BFMC Offers Writing and Yoga Retreat for Those Touched by Cancer
GREENFIELD — Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s Oncology Department will offer a free one-day workshop, “Spirit of the Written Word with Gentle Yoga,” for individuals living with a cancer diagnosis.
The workshop will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Shelburne Falls Yoga Studio and Gathering Room, 1 Deerfield Ave., Shelburne Falls. Funding has been provided by BFMC’s Wheeling for Healing bike event.
The workshop is open to anyone with any kind of cancer, at any stage of the cancer journey. If space permits, participants may also bring a loved one (check with facilitator for space availability). No writing or yoga experience is required, and all sharing is voluntary and confidential. Yoga mats and props will be provided. Participants should bring a bag lunch.
Facilitating the workshop is Pam Roberts, a writer, artist, yoga teacher, and breast-cancer survivor. She has been leading writing, art, and yoga workshops and classes in New England for more than 10 years. Roberts is a certified teacher of Kripalu yoga and ‘yoga of the heart’ therapy for cancer and cardiac patients. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago, Roberts found writing to be an important part of her healing process. She believes deeply in the transformative and healing power of writing within a safe and supportive workshop environment, and honors the ability of gentle yoga to help calm the body and still the mind.
The workshop is limited to 12 participants; registration is required. To register or for more information, contact Roberts at (413) 625-2402 or [email protected]. Information is also available in the Oncology Department at Baystate Franklin Medical Center.
The Wheeling for Healing bike event, benefiting BFMC’s oncology patients and services, will take place on Sunday, Aug. 24, starting and ending at the White Eagle Polish Picnic Grounds, Plain Road, Greenfield. For more information on the bike event, visit baystatehealth.org/wheelingforhealing, or contact the Baystate Health Foundation at (413) 794-4288.
