Fitness Carter: Free Yoga Classes Offer Cancer Survivors Strength Training, Camaraderie

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.^[1]

Instructor Nancy Peck leads the free class. (Hannah S. Ostroff/WYDaily)

When Nancy Peck was going through treatment for breast cancer, yoga was her saving grace.

Now a two-time survivor, she is sharing the practice with other people who have fought or are fighting the disease. Through Studio South, a Williamsburg yoga facility, she is teaching free community classes for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers.^[2]

“Once you go through those types of things, you don’t feel like you’ll ever be whole again,” Peck said.

She said it is easy for cancer patients to feel like their bodies have let them down. Her classes focus on strength, balance, flexibility and balance — the things she said many people take for granted when they are healthy, and are most important to get back after the trauma of cancer.

The classes meet at 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays for 75 minutes.

Peck is a regular instructor at Studio South. Katy Henderson, the studio’s owner, said she hoped to bring more community-based yoga to the area, and that Peck’s class was a great fit.

Studio South opened in March 2013. They began offering free classes to those affected by cancer within a few months as part of the “Local Love” program that aims to give back locally. Henderson wishes not only to reach paying customers, but also those in need.

She said she has seen as many as 15 people show up to take the class, and as few as one. As the program has continued, a core group has developed.

“It’s nice for them to come in and make their own community,” Henderson said.

Peck agreed a sense of camaraderie is an important part of the healing process. The class is a safe space for the participants, a support group where “nobody’s looking at you — nobody’s judging you.”

(Hannah S. Ostroff/ WYDaily)

The seven participants in last Tuesday’s class chatted as they set up yoga mats in the dimly lit studio, while serene music played quietly.

As class got underway, Peck led the group through poses, stressing no one should push themselves outside of their comfort zone or to a place where they felt a strain. Instead, she told students to focus on what felt right.

“Always honor where you are at this time, at this moment,” she instructed.

Peck said yoga is a practice for anyone at any stage of their lives. She has been teaching for about three years, and many of her advanced certification hours have been therapeutically based.

After feeling isolated by her illness, Peck said teaching this community yoga class — which she does as a volunteer — is her way of giving back.

Studio South has also hosted a physical therapist to work with participants, who are in a many different stages of treatment or recovery. Henderson aims for a “well-rounded approach” and hopes to have a big event in the spring with more education for visitors.

Most of all, she wants everyone to feel welcome, regardless of their skill level or experience with yoga. This is not a hot yoga class, where the room is heated for additional health benefits, and the studio will do its best to accommodate special needs.

The sessions include reclined, seated and standing poses, and students should be able to transition from the floor to standing with minimal assistance. Chairs are available for guests who are unable or uncomfortable sitting on the floor. Students should have a doctor’s approval to join.

The lobby of Studio South, which asks guests to “Love more, worry less.” (Hannah S. Ostroff/ WYDaily)

The Studio South can fit 40 participants for the class, and Henderson encouraged visitors to come try out the program. She said that program has yet to reach a large number of caregivers, who she hopes can also share in the classes.

For more information on the class and Studio South, visit their website ^[3] or call 585-7640.

Posted by Hannah S. Ostroff ^[4] on January 6, 2014. Filed under Latest News ^[5] . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 ^[6] . You can leave a response or trackback to this entry