By Shelly Barnard, LISW, CYT-500, RM 

4:30 a.m. may seem like an obnoxious time to wake up for a daily self-care routine and it did not come naturally for me. However, it’s now my favorite time of day and is a collaboration of personal will, cat breakfast timing and lots of trial and error. Creating the conditions for a successful place and time to practice yoga has changed over the years. I have taken studio classes, community classes and virtual ones and these have been fine options. Yet, I always seem to settle back into a home-based practice wherever I live; finding the solitude necessary to balance the amount of person-to-person interaction I have in our cancer center. At home, I always find access to a large window where I can see the light of day peek through some tree branches. The classical yoga practice I learned continues to weave into my life as I age. It has a predictable structure, yet unlimited variations for adapting to bodies, emotional states and practical/environmental differences and makes a perfectly imperfect self-care practice for oncology social workers.  

One of the things I love about living as a yoga practicing social worker is that both disciplines offer options for our entire human lifespan. I was introduced to yoga back in 1999 when my dance partner, Scott, handed me a book after hearing me complain about summer breaks and having trouble keeping in shape to perform. In the song 1999, musical star Prince strongly suggested dancing one’s life away could solve all problems, however, I could feel I needed more balance than this. Classical yoga worked well coming from a ballet background and provided me the ability to learn this new physical practice from a book. I would soon realize I underestimated how multi-faceted yoga was and how this practice would challenge and invigorate not only my body but also my mind and spirit. I got hooked by the physical challenge and my teachers’ candid, deep writing. She shared her mistakes as much as her successes and described riding the wave of disappointment that life often presents to us.

Being introduced to a (yoga) community that can often feel exclusive; especially, in the ‘90s, this teacher opened a portal to her process that showed steady progression for a lifelong practice. As my body slowly adopted an understanding of asana, or physical practice, I was also introduced to breath techniques, meditation and ethical principles that took shape as a consistent help in my life. My yoga practice helps me face days in our cancer center with fresh hopefulness, patiently work through barriers to care when my efforts (sometimes) feel ineffective and let go of things I truly cannot control. I often read about self-care as an intervention that builds resilience against compassion fatigue; what I find when I’ve been practicing yoga and meditation regularly is that my internal voice is more present and patient as I experience difficult emotions. When I can sit with the pain I’ve witnessed and identify it inside myself in the form of an emotion or a physical sensation, I can allow it to pass. Allowing difficulty to pass is an integral aspect of the very interventions we offer our patients as they traverse the difficulties throughout a cancer plan of care. Helping myself in this very thing, this ‘allowing’ seems to help my patients, which in turn helps me continue in my work and life. It’s a pretty cool circle of experience that often shows up unexpectedly.

Being called to a crisis situation pulls my practice into high gear and reveals itself in a calm approach, thoughtful speech and more right than wrong actions. Could I do this without yoga? Perhaps. However, I know that I would not notice as much or improve as often. And, practically speaking, when I’m able to share a stress relieving breath technique with colleagues or patients, it feels like I’m passing on a priceless tool. I used to tell myself that waking at 4:30 a.m. was crazy and I’ve had to recognize the imperfections of even the best self-care practices makes any discipline an act of compromise. Imperfection is another hard lesson that builds strength that then allows us to soften into difficult moments with more grace and more ease.  

This contribution to AOSW Connections is inspired by Beryl Bender, founder of The Hard & The Soft Yoga Institute and author of the books that brought me to this wonderful ‘dance’ of yoga: Power Yoga and Beyond Power Yoga. There are various ways to learn more about yoga and, if possible, it’s recommended to have at least some in-person contact with a certified instructor. Many teachers I’ve benefitted from learning with offer hybrid instruction from their brick-and-mortar studio settings. You may investigate these from links included, below.  

• The Hard & The Soft Yoga Institute: https://www.power-yoga.com/ 
• Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout: Birch, Beryl Bender; Publication Date January 17, 1995. ISBN-13: 978-0020583516. 
• Beyond Power Yoga: Eight Levels of Practice for Body and Soul.  ISBN 10: 1853754390 / ISBN 13: 9781853754395. Published by Prion Books Ltd, 2002 
• Heartsong Yoga: https://www.heartsongyoga.com/ 
• Inlet Yoga: https://www.inletyogamyrtlebeach.com/ 
• Nydia’s Yoga Therapy: https://nydiasyogatherapy.com/ 
• Studio Bamboo: https://studiobambooyoga.com/ 
• Tich Nhat Hanh guided meditations: https://tnhmeditation.org/breathing/