Next Steps

I am so grateful for all the kindness, cards, messages, prayers and healing I am receiving every day. I feel very positive and confident about choices I am making for my current and future health.

One of the best decisions we have made so far is to make a visit to the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Chicago. This center was recommended by my primary care physician. Since then, three other friends in the healing community have also sung the praises of Dr. Block. The Block Center specializes in creating highly individualized treatment plans based on the patient’s unique physiology. They will look at every test, scan and report that has been done at the Cleveland Clinic, and will do their own lab work as well. This will allow them to design a program of nutrition, supplements and chemotherapy finely tuned to my individual needs. They find that this integrated approach helps patients tolerate treatment with greater ease, and brings improved outcomes and reduced recurrences.

My surgery is on September 7 at the Cleveland Clinic. The studio will be closed from September 9 – 16, with the exception that Lower Back Care will meet on Saturday September 15 as scheduled. On October 4, I will have my post-op meeting with my surgeon Dr. Kebria. He will see how I am healing, talk to us about the pathology reports from the surgery, and recommend a treatment plan. On October 5, Cliff and I will visit the Block Center for a day of appointments, tests and counseling. My hope is that Dr. Block and Dr. Kebria will then discuss my case and be in perfect harmonious accord to create my treatment plan.

I will be teaching for the next two weeks and I am glad. I feel wonderful when I am teaching. I hope the classroom time can focus on yoga and not on my illness. Of course I will speak to the classes briefly about what is happening, but after the first week, I will ask my students to refer to the blog for the latest about my healing process. At the studio, I want to be focused on sharing the profound art, science and philosophy of yoga. If you want to receive an email alert when I make a new entry, you can go to the sidebar on the right and sign up to follow my blog.

So many people have asked how they can help, and we are so grateful for the generosity and love we are receiving. Help can come on many levels. Direct help like bringing food, doing errands, cleaning, and financial support are needed and appreciated.

On another level, a wonderful way for a larger circle of people to help is to support Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts. Tell your friends about our studio. Offer to post brochures. If you take one class a week, consider taking two, or doing some drop ins. Enroll for Chanting and Sanskrit Study with Leslie Freyberg – we have about 10 spots open. Help us make the Iyengar Yoga Workshop with Dean Lerner a sell out this year. Supporting the studio is an especially good way to express your generosity, because it also enhances your health and happiness through the study of yoga. What a beautiful circle!

On an inner level, many of you are already helping me every day with your prayers and meditations, affirmations, and dedicating your yoga practices to my health and well being. My gratitude for these profound offerings cannot be expressed in words. I do know that these practices have the potential to benefit not only me and you, but all beings. May all our spiritual practices be dedicated to the great enlightenment! May we all come to realize our true nature, and live in harmony, love and freedom.

With love and thanks,
Karen