I was recently humbled by a most profound example of the healing power of faith. I have been helping a dear friend of mine who got diagnosed with a brain tumor two weeks ago. The surgery went smoothly, but the post-surgical MRI revealed an aggressive type of cancer. The way she confronted the news with so much maturity and will power, and trust in the divine omnipotence of her being was so remarkable and awe inspiring. Of course, she had to deal with the pleas of the allopathic doctors to consider chemotherapy and radiation, along with a handful of prescription medication that had already upset her intestinal flora and caused nausea and constipation. The doctors reassured her that she had 10% chances of survival if she were to undergo chemotherapy and another 20% if she added radiation.

How can you throw random numbers when you have no clue how the patient would react to this treatment? And why don’t allopathic physicians talk about the awful side effects of chemotherapy and radiation? Why don’t they mention that together with the malignant cells these invasive therapies destroy the healthy cells and crush the lymph and immune system for good? Why don’t they confess that these harsh chemicals never really get the microbes out of the organs or tissues? With a shattered self-regulatory system and a low red blood count the patient can no longer tap the limitless healing resources of the body. Is it any wonder that the cancer always seems to “come back” after surgery or chemotherapy? This form of regression is due to the fact that the root cause of cancer is not identified and treated.

And the root cause always harbors on an energetic and soul level. Cancer is a disease resulting in inhibited energy flow in a particular energetic center. In other words, the area of the center is over-stimulated owing to unresolved emotions. This brings damming up of energy and suppression of the cellular function. The toxic emotional residue is dumped in the center and its neighboring organs for months, even years, until it closes down – impairing the flow of life force in the cells. As a result, the cells weaken, allowing glucose to permeate from the bloodstream and yield access to toxic bacteria and parasites. Bacteria, in turn excrete “mycotoxins”, acidify the cells and weaken the immune system. There is no immunity to combat the bacteria and the cells grow out of control. The entire organism is disrupted and instead of chemo-therapy and heavy drugs needs a cellular reboot.

This cellular healing insists on a completely macro biotic diet, low in sugars, high in greens and antioxidants. A green machine juice fast, coupled with a strict everyday yoga regimen, will flush toxins away from the blood stream, and help the damaged immune system recover and ultimately strike fight back. But most importantly, profound cellular deprogramming is required. Here’s how each aspect of Yoga plays its part in the healing process.

Yoga postures work on all of the body’s internal organs and systems, i.e. circulation, respiration, digestion, and elimination. They also catalyze the nervous system and the lymphatic system, while lubricating the joints, muscles and ligaments. They affect our posture, breathing, circulation, digestion and elimination, as well as our physical strength, stamina and flexibility, and our overall balance.

Breathing exercises release tension and replenish energy. Shallow, restricted breathing contributes to tiredness, depression and physical illness. Deep, relaxed, rhythmic breathing in which the lungs are fully utilized, is energizing and revitalizing. Breathing couple with restorative stretching will improve the elasticity and efficiency of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, and replace poor, ineffectual breathing habits with more healthful, life-enhancing ones.

In Yoga the breath body constitutes the energetic sheath of our shell and conscious and extended breathing has proved to eliminate emotional information imprinted in the cells. We can easily observe how our emotions affect our breathing: when we are anxious, angry or frightened, it responds by growing shallow and erratic. But the reverse is also true: our breathing affects our emotional state. Deeper, rhythmic breathing calms the mind, nerves and emotions, relieves anxiety and stress, restores serenity and balance, and lifts the spirits. The breath brings energy into our being. It carries the vital life force throughout the body, and it connects and brings into harmony all the levels of our being: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Our breath is the vital link between body, mind and spirit; between ourselves and all creation.

Meditation isn’t ’emptying the mind’. It is ultimately calming to the mind and the emotions, but what makes it so is the opportunity it gives us to allow our thoughts and emotions to surface so that we can look at them instead of repressing them. Meditation develops the mental focus, the powers of observation and perception, that enable us to observe things accurately, to better understand the workings of our mind, and to face and let go of our fears. Once we have looked clearly at the realities of our situation we can acknowledge and accept them, and work with them. Burying emotions traps our energy and creates more stress; acknowledging and accepting them liberates energy and reduces stress. Meditation is in fact mental therapy that cleanses and brings about integration on the emotional level, releasing energy for our spiritual growth.

Relaxation is possibly the most vital element in healing, because it helps undo the stress that is so detrimental to the immune system. In relaxation, muscles release tension, the heart rate and blood pressure drop, breathing and mental activity slow down, and tension and anxiety begin to dissolve. Body and mind ‘let go’ and surrender themselves to the stillness and peace of deep relaxation. These are conditions conducive to the repair of cells, conditions in which healing can take place. In relaxation we are actively co-operating with our immune system and encouraging our inner healing forces to work for us.

As you practice yoga while fighting cancer you will realize that your diagnosis is not a death sentence. Far from being a disaster, it can be a powerful incentive to healing, growth, and change. It can make us more aware of how precious every moment of life is, and how important it is to employ our energy consciously and in service of all. It is actually a turning point. I tipping point to embrace the experience itself, knowing that you could and would go through it, and learn whatever it has to teach you. Each experience we are given contains an opportunity to learn and to change: it is up to us how we use it.

To anyone diagnosed with cancer: do not despair. You may find, as my friend has, that it opens up new possibilities for you.

If you are facing such a challenging moment in your life consider the spiritual, physical and mental wonders of this well-rounded practice that is especially designed for you. It will promote healing by clearing toxins, removing the blockages that hinder the free flow of energy, and raising energy levels. It will aid you in the transformation path of re-imagining yourself – part of an ever-unfolding and growing movement towards wholeness and harmony.

This healing Yogea routine is especially designed for cancer-stricken patients as it stimulates the endocrine system and offers a total cellular reboot. Deep diaphragmatic breathing expands the lungs’ capacity and ensures a steady flow of life force through the meridians and cells. Further, trigger points nurture the thymus gland and boost the lymphatic and immune systems in the fight with antibodies and atypical formations. Special emphasis goes to the detoxification of the body through spinal twists and the activation of the main energetic centers through glandular secretion and cellular massage. Kneeling backbends alternate with standing twists and soothing forward bends to rejuvenate the body internally. Hip and shoulder openers increase mobility in the main joints and wash away stuck angst that harbors in crevices, honing the will power and restoring the body’s natural sense of sustenance. Inverted positions challenge the perceptual tangent and offer a shift of perspective. A soothing succession of relaxing poses elicits the parasympathetic nervous response and frees the mind from fleeing the seed problem. A gentle visualization replenishes the body with vital juices and sets a positive and bold mind frame in the process of cellular remission and total cure.