Starting this fall, a new yoga program created specifically for cancer survivors will be open for registration in Calgary, across Alberta, and in centres right across Canada.

Yoga Thrive is a unique program based on the research of University of Calgary, Faculty of Kinesiology researcher, Nicole Culos-Reed, Ph.D. For years the program has been offered at a select number of locations in Calgary; however, Culos-Reed along with collaborator and yoga instructor, Susi Hatley of Functional Synergy Ltd., created a teacher-training program, which has educated instructors from across Alberta and Canada.

Starting this fall the newly trained instructors, with support from Culos-Reed's research group, will begin offering the unique program they are calling "Yoga Thrive."

"What makes this program so unique," says Culos-Reed, "is that the instructors know both cancer and yoga. Through our instructor training, Yoga Thrive instructors not only learn the seven-week yoga program, they also learn about cancer, common treatments, and associated negative physical and psychosocial side effects.

"They also learn the role that physical activity--and yoga in particular--can play in alleviating these side effects. I think it's also important that a survivor or patient can walk into one of our classes and not feel out of place. Everyone there is going through what they are going through; everyone there supports them and the instructor will understand and help them every step of the way, helping the survivor move from surviving to thriving."

Culos-Reed is one of Canada's leading researchers in the field of physical activity and cancer. Her research has helped to support the theory that exercise provides cancer survivors with a host of benefits throughout the cancer experience. Some of these benefits are physical and some are less tangible. "People feel very disconnected from their bodies after treatment," says Culos-Reed, "almost like their body has betrayed them. They are also fearful of getting cancer again and in many cases they feel isolated. Yoga seems to help patients reconnect with their body, provides social contact and potentially similar physical benefits to any other fitness regimens."

Yoga Thrive is being offered in fourteen locations around Calgary as well as a number of locations across Alberta including Canmore, Cochrane, Edmonton, Grand Prairie, Jasper, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and St. Albert. Several other provinces including B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario will be opening centres. For details go to www.ucalgary.ca/yogathrive.

"I'm thrilled that this program and the results of our research will now be so easily accessible to the people who really need it," says Culos-Reed, "and I'd like make sure that some of our supporters who made this possible are recognized. In particular Telus through a community grant, Mr Bill Andrew, the Nutrition and Rehabilitation Oncology Network, and AHFMR."

Yoga Thrive is open to cancer patients, survivors, and their support persons, all of whom may find out more at www.kin.ucalgary.ca/healthandwellnesslab or by calling 403-220-7749.