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Lotus flower in Ubud, Bali By Sonja Bjelland

I recently found out my most favorite yoga teacher in the whole world is struggling with cancer.

It hit me hard.

She helped me through some incredibly difficult times in my life and always seemed to know what I needed to hear.

Maybe she’d say a line about moving forward from your past or releasing fear with every breath.

Each class sent me deeper into my practice. I just couldn’t miss class. I knew I needed to cull that wisdom now and remember to be present when talking to my friends who are having tough times.

It’s that wisdom that we are using to wish her well and it got me thinking about some of the yoga retreats I’d read about for cancer patients and survivors.

In the last few years, more and more places are offering these special yoga retreats. Some are only for people who have or are currently battling cancer and might be free or offer scholarships. Others include relatives and significant others in the retreat. One thing I’ve noticed is many of them are only for women. Granted all my friends who have had cancer recently are women. But men need the same respite and fortunately a few of these allow for both genders.

Regardless, it might be what the person or family in your life struggling with cancer needs about now. It’s a chance to getaway with people who are having a more similar experience and learn a few new skills at the same time. Some even mix in surfing or horseback riding. These are just a few of the highlights I found online.

• Women Beyond Cancer offers free retreats for women dealing with any kind of cancer. They range from adventure retreats in Utah to a yoga retreat in Maine, including several yet this year.
• In San Francisco, the Healing Yoga Foundation does one-day yoga retreats for cancer patients as well as hosting a regular cancer support class. This is one of the few that wasn’t limited to cancer patients and also has programs for Parkinson’s patients and pain management.
• SurfLife holds yoga and, yes, surfing retreats in Hawaii and Australia specifically for young adults and their families. Founder Rick Cowley had leukemia in his early 20s and now teaches other survivors to have fun while surfing. His company put together this inspirational video about their efforts.
• One of the most recognized stateside, The Libby Ross Foundation, holds The Pose for Pink yoga retreat annually. For three days cancer patients and survivors participate in gentle and restorative yoga classes specially tailored for them.
• The Ting-Sha Institute in Northern California holds regular retreats and  Yoga Journal had a writer spend some time at one for an article.
• The Smith Center for Healing and the Arts does both one-day and week-long retreats that incorporate yoga, meditation and massage for cancer patients.
• Just this last weekend the Shambhala Center in Colorado held it’s 5^th annual Courageous Women, Fearless Living retreat helping women with cancer.

Hunting for a little inspiration today I looked down under.

Australia may be popular with the adventure-seeking-Crocodile-Dundee wannabes but it also has a vibrant yoga scene.

Visitors or residents new to yoga can buy a Yoga Pass and try out different studios across the country – great for traveling to different cities. Canada has a similar program and I think it’s ideal for business travelers or yogis who want to explore different studios and teachers.

Australian Yoga Life magazine lists some events throughout the country including retreats and specialized classes such as ayurvedic cooking. Articles tackle subjects similar to Yoga Journal in the U.S. such as wheelchair yoga and corporations encouraging yoga. It has some information on retreats but they are paid for by advertisers.

One of the oft-mentioned retreat hotspots is Byron Bay. The company Byron Bay Yoga holds beachy retreats but also organizes retreats to Vietnam and Bali. It looks beautiful and one more place I’ll have to add to my list of dream vacations.

Offshore, islands escapes tout yoga as well.

This article from the Daily Mail describes the secluded Whitsunday Islands as a sailing haven complete with a luxury hotel and yoga in the spa.