Our team of integrative medicine experts developed this resource to accompany you through your cancer treatment and beyond.
Welcome to our meditation and relaxation library!
Mind-body practices can support you in feeling a sense of inner calmness and relaxation. Studies have found that meditation can help reduce stress and depression and improve your quality of life. Guided imagery, a relaxation practice, has been found to have positive effects on pain, fatigue, stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep in people with many types of illnesses including cancer. It can also reduce discomfort during procedures or side effects that may occur with treatment.
We invite you to explore this resource, where you will find a variety of mediations of different styles, lengths, and traditions. Meditation is a practice. We encourage you to listen to these tracks as many times as you would like. Some meditations have background music and others do not. You can read the description of each track for more details.
Newly Diagnosed
Access a broad selection of meditations focused on supporting people with a new cancer diagnosis. You can listen to these recordings at any time of day when you feel worried or concerned for the future. With regular practice, you can learn to better manage your reactions to these stressful feelings.
Support Through Treatment
Take advantage of these mind-body practices and support yourself through these specific and challenging cancer treatments.
Symptom Relief
Address some of the most common symptoms seen during treatment, with a variety of focused mind-body practices.
Survivorship
Learn new tools for symptom-support in survivorship and long-term cancer care with these mind-body practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can meditation help me?
A: Meditation trains your brain. It helps you focus your thoughts and feelings so you can stay calmer and more grounded even when faced with challenges that could be overwhelming – such as a cancer diagnosis. Through the practice of meditation, you can learn to focus your attention, decrease stress and anxiety, and increase resilience and well-being. Some techniques train you to concentrate your attention on one thing, other techniques focus on opening your awareness to what is around you. But both strengthen your ability to control your inner dialog, instead of it controlling you.
Q: I’m new to practicing meditation. How do I use these resources?
A: We created these resources to support you through treatment, and to help you manage symptoms and side effects that you may experience during and after cancer. You can use these recordings anywhere and anytime you like. You may listen to them as many times as you like. To start, choose a recording and follow the simple instructions provided in it. Over time, you will become more comfortable with this type of practice.
Click here to learn more about meditation.
Q: Where should I start?
A: We have organized the meditations into categories that follow the cancer journey, including diagnoses, treatment, and beyond. Feel free to start with the category that feels right for you and choose tracks from there. You are free to choose the meditation tracks that feel right to you.
Q: Many of the meditations refer to mindfulness and mindful breathing. What are these?
A: Mindfulness is a type of meditation practice. Through the practice of mindfulness, you will learn to become aware of the present moment and to accept the feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations that you may experience in it.
Mindful breathing is a type of mindful meditation where you focus your attention on the breath. By following each breath in and out, we focus on its natural rhythm and any sensations that occur. It is a simple yet powerful technique that can allow us to take control of our stress response.
Q: Some of the tracks have periods of silence. Is there a problem with my player?
A: We have intentionally included periods of silence in some recordings so that you can practice the techniques in them. In most cases, the sound of a chime will let you know that you have reached the end of the meditation.
Q: I’m anxious now. Will this help?
A: Yes! If you focus on the practice and follow the instructions, even a short meditation can help regulate your anxiety. The more you practice, the more skilled you become, so regular practice will improve your ability to regulate your anxiety even more. You may also want to start with a guided visualization, as this may be easier to focus on if you are new to these practices.
Q: How often should I listen to these tracks?
A: As often as you like! There is no limit to the number of times you should listen to a particular track. If it helps you, keep using it. Regular practice is helpful. The more you develop your meditation skills the easier it will be to feel calm and focused.
Q: Is it better to stick with one type of meditation or try different types?
A: Staying consistent with the type of meditation and when you meditate will yield better results. But first, explore different types of meditation and various times of day to find what suits you.
Q: What other meditation resources are available at MSK?
A: We offer regular weekly classes online through the Integrative Medicine at Home Membership Program and special workshops and series. We also offer private meditation sessions. If you are interested in private sessions, call 646-449-1010. You can sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our latest offerings here.
