Feel more confident supporting a student with cancer in your classes.
yoga for cancer: foundation training course
SELF-PACED ONLINE TRAINING
Do you know what to consider when a student with cancer comes to your class? Would you feel confident adapting your teaching to their needs, or are you unsure where to start?
Drawing on over 20 years of experience supporting people affected by cancer, I've created this practical, accessible course to help you understand the impact of cancer and its treatments, make more informed teaching choices and support your students with greater confidence and compassion.
Whether you want to feel better prepared in your existing classes or are considering a future in specialist yoga for cancer care, this is a place to begin.
Learn at your own pace, with ongoing support from me.
Over 10 hours of video lessons · Lifetime access · Monthly live Zoom mentoring
October Offer: £147 + Free masterclass of your choice
Simply use code FDN-BONUS2026 at checkout
Why this training matters
This training offers a practical, compassionate introduction to teaching yoga for cancer care, designed to help you understand your students' needs and make more informed teaching choices.
Cancer affects 1 in 2 people in the UK. As more people live with and beyond cancer, it's increasingly likely that you'll teach someone who is navigating a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, recovering from its effects or finding their way through life after cancer.
Perhaps you've already had a student with cancer in one of your classes. You might have wondered what you should ask them, whether you need to adapt your usual approach, or how to make sure your class is appropriate for their needs. Perhaps you'd like to work in this field but aren't sure where to begin.
It's understandable to have questions. Most yoga teacher trainings don't prepare you for the complexities of supporting someone through cancer, and it can be difficult to know where to turn for reliable guidance.
Having spent over 20 years supporting people with cancer through yoga and other holistic approaches, I've seen first-hand how valuable yoga can be during this life-changing experience. I've also learned, through experience and the occasional mistake, how important it is to understand the person behind the diagnosis.
Cancer isn't like a typical injury or illness. Its effects can reach into every aspect of someone's life, physically, emotionally and socially, and each person's experience is different. Good teaching involves much more than adapting a posture or choosing an appropriate sequence. It means understanding the possible effects of cancer and its treatments, communicating sensitively, recognising individual needs and knowing the limits of your role as a yoga teacher.
That's why I've created this Foundation Course: to share the knowledge, practical skills and thoughtful approach that I wish every yoga teacher had access to.
Whether you simply want to feel better prepared when someone with cancer comes to your class, or you're considering developing your skills in this area, this course will give you a solid foundation to build on.
What will you learn?
The course will help you develop a more informed, thoughtful and adaptable approach to teaching students with cancer. You'll learn how to:
Understand cancer and its treatments and how they may affect a student's ability to practise yoga.
Make more informed teaching choices, with practical guidance on adapting your approach to individual needs.
Communicate with sensitivity, using supportive language and an awareness of trauma, personal choice and boundaries.
Recognise the limits of your role and establish clear, ethical boundaries in your work.
Look after yourself as a teacher, developing the self-awareness and support systems needed to work sustainably.
Explore your next steps, whether that means applying what you've learned in your existing classes or beginning to develop specialist skills.
You don't need to become an expert in cancer care overnight. The aim is to help you understand more, make better-informed decisions and recognise when you need further guidance.
What's inside the Foundation Course?
The course is organised into six core modules, broken down into manageable lessons so you can work through the material at your own pace. You can fit your learning around your teaching, your other commitments and the time you have available.
MODULE 1
Understanding Cancer and the Intake Process
Build your understanding of cancer, its treatments and their potential effects on students. Learn about the information you need to gather and how to approach an initial conversation so you can make more informed decisions about supporting someone in your class.
MODULE 4
Self-Care and Support Systems
Supporting people through challenging experiences can affect us as teachers, too. Explore how to look after your own wellbeing, recognise your limits and know when to refer on. You’ll learn how to develop appropriate support systems so that you can continue to teach sustainably.
Module 2
Communication and Boundaries
Explore how to communicate sensitively with students, use trauma-aware language and respect individual needs and choices. Learn about the ethical and emotional boundaries that help you offer support without stepping outside your role.
MODULE 5
Teaching Videos of yoga for cancer classes
Bring your learning to life with video examples of teaching in practice. See how ideas from the course can be applied, helping you connect the theory with the decisions you make as a teacher. These can provide context and inspiration for your own classes.
Module 3
PRINCIPLES OF Lesson Planning
Develop your understanding of how to plan and adapt your yoga classes to support a student with cancer. Learn to approach your teaching with greater awareness, flexibility and clarity, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
MODULE 6
Consolidation and Next Steps
Bring together what you've learned, reflect on how you can apply it to your own teaching and consider where you'd like to go next. Whether you want to develop your existing classes or explore specialist yoga for cancer care, you'll have a clearer idea of your next steps.
More than just video lessons
I want this to be a useful resource you can return to, not a course you complete and then leave behind.
When you enrol, you'll receive:
Over 10 hours of video lessons to work through in your own time.
Course notes, handouts and useful resources to support your learning.
Homework and reflection prompts to help you connect what you're learning with your own teaching.
Monthly live Zoom mentoring sessions where you can ask questions, discuss challenges and receive ongoing support as you put your learning into practice.
Lifetime access to the course, so you can revisit the lessons whenever you need a refresher and receive future course upgrades at no extra cost.
You can learn at your own pace, revisit the material as often as you need and join the live mentoring sessions when you have something you'd like to explore. You don't have to figure everything out on your own.
Is this course for you?
The YFCA Foundation Course is for yoga teachers who want to develop a more informed and compassionate approach to supporting people with cancer.
It could be a good fit if you:
Teach general group classes and want to feel better prepared if someone with cancer joins your class.
Work with students one-to-one and would like to understand more about the considerations involved in teaching someone affected by cancer.
Have encountered questions or situations in your teaching where you weren't sure what the most appropriate approach would be.
Are interested in yoga for cancer care but want to develop your understanding before committing to more extensive specialist training.
Want a flexible, self-paced course with ongoing access to support.
You don't need to be an experienced specialist, and you don't need to have taught someone with cancer already. You simply need to be a yoga teacher who wants to learn.
A final word from me
My vision is for everyone with a cancer diagnosis to have access to a yoga class that is appropriate for them, where they feel supported, respected and empowered. I believe that starts with helping more yoga teachers understand cancer and its effects, and giving them the knowledge and confidence to make thoughtful decisions about their teaching.
That's what this Foundation Course is about: making that knowledge more accessible, sharing what I've learned over more than two decades of working with people affected by cancer, and helping you take your next step.
If you have any questions about the course or would like to check whether it's right for you, please email me at hello@yogaforcanceracademy.org. I'll be very happy to hear from you.
yes i’d love to sign up!
“I thoroughly enjoyed this self-paced Yoga for Cancer Foundation course and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how they can tailor their Yoga teaching to help people affected by cancer. Jenni is a wonderful teacher and explains everything in a very clear and systematic way, so that you can take in all the information with ease. Jenni is also very generous in providing a safe space in her monthly Zoom call for teachers doing her courses or those who have completed them to help with any questions/issues that arise. Thank you so much, Jenni!” — Cristina Gritsch
“A very useful foundation course for any yoga teacher coming in to contact with clients with cancer. As cancer touches all of us, no matter what type of yoga you teach, I would highly recommend the course as either new knowledge or reassurance that you are able to offer help to clients with cancer.”
— Jill Mowbray
“This was a fantastic introduction to understanding how we can respond empathically, compassionately to students with any lived experience of cancer: it helped me be less "scared" of saying or doing the wrong thing and gave very good opportunities to reflect on boundaries, opportunities and adopting a holistic approach. Very well paced and engaging modules, good resources and a broadening of the yoga practices that can help students. Thank you, well worth the time and effort, would highly recommend!”
— Andrea Beavon
“This is a very useful and rich Foundation Course to approach to this sensitive issue. It's necessary, for a yoga therapist, to have these cancer foundations to work with doctors and other medical specialistics. I would do it again and will start with complete YFCA Holistic Teacher Training on September.” - Marina Saponaro
“Amazing training for the teachers who want to "update" themselves to be able to adapt their teaching, I highly recommend!” — CB
“Thank you so much! I have my first class with cancer patients next week and I look forward to implementing all the useful tools I have learned. It was very thorough and easy to understand.” - MS
FOR TEACHER TRAINING SCHOOLS
Upgrade your training with a ready-made professional Yoga for Cancer Foundation module.
It’s an easy way to have me as your specialist guest tutor.
With cancer diagnosis rates now at 1 in 2 people, it is essential that all yoga teachers have some level of training in how to support students going through or recovering from treatment.
A simple way to upgrade your training and make it even more comprehensive, is to include this Yoga for Cancer Foundation Module as part of your 200hr, 300hr or 500 hr TTC.
Your students will be able to work at their own pace and will have access to monthly free zoom calls with me for any questions they have about the content.
If you are interested in how this could work for your training, please do get in touch. I’d love to support you!
HERE’S WHAT SOME OF OUR STUDENTS SAY ABOUT OUR TRAININGS
Jenni has an considerable knowledge of this subject. However, she shares her knowledge in a digestible way making it tangible, relevant and giving confidence to everyone on the course..
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The Yoga for Cancer Course was very inspiring. Not only did I learn how to teach and assist students who are affected by cancer, but I have also realised how important it is to take care of myself and nourish my soul if I want to be a good Yoga teacher and help others. Thank you so much Jenni xx
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I thoroughly enjoyed training with Jenny and have already recommended to others.
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Jenni has an considerable knowledge of this subject. However, she shares her knowledge in a digestible way making it tangible, relevant and giving confidence to everyone on the course.. 〰️ The Yoga for Cancer Course was very inspiring. Not only did I learn how to teach and assist students who are affected by cancer, but I have also realised how important it is to take care of myself and nourish my soul if I want to be a good Yoga teacher and help others. Thank you so much Jenni xx 〰️ I thoroughly enjoyed training with Jenny and have already recommended to others. 〰️