At Gildas Club South Florida, we find that spirituality is a source of comfort for anyone touched by cancer, including family members and friends, to promote a better quality of life.
What we have learned from our members, is that one does not necessarily have to be religious to be spiritual. Spirituality fulfills two essential needs; one is on the physical level and the second on the emotional level.
On the physical level; Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi, Visualization, Native American Drumming, Reiki and Sekhem workshops help members be more in tune to achieve a better sense of themselves. Yoga connects mind, body and spirit by offering visualization and meditation that is introspective and forces one to slow down and be in touch with their inner self. These exercises claim to lower blood pressure, relax the body and most find they are able to cope emotionally and physically with their illness and feel more grounded.
“Yoga not only gives me the flexibility of my body, but in my mind as well. I am so relaxed, I feel more serene and I am better equipped to meet daily challenges.” per a 52 year old member.
On the emotional level; when one is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness one is irrevocably confronted with his or her own mortality. Feelings of helplessness, depression, anxiety and isolation surface.
Gildas Club offers “Interactive Mind Body Techniques for Wellness”, “Creative Expression through Poetry”, “Death and Dying Dialogue”. (“In talking about death, I am less fearful of it and more accepting” said a 25 year old member) and intuitive guests such as Sally Brazier “Ask about your Astral Life” and Iris Saltzman, “Third Eye”.
A 50-year old male member said, “In channeling with Sally, I feel more at peace with myself and understand why I am here and what I am supposed to do with my life.”
The diagnosis of cancer does not make sense. When confronted with thoughts of mortality, one questions their life and purpose and tends to explore and awaken a quest for spirituality. Some reasons to pursue spirituality are fear of the unknown, or to gain comfort from the known. Gildas Club offers the mind/body/spirit workshops to meet our members requests and needs.
Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi, Deep Relaxation, etc
are popular workshops at Gildas Club with our members who seek out alternative and additional methods of living with and managing cancer, no matter what the outcome.
These workshops, and more, are offered every month. If you would like a calendar, please check out www.gildasclubsouthflorida.org or call (954) 763-6776 for information. Gildas Club® South Florida is a free, nonprofit, nonresidential, social and emotional support community for men, women and children living with cancer, including families and friends.
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