Muriel completed her cancer treatments in May 2009. Her oncologist requested a CT scan for her first sixth month post treatment check up.
Muriel Asked Tari:
Yesterday I was so nervous when I got onto the scanner, I stopped breathing before they told me to. My heart was pounding hard, I was feeling claustrophobic and extremely uncomfortable. Then I remembered your words, ‘Count your breath slowly and the mind will follow.’ I did. I immediately became calm, my muscles relaxed, and I finished the scan feeling optimistic and empowered. It was like magic. Thank you for this simple yoga lesson and breathing technique.
I was wondering at the time, was I doing yoga in a CT scanner?
Tari Answered: Yes, Muriel you were doing yoga. You don’t need a class, a mat or a teacher to give you directions. That is what makes yoga such an important tool in your recovery process. You can do yoga anywhere and anytime. And it helps you manage those naturally scary moments we all have, like being in a CT scanner.
Sometimes we need yoga most for places not designed for quiet sitting or exercise. You are stuck in traffic, or waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or expecting a phone call with test results, or in your case, in a the CT scanner.
Yoga is a portable prescription for relaxation and renewal. I am sending you ten more yoga things you can anytime or anywhere…in a bed, in a chair, in a car, at the store, in the air… I call it Pocket Yoga©.
Muriel, I hope that your scans were all ‘negative’ and that you kept breathing calmly all the way home. I love hearing stories about how yoga has been helpful and comforting to people in the simple ways. Thank you.