Healing Yoga for Cancer Training, 2025
Live-streamed and on-demand modular training for 200-hr yoga teachers and healthcare providers.
2025 Fall dates announced soon!
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Earn CEC's through IAYT and Yoga Alliance
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- View all pre-recorded practices and lectures according to the schedule.
- Attend all livestreamed sessions (or view recordings). - Complete the quiz for each module. - Attend the free public weekly Healing Yoga for Cancer class streamed on Zoom, and posted to the private Healing Yoga for Cancer Facebook Group. |
60 HOURS (Livestreamed and On-Demand)
This yoga therapy training with Cheryl Fenner Brown, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP is designed for yoga teachers and healthcare practitioners wishing to help cancer patients and survivors use ancient yoga practices to improve immunity, reduce cancer side-effects, and build holistic wellness. In this training, you will learn the following:
This yoga therapy training with Cheryl Fenner Brown, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP is designed for yoga teachers and healthcare practitioners wishing to help cancer patients and survivors use ancient yoga practices to improve immunity, reduce cancer side-effects, and build holistic wellness. In this training, you will learn the following:
- About cancer biology, how and why cancer happens, and the link between stress, inflammation, and immunity.
- About traditional Western medical, complementary, and alternative cancer treatments and how side effects impact patients’ well-being.
- The theory and practice of yoga protocols for managing cancer treatment side effects (pain, insomnia, lymphedema, digestive distress, cognitive fog, anxiety, depression, neuropathy, and cancer-related fatigue).
- How to adapt common practices for patients in active treatment, what is safe, and what should be avoided.
- Somatic movement therapies that enhance lymphatic flow to boost functional and physical well-being.
- The practical application of adaptive, chair, and restorative asana for patients in treatment and beyond.
- How cancer impacts the subtle body, including the koshas, the vayus, and the chakras.
- About the powerful practice of mudra and how it helps manage cancer's physical and emotional side effects.
- Safe pranayama practices for cooling the body, calming the nervous system, and promoting awareness.
- The brain science behind how Yoga Nidra promotes healing at the deepest levels.
- The art of writing your own customized Yoga Nidra meditations.
- How to guide students through intention setting and transforming intentions into personal Sanskrit mantras.
- The power of sound practices, bija mantras, and japa mala meditation.
- How to adapt the yoga for cancer protocols for individual sessions and group yoga classes.
- To build confidence around supporting emotional processing when it arises in your students and to protect your boundaries while working with this population.
- How to effectively teach and assist cancer patients through group case studies and patient practicum.
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Thursday, 10:00-12:00 am EST
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Module 1: Principles of Yoga Therapy for CancerThis introductory session covers the biology of cancer and how traditional, complementary, and alternative treatments impact patients’ health. Learn how stress impacts the immune system and how yoga can help. How to adapt common practices for patients in active treatment, what is safe, and what should be avoided. Explore the basic yoga protocol used in the Healing Yoga for Cancer Survivorship research study including asana, mudra, pranayama, guided relaxation, and sound.
Recorded Lecture (6 hrs) Livestreamed Session (2 hrs)
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Thursdays, 10:00-12:00 am EST
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Module 2: Cancer & AsanaLearn how to adapt common asanas for both cancer patients and survivors. Take a deep dive into restorative and chair yoga, as well as somatic movement therapies that boost immunity. Learn specific protocols that reduce cancer treatment side-effects such as lymphedema, pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, digestive distress, neuropathy, and cancer-related fatigue. Apply your knowledge by creating customized asana protocols for case studies.
Recorded Lecture/Practice (7 hrs)
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Thursdays, 10:00-12:00 am EST
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Module 3: Mudras for HealingA review of yoga philosophy and the difference between Samkhya and Vedanta views. Learn how to view cancer through the lens of the subtle body, including the koshas, doshas, and vayus. Learn the powerful art of mudra and how these hand positions elicit positive changes in the physical, emotional, mental, and wisdom bodies. We will work with specific mudra protocols that promote immune health and manage anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia, lymphedema, neuropathy, fatigue, and digestive distress. Learn how to combine mudra with asana, pranayama, chanting, and meditation to promote deeper awareness and healing. Apply your knowledge by creating customized mudra protocols for case studies.
Recorded Lecture/Practice (9 hrs)
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Thursdays, 10:00-12:00 am EST
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Module 4: The Power of Breath & SoundThe science behind pranayama and a brief overview of the chakra system. Learn pranayama protocols to manage anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia, lymphedema, neuropathy, cancer-related fatigue, cognitive fog, and digestive distress. The power of using intention, chanting, and bija mantra to enhance meditative states. Create your own Sanskrit mantra and learn how to use it with japa mala. Apply your knowledge by creating customized breath, sound, and intention protocols for case studies.
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May be completed during or after the cancer modules
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Module 5: Online Yoga Nidra TrainingYoga Nidra is a style of guided meditation that leads practitioners through a first-person experience of their body, breath, emotions, and imagination in a completely non-judgmental and compassionate way. Anyone can learn to write and teach from their own Yoga Nidra meditations with this 10-hour online Yoga Nidra Training chock full of video lectures, audio practices, written homework exercises and 7 hours of bonus content that will stoke your creative writing fires. By the end of the course, you will have written your very own Yoga Nidra meditation and have the tools and understanding to write more scripts.
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Completed on your own time
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Module 6: Putting it All TogetherIn this module, you will access on-demand classes showing how to combine all the practices covered in the training for each side effect we have explored. Teachers will then teach a mini-practice combining asana, mudra, pranayama, sound/mantra, and intention for real-world case studies. Q&A sessions and group feedback round out these sessions. This is an invaluable part of the training that lets you experience how these therapeutic yoga practices combine to create safe and effective experiences for your students and clients.
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Thursday, 10:00-12:00 am EST
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Module 7: Working with Patients PracticumAre you ready to apply your yoga for cancer knowledge to real-world teaching scenarios? This practicum is an opportunity to work one-on-one with cancer patients and survivors under supervision. Learn how to protect your boundaries while working with this population and how to support emotional processing when it arises. Tips on effectively teaching and assisting cancer patients, observing and practicing the client assessment process. Customize yoga protocols that meet your client's needs by meeting asana, mudra, pranayama, sound, intention, and yoga nidra.
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What Teachers Have to Say:
Thank you Cheryl for this incredible course. I am coming away feeling very resourced and ready to start serving those living with cancer. The depth of the insights, wisdom, and skills you share are way beyond what I was expecting and of value to all communities I serve. Your energy, support, and grace through the whole program is wonderful too. Most grateful I found this. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn how they can best support those living with cancer or any other (life) challenging condition. - Trish du Temple, 2023 This was a great class to learn about how the different aspects of yoga can be used therapeutically with cancer patients. I found the course very informative, and provided me with the tools to create a treatment plan for my patients. - Heidi Stecher, 2023 Cheryl is a very thorough and well-researched teacher. She knows her stuff and presents it in an easy to follow and easy to understand manner. I loved training with Cheryl and look forward to more trainings with her. -- Vrinda Arora, 2023 It has been my intention to teach yoga for cancer since my original yoga teacher training in 2017. Cheryl’s training provided tools to address specific challenges and side effects associated with the cancer experience and treatments. The comprehensive approach of Cheryl’s teachings are based on the foundations of yoga, offering ways to address each student from the physical, energetic, mental, wisdom and bliss bodies, and are backed up by scientific studies. I am grateful for the sharing of knowledge. -Jessie Lu Galbraith, Bellingham, WA, 2022 As a teacher, I have studied under Cheryl and I can't recommend her highly enough. I wish we'd had someone like Cheryl in our lives when my husband was in treatment for cancer, she is so knowledgeable and compassionate. If you are in treatment, recovery or have any kind of limitation and think you can't do yoga, she is the teacher for you! - Tiffany Cole Candiotti, Apex, NC, 2020. Cheryl is a teacher's teacher as well as for new students. Her knowledge and experience in working with cancer patients is presented with such expertise and I might add warmth, I felt so much gratitude. Her work leaves you with a wealth of practices presented in a organized and thoughtful manner. I have taken other nationally well known courses but preferred Cheryl's philosophy more. I have worked with a few private students who had developed breast cancer during the course of our time together I used many of the techniques, practices,and philosophies I have learned thru Cheryl's work. She is a gem with the energy of a lioness. - Lynne Dreyer, Arlington, VA, 2020 12 hours with Cheryl is almost equivalent to a 200 teacher training, with Cheryl wearing all the hats! She is endlessly knowledgeable and experienced with all of the information she is presenting. She is an engaging, credible, professional and fun presenter/person. Her talents are endless! This course was thorough, brimming with information and the handouts were extremely comprehensive. Thank you Cheryl!!! - Sallie Moran, Walnut Creek, CA, 2018 |
Cheryl's Yoga for Cancer Course provides applicable techniqes that you can immediately start incorporating into your own practice. This course is a real gem. Great for all levels. - Heather Elaina Holland, 2024 I was thoroughly impressed with the training and learned so much. I feel confident I can help make a difference in others' lives. - Sheila Hubbard, 2023 This training is excellent! Cheryl is a good teacher who is very well prepared and always finds time to answer questions and check-in with how the students are doing. This course is very inclusive and covers all aspects of yoga and how to use them with cancer patients. who are going through treatment and in recovery. The manual contains extensive materials for all the modules and is great for reference. -Ellen Aldrich, 2023 I completed a weekend of training for yoga teachers with Cheryl. I've been teaching yoga for many years but one is never too old to learn. Cheryl is an exceptional teacher. She has changed some of the ways I teach. Regardless of which class a student takes, anyone would benefit from her instruction. -Alan Ennis, Durham, NC, 2020 The Course Cancer & Physical Practices as written and presented by Cheryl offers current viable, mindful and caring approach to instructors helping cancer patients. Cheryl’s educational course offers an understanding for the anatomy of cancer, how to boost the immune system, how to approach inflammation in the body with research protocol, stress reducing techniques and much, much more. As a cancer survivor and yoga instructor I learned exponentially... and now having a deeper understanding and appreciation for the dynamics of mindfully helping students and practitioners benefiting in the resultant joys of such practice applications for all. Thank you, kindly! - Brett Mehringer., Walnut Creek, CA, 2019 I truly appreciated your course and you personally as a trainer. You “know your stuff!” My students loved learning new poses and the tidbits I sprinkled through the class, as I find science based teaching effective and so did they! - Dawn Rudluff, Walnut Creek, CA 2019 We are so fortunate to have Cheryl’s deep wisdom and many years of experience offered as a practical course to be shared. I received so much out of this training- practices and information I share directly with the students at the Cancer Support Community in Santa Rosa. They’ve responded with so much positive feedback about how the yoga is helping them cope with their illness. This is my second training and I look forward to what Cheryl and PYC will offer in the future. - Sarah Jenness, Walnut Creek, CA, 2017 The Subtle Practices weekend was full of valuable information, all of which I was able to immediately incorporate into my classes and with private students. This training definitely up-leveled my understanding and offerings as a teacher. - Tiffany C, Raleigh, 2018 |
