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Free Yoga classes for PCa survivors

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Posted 9/13/2009 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
Here's the Full Disclosure Statement:
"I have nothing to do with Yoga bear, or psa-rising, " signed Jeff aka Worried Guy
My wife read about this in a magazine while at the doctor's office and thought some of you might be interested.
Apparently Yoga classes are mostly women and they are trying to encourage men to attend.
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On the psa-rising.com site: Received from Halle Tecco, founder of YOGA BEAR, a non profit offering free yoga classes for cancer survivors:

Hello, my name is Halle and I’m the Executive Director of Yoga Bear, a non-profit that provides free yoga to cancer survivors across the US, through 125 partner yoga studios. Most of our participants are female, and we’re trying to get more men involved! Since prostate cancer is so common for men, we wanted to reach out to your organization. Could you please let your community know that we offer free passes to yoga studios for survivors interested in trying yoga?
Thank you,

http://www.yogabear.org/
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You have to be more than 2 months post -op, have permission from your doc, and be willing to attend classes regularly. (Seems like a particularly good way for some of the single guys here to meet women who care about their health. Also, you don't have to worry about bringing up "the subject". The women will probably guess you only shoot blanks.) Oh! And you might actually increase your flexibility and get some exercise too.
Let me know how it goes because my wife won't let me attend. She says I can work on my flexibility at home.
Jeff
Posted 9/13/2009 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
LOL, your wife won't let you go? My wife would be thrilled if I were to do something like that. She's not worried about someone wanting this tired, wore out, balding, grey hair man, that shoots from an empty gun. I will check out the link though.

David in SC
Posted 9/13/2009 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Really LLOOLL. My wife told me to recuperate from my surgery and sign up.

Told me it's time for me to be the flexible one. She said I have been making that demand of her for far too long.

What a woman, huh?

Sonny
Posted 9/13/2009 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Followup, I just enrolled there, and we will see what happened. I told them point blank about me being unemployed long term and couldn't afford to pay.

Be interesting to see how they respond to one of us prostate cancer guys.

Nice web site by the way.

David in sc
Posted 9/13/2009 1:49 PM (GMT 0)
David, I am going to follow your story on this. With surgery Thursday, I figure I am at least 2-3 months out from be able to participate.

Ever the vanguard and leader aren't you?

Thanks,

Sonny

BTW - did you get the email I sent to you last night?
Posted 9/13/2009 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
Have you ever seen a class of spandex clad females doing the "downward facing dog" pose? http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/491 I wouldn't be able to concentrate. On the other hand, it might save me a couple of bucks on Cialis...
Posted 9/13/2009 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
I do have a double jointed little finger on my right hand, would that make me a good candidate for yoga? Also, I use to think it was the religion of cults. Or is it culture that is the religion of yogurt. Get them confused.
Posted 9/13/2009 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
Remember, you have to watch the other participants very closely to make sure you are doing the moves correctly. Very closely indeed. It is important to flex those glutes precisely. One maximus flexure before a minimus flexure and you might have a medius pop out onto the floor. That's why you have to study the rippling spandex as much as possible.
(Now can you see why my wife does not want me taking that class?)

Post Edited (Worried Guy) : 9/13/2009 10:05:36 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/13/2009 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
I took a Yoga class several years ago with my wife before cancer came on the horizon. It was one of the hardest, yet most satisfying workouts I've ever done (and I do weight training and running on a regular basis). At the end of the session, I was as relaxed and peaceful as you'd ever wish. My flexibility improved greatly. If you have this opportunity to do it for free, I encourage all of you to give it a try ........and oh, the scenery yeah -------totally a win-win proposition.
Posted 9/14/2009 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
Arnie, And for single guys it's a win-win-win!
Posted 9/24/2009 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
I took Worried Guy's advice and contacted Yoga Bear. They were very nice, and set me up with a 60 day free pass to a local Yoga studio. I expected that there would be a cancer survivors section, where I could work out with others in a similar situation as me, but that's not the case. If I followed through on this, I would be in the general populace, working out with completely healthy twenty-somethings and hard bodies. I phoned the instructor at the studio, and she was a little concerned about a 55-year old with recent surgery taking on Yoga for the first time. She said her studio practiced "Astanga" Yoga, which could be intense. If anyone else on the forum is doing this, I would be interested to hear of your experience. So I thank Worried Guy for the idea, but I think I'm going to pass on this. Maybe I can find some of you guys in the Atlanta area and we can exercise by bending elbows at the local watering hole. That's about all I'm up for right now.
Posted 9/24/2009 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hey RacingOyster,
I did a little research for you. Here's a good clip of the yoga positions. Some are a little advanced for beginners but after a couple of months you should be in the zone. Go for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nEsgpGJbr4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nEsgpGJbr4
I'll meet you at the bar. I need a drink.
Jeff

Post Edited (Worried Guy) : 9/24/2009 5:13:03 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/24/2009 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
I have a side note to this.

Last Christmas Ruth and I bought a Nintendo Wii game console with the Wii Fit exercise system. I posted about it here and received some great feed back. Simply put it comes with a virtual yoga instructor, aerobics trainer, and various fun exercises that we enjoy in our own home. This might be a fun option that helps you stay in shape, or get in shape, and it doubles as a pacifier for when the grand kids come around...

Tony
Posted 9/24/2009 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
Racing Oyster - I contacted them 14 days ago, still have not heard a word. I wonder that part about me being unemployed made a difference in their offer.
Posted 9/24/2009 10:56 PM (GMT 0)
David,
If you go to the link I supplied RacingOyster you will pick up a few tips. Watch and learn.
Maybe we'll do a little yoga over the weekend.
J
Posted 9/25/2009 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
David, I hope that they aren't discriminating against you. I think that it is just that they don't have participating yoga studios lined up in every community. The studios on their list agree to a reduced fee paid for by Yoga Bear for some introductory period of time. North of Atlanta is a hot spot for exercise gyms, health spas, and yoga studios. They found one for me 10 minutes from my house. It probably makes no difference in any case. You're just as old and decrepit as I am.
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