A student with cancer can look like anyone else in your class. Under a loose t-shirt there may be a chemo port, a recent mastectomy, missing lymph nodes, or bones thinned by hormone therapy. Many students don’t know which of these details you need to know to teach them safely. Others are understandably hesitant to share personal health information in a group or on paper. (More on this in What’s Under the Baggy T-Shirt?.)
Cancer and its side effects also change, sometimes week to week. So getting to know your students quickly, and keeping up as things change, is one of the most important skills an oncology yoga teacher has.
Fast Facts is the intake process yoga4cancer developed for exactly this.
What is Fast Facts?
Fast Facts is an intake process, not a form. It helps teachers gather what they need to teach a safe, effective class without creating discomfort, barriers, or unnecessary risk. It is:
- Verbal. The teacher asks. The student doesn’t fill anything out.
- Private. One-on-one whenever possible, before class.
- Conversational. A natural exchange, not an interview.
- Sequenced. A mental checklist of questions asked in a specific order.
- Ongoing. Used with new and returning students, because conditions change.
What Fast Facts Covers
The questions follow this order:
- Yoga experience
- Cancer type
- Stage
- When treatment started or ended
- Treatment: surgeries (including lymph node surgery and reconstruction), chemotherapy, radiation
- Other healing surgical sites, such as drains or ports
- Neuropathy, lymphedema, or dizziness
- Health conditions not related to cancer
- Whether their doctor has cleared them to exercise
You don’t need to know the name of every chemotherapy drug. You need to know how treatment is affecting the person in front of you.
Why the Order Matters
Each answer leads naturally to the next question. Ask “What cancer has touched you?” and you might hear, “I’m on chemo for stage 4 pancreatic cancer.” That one answer covers type, stage, and treatment. But if the answer is “I had thyroid cancer,” your next question is when. It could have been a month ago or ten years ago, and that changes everything about how you teach.
Why Fast Facts Is Verbal
1. Written forms feel clinical. People in treatment fill out forms constantly. A yoga class shouldn’t feel like another doctor’s office.
2. You don’t need to store medical information. Most yoga teachers aren’t healthcare providers covered by HIPAA (the US health privacy law), and shouldn’t try to operate as if they were. But keeping written records of someone’s diagnosis and treatment still creates privacy and liability risks, and there’s no teaching reason to keep them. You need the information to teach that day’s class, not to file it.
3. Conversation keeps information current. A written form is out of date as soon as treatment changes. A quick check-in each class is not.
4. Personal notes are a gray area. Brief notes to help you remember students and build relationships are generally fine. Write them on your own time, not while talking with a student or meeting someone for the first time.
What verbal intake doesn’t replace: your studio’s standard waiver and liability forms. Fast Facts is about not collecting and storing medical details. It’s not about skipping your usual paperwork.
What Fast Facts Is Not
Fast Facts is not a medical assessment. Yoga teachers don’t diagnose, interpret test results, or give medical advice. If something a student shares raises a question about their safety, the right next step is to suggest they check with their care team.
Tips for Using Fast Facts
- Arrive early. The minutes before class are when intake happens.
- Start open. “What brings you to class?” or “What cancer has touched you?” often answers several questions at once.
- Let silence work. Students often share more if you don’t rush to the next question.
- Check in every time. A short “Anything new since last week?” keeps you current.
- Respect what isn’t shared. If a student doesn’t want to answer, teach the most accessible options and invite them to tell you more anytime.
Yoga teachers and wellness professionals: Fast Facts is one tool in a full method. Learn how to turn what you hear into a safe, effective class in the 75-Hour Certificate Program, or start with the free course, Exploring Teaching Oncology Yoga.
yoga4cancer certified teachers: Have a question about using Fast Facts in your classes? Send it to info@yoga4cancer.com. Also, don’t forget to check out the Exclusive Resources section of your account.
FAQ
What is Fast Facts in oncology yoga? Fast Facts is the yoga4cancer intake process: a short, private, verbal conversation before class to learn about a student’s cancer, treatment, and side effects so the teacher can teach safely.
Why doesn’t yoga4cancer use a written intake form? Written medical forms feel clinical to people in treatment, go out of date quickly, and create privacy and liability risks. A verbal check-in gathers what’s needed without storing medical records.
Does HIPAA apply to yoga teachers? Most yoga teachers aren’t HIPAA-covered entities. But storing students’ health information still carries privacy and liability risks, so yoga4cancer recommends not keeping written medical records.
How often should I check in with a student who has cancer? Every class. Treatment and side effects can change from week to week.