Gentle Exercise Programs

These programs teach proven techniques that reduce feelings of stress, calm emotions, and help you feel more in control of your experience, and how you think and feel.

Gentle Yoga for Symptom Management

This is a gentle yoga to help exercise control over physical and emotional well-being by combining movements, breathing, stretching, body poses and meditation practice. This program is specifically for patients who have significant adverse physical symptoms (e.g., pain, instability, mobility problems due to surgery) that requires an especially gentle style of yoga that can be modified to each member's needs. The primary objective of this type of yoga session is symptom relief.

Many thanks to Mukunda Stiles and Peter Brother for providing us with this set of yoga exercises for people to practice at home.

Location: Cambridge at the Chaplin YMCA

Date: Tuesday
August 20
Sept 3, 10, 17, 24
Oct 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Nov 5, 12, 19, 26
Dec 3, 10, 17

Time: 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.

Designed for: This program is for members, caregivers and family.

Meditation

Meditation has been used as a means to achieve healthy thought management by exercising control over thoughts and emotions. In this group program, cancer patients and caregivers are taught mindfulness meditation exercises and are encouraged to practice them at home to the greatest extent possible based on interest and health. This program is especially suited to members who are trying meditation for the first time.

Location: Cambridge at the Chaplin YMCA

Date: Thursday
Sept 12
Oct 10
Nov 14
Dec 12

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Designed for: members, caregivers and family members

Location: Waterloo

Date: Wednesday
August 28
Sept 18
Oct 16
Nov 20
Dec 18

Time: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m

Designed for: members, caregivers and family members

Qi Gong

This is a group coping-skills program that provides a community for cancer patients and caregivers to meet with one another and share in group movement exercise. Qi Gong is a traditional Chinese system of health preservation that combines movement, meditation and breathing exercises to promote emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. Its gentle nature and easy-to-learn movements make it ideally suited for patients who are in treatment and feeling ill.

Waterloo: Tuesday, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Tai Chi

This coping-skills program is a traditional Chinese system of health preservation that combines movement, meditation and breathing exercises to promote emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. Though traditionally performed while standing, most of the slow, gentle movements are easily adapted for members who find it necessary to remain seated because of illness or injury. Members, family and caregivers are all welcome. If you can breathe you can join us.

Waterloo: Thursday, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Water Yoga

Water Yoga is great for those living with cancer or post treatment survivors who want to exercise but unfortunately experience pain when working against gravity. Water can have a healing relaxing effect on the body.

Kitchener: Thursday, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.

Yoga for Cancer Recovery

This coping skills program is specifically for patients whose goal is to regain general health and wellness, and their caregivers. (Patients who are experiencing significant adverse physical symptoms that require a modified approach are welcome to attend Water Yoga or Gentle Yoga for Symptom Management). Although still gentle in style, it is designed for cancer recovery to provide a fulfilling yoga experience while also transferring skills and techniques to support self-managed yoga practice outside HopeSpring.

Waterloo: Tuesday, 10:00 to 11:30

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