distracted with things they can’t see.

Know the layout of the studio.

Whether it’s your own studio or you’re renting one, it’s important to know where the bathrooms are. Younger participants tend to need the bathrooms often.

Designate a quiet corner.

In relation to the previous tip, you also need to designate a quiet corner. There are certain situations where children may need to take a pause, especially spirited ones.

Ensure even class temperature.

Make sure that the studio is not too hot nor too cold. If possible, ensure that there is bright lighting for the entire area.

Bring props.

Props can keep the attention of the participants in your session. Make sure that these props are helpful and safe.

Be flexible.

Children, depending on the age group, might be very vocal about their preferences. For instance, they might not want to use yoga mats. They might not want to take off their shoes. So, it’s important to have the willingness to be flexible in these situations.

Conclusion

Setting up a fun and effective kids’ yoga session, whether via Zoom or live in-person, can be achievable when you keep these tips in mind. A kids’ yoga teacher training program can also help you set up a complete session for your participants.