Resources
Podcasts
Yoga in the Cancer Community with Tyla Arnason
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, responsible for nearly 1 in 6 (almost 10 million) deaths in 2020. Millions more are diagnosed and survive cancer annually. As yoga teachers, we may have someone in our class who is from the cancer community or we may be interested in learning more about how we can better support someone dealing with cancer. Tyla Arnason is an expert in this area and has some insights about teaching yoga in the cancer community.
Tyla is an accomplished yoga therapist who has been named a Top Ten Yoga Instructor in Calgary. She has spent the last 15 years working in partnership with the University of Calgary's Health & Wellness Lab in developing protocols used in programming for the cancer community and the research they supported. Tyla supports those with cancer, care teams, and yoga instructors through her specialized yoga therapy protocols, classes, and trainings. She describes herself as a movement optimist, and her philosophy is that with classes tailored to the individual, yoga can be made accessible to everyone and all students can become more confident movers
Tyla answers some questions yoga teachers often have, including: "How do I keep a student with cancer safe in a yoga class?" and “How can I gain the confidence to work with people from the cancer community?”. She also addresses specific questions about supporting students with different types of cancers, students who use compression garments, the impacts of post treatment meds, and much more.
Yoga Therapy for Cancer with Tyla Arnason
Reclaiming Our Wellbeing
Tyla Arnason shares with Shira how movement is a safe and beneficial part of the cancer continuum. She talks about the importance of adapting the practice to the individual especially in group yoga therapy at the University of Calgary.
Yoga Thrive's group programs are value for community, coming together with people on a similar journey, in a safe environment adds to the benefits, helping with adherence and accountability for those who struggle with commitment and being active.
Tyla also teaches a teacher training of evidence-informed yoga program for individuals diagnosed with cancer (on- and/or off-treatment) and their support persons.
Blog Posts
Uniting the Body, Breath, and Mind: Yoga to Support Wellness for Individuals Affected by Cancer
Compassion House Foundation
In Western society, yoga is the blending of movement (stretching and strengthening), the breath (inhaling and exhaling), and mindfulness (cultivating an awareness of the thoughts occurring in your mind without judgement).
When you think of the word ‘yoga’, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s images of gravity defying poses, inconceivable twists and turns of one’s body, or someone serenely meditating? If these are your thoughts, it might feel overwhelming to consider starting or maintaining your own yoga practice.
Magazine Articles
Poser Magazine
Fall 2014
Gone are the days of the old school golfer, driving a cart, smoking a cigar and into a second beverage by the first green. Many of today’s golfers are walking 18 holes, warming up before their first drive and while they may still finish with a cold beer at the 19th hole, beer bellies are certainly less prevalent.
If you are a golfer, regardless of your level of play, you are an athlete. As such, you need to consider conditioning for your sport if you wish to improve or even maintain your performance and longevity, not to mention reduce injury. Any golfer will tell you that our season in Calgary is extremely short. However, that long off season can be put to incredible use by keeping your body golf-ready through crossover activities that promote muscle memory. Fall is the perfect time to consider adding a yoga/fitness program to your physical activity regime. A common misconception among amateurs is that golf is merely a technical game with little physical or mental demand. Today’s golfers are active. They walk up to 5 miles a round, experience elevation gains, climb in and out of bunkers (hopefully not too many!), hinge over 30-40 putts and take over 100 practice and actual swings. All of this aside, the sheer force with which the golfer swings the club sees club head speeds of up to 100 miles/hour, comparable to that of a MLB pitcher. Golfers all over the world from the elite PGA Tour player to the weekend warrior are using yoga to enhance their ability in the sport they love.