Education, Support, and Connection for the MSK Community If you have trouble viewing this email, view it online. connect with us   JANUARY 2023   Winter is a time for introspection and reflection, but it is also important to take steps to stay connected to our communities and engage with our loved ones. We aim to provide this nourishment for you and your loved ones through our clinical care, education opportunities, and research programs. In this issue, we share our martial arts program, a collaboration with Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem — we created this program with the guidance and support of their senior pastor, the remarkable Rev. Dr. Calvin. O. Butts III, who passed away this fall. We also welcome our new integrative medicine nurse practitioner, Alyona “Ally” Weinstein; meditation instructor Beth Sandweiss invites us to embrace hope in the new year; and we discover the evidence for cinnamon in our About Herbs feature. As always, we invite you to join us for our upcoming online series and workshops. Happy New Year! Dr. Jun J. Mao Chief, Integrative Medicine Service   Download The PDF     IMS Insights: Beth Sandweiss on Embracing Hope Through Mindfulness Beth Sandweiss is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor who teaches mindful meditation to patients, their families, and healthcare providers. How can mindfulness and meditation help us to embrace hope? Mindfulness practices help shift our mindset. We are hardwired to protect ourselves from threat and danger. This is not bad, but it often leads us to pay more attention to the difficulties in our lives. This is a normal part of our human experience. Mindfulness can help us direct our attention to things that give us hope and optimism. There is something fierce in maintaining hope amid challenges. It takes courage to have hope. Sometimes we feel afraid to feel hopeful or optimistic because of what can go wrong, but things can always go wrong. Mindfulness and meditation can help to bolster our courage and encourage us. The presence of other people in our communities also gives us the support for these practices that are quite hard to do in isolation. Join Beth for an online six-week series, Fundamentals of Mindfulness, starting on Sunday, January 22nd. Read More       About Herbs: What is Cinnamon? A culinary spice, cinnamon is obtained from the bark of plants native to Southeast Asia. It also has a long medicinal history of stimulating appetite, treating indigestion and colds, and decreasing inflammation. Cinnamon is promoted as a dietary supplement for diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders. Cinnamon was found to prevent or delay cell damage, modulate the immune system, decrease inflammation, kill microorganisms, and inhibit tumor growth in studies done in the laboratory and in animal models. For more details about cinnamon, see our full monograph on the About Herbs website or download the About Herbs app (available for Android via Google Play and iOS via the App Store). About Herbs Library   Expanding Access to Tai Chi with Abyssinian Baptist Church People have practiced martial arts for thousands of years to promote self-defense and to improve a range of health outcomes, including physical, mental, and spiritual. Through these exercises, participants can improve balance and whole-body coordination and reduce physical and mental stress. This fall, in partnership with Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and the senior pastor, the now late Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, MSK Integrative Medicine’s Health Equity in Integrative Medicine initiative launched a free martial arts program for adults. Through a series of free weekly in-person classes, MSK mind-body instructor Malik Cadwell, a grandmaster of martial arts with more than four decades of experience, introduced students to the basic concepts, exercises, and techniques of tai chi. Learn More   JAN 22 Series: Fundamentals of Mindfulness Sundays, starting January 22, 2023 7:00 PM EST This series includes practical teachings in mindfulness that you will be able to apply right away. An MSK mind-body instructor will share the basics of meditation and mindful living skills that will help you react less and be more resilient in the face of life’s challenges.   JAN 23 Workshop: Building Body Awareness with Core Strength and Yoga Monday, January 23, 2023 1:00 PM EST In this workshop, you will learn about the importance of core muscles and gentle yoga. An MSK fitness instructor and an MSK yoga therapist will introduce you to safe, effective core strengthening movements, gentle yoga, and breathwork. These exercises can increase your overall physical strength, flexibility, and relaxation.   FEB 9 Series: Tai Chi for Healthy Aging: Intermediate Level Thursdays, starting February 9, 2023 6:00 PM EST In this intermediate level series, an MSK mind-body instructor will guide you through tai chi practices that can improve coordination and balance, reduce fatigue, and cultivate a more robust immune system to help us weather the winter months.   FEB 27 Workshop: Massage and Movement for Lymphatic Flow Monday, February 27, 2023 1:00 PM EST The lymphatic system is essential for healthy body functioning. In this workshop, an MSK clinical fitness specialist/oncology nurse and an MSK massage therapist will teach you exercises and gentle movement that can help support and optimize lymphatic flow.   MAR 9 Workshop: Fight Fatigue with Food and Yoga Tuesday, March 9, 2023 1:00 PM EST In this workshop, an MSK yoga instructor and an MSK physician assistant and nutrition expert will help you tackle fatigue. They will share yoga postures that create and restore energy, promote rest, and improve sleep. They will also discuss how to optimize diet and nutrition to give you energy.   MAR 16 Series: Yoga Flow for Energy and Vitality Thursdays, starting March 16, 2023 1:00 PM EST In this series, you will learn yoga poses and breathing techniques to improve daily energy and vitality. Each week, an MSK yoga instructor will lead you through seated and standing postures and close with a restorative practice and guided relaxation.   MAR 21 Workshop: Mechanics of Breathing: Perfect Exchange Thursday, March 21, 2023 1:00 PM EST In this workshop, an MSK clinical fitness specialist will teach you breathing exercises to improve posture and depth of respiration. Together, you will explore the role of the breath in building strength, improving coordination, and maintaining independence in performing daily activities. Register Online     Follow MSK Integrative Medicine on Twitter — @MSK_Integrative For updates on our research, events, and exclusive self‑care tools to practice wherever you are.   Follow Us         Not a Subscriber? Get the latest information about cancer care, research, prevention, and survivorship.   Sign Up Today       Contact Us We welcome your feedback, and encourage you to send us a message at: aboutherbs@mskcc.org To Make An Appointment: Integrative Medicine Service: 646-449-1010 MSKCC Main Hospital: 800-525-2225 Find an MSK location   ©2023 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065 US January 2023   To ensure you continue to receive emails from Integrative Medicine, add us to your address book or safe list. To unsubscribe, click here. This message was sent to newsletter@newslettercollector.com. To manage your preferences, click here. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to e-newsletters from Integrative Medicine. To forward this email click here.