• Check in, centering, balanced hatha yoga set considering contraindications, relaxation (with imagery as appropriate),
• Balanced pranayama considering contraindications, meditation/centering.
• Include at least one suggestion from Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client.

Incorporate the practice of Pratipaksha Bhavana with her own intervention practice of gratitude.

Continue practice of dirga swasam - perhaps adding gentle joint activation wherever it feels good in her body

Session #2 of 8 - focus on Breathing/Pranayama. We began again with a check-in, where the client shared she has five radiation treatments remaining. The client was in good spirits, adding that she was experiencing no pain from the treatment, no burn marks, and jokingly added "I just have one sun-tanned boob." This upcoming Thursday is her next scheduled infusion treatment. She attended three meetings this past week, which is part of her weekly rhythm. Attending weekly meetings is very much a crucial part of her self-care as well as maintaining her sobriety.

I guided her through an Awareness Practice. She shared following the practice that she particularly enjoyed grounding, and allowing her body, her skin to feel the ground beneath her. She felt good both physically and emotionally, describing herself as being "very comfortable and relaxed."

For our first practice we discussed her thoughts from reading the article and pages on Pratipaksha Bhavana. She felt a connection between the practice of Pratipaksha Bhavana and Step 2 of the The Twelve Steps of A.A.: “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” In her workings of this second step, when she has found herself entertaining thoughts that might tempt her to drink she will say to herself out loud, "Stop." At times she has then chosen to call her sponsor or a friend, or distract herself with some activity to get her body moving. But her most frequent intervention has been to choose to shift her focus to gratitude. In working on Step 2 she will repeatedly choose to have faith that she can be and is becoming more each day a "sober mom that can support her daughter." She also shared that she appreciated the connection between Pratipaksha Bhavana and Philippians 4:6-8, as her late father, a church pastor, would conclude his weekly services using the Philippians passage.

From attending yoga classes regularly at the gym she was familiar with, and had explored a few pranayama practices, namely dirga swasam, a little nadi shodhana, and extended exhalation. I encouraged her to add gentle movement to the breath as she continued to work with dirga swasam, offering seated joint activation practices for the head and neck, scapulae and shoulders, spine and wrists. Part of this practice was also to experience how, on a day where maybe she didn't have the energy for a yoga class or a walk outside, she could breathe with joint activation practices as a way to continue to move her body, mind, emotions and energy.

Client was in good spirits, very engaged and looking forward to the session.

This is more retrospect as I update these older notes into the newer platform. Looking back I feel like I was trying to do too many things at once - and this will be true of more of the sessions I need to update. The client was most familiar with asana practice, familiar with some pranayama, but really not familiar with raja or the other branches of yoga - bhakti, karma (both of which I believe she practiced in her life without understanding them as yoga). I wanted to make sure my work met the requirements of YCAT, and I think mentally I overwhelmed myself in my planning.

Despite the above, I felt very present and connected with the client during our session, keeping in mind I have known her from her attendance to classes I teach at my fitness center.

Next week's session will highlight movement/asana. I would also like to share a practice from LifeForce yoga on cultivating a bhavana that I think the client would enjoy as a way to link movement with breath with imagery - all to support her continued healing not only from cancer but addiction.