Ashley Brown believes yoga will help members of a monthly breast cancer support group facilitated by breast cancer survivor Deb DeKoff.

Brown, a certified yoga instructor, will teach an hour-long gentle vinyasa flow session at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening to the group, which is open to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, undergoing breast cancer treatment or have survived breast cancer.

Group members can RSVP for the class by contacting DeKoff through email at skiparkcityutah@gmail.com or by calling or texting 435-513-3814. DeKoff will give the location upon registration. Participants should bring their own yoga mat.

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“The whole purpose of yoga is to give the individual freedom from their own inner dialogue, which includes our interaction with the physical world around us and with other human beings,” Brown said. “The principles of yoga, which includes breathing and meditation, is to provide an escape from that constant thinking. And for someone who has been diagnosed with cancer or who have been recovering cancer, that might be freedom from thinking about the pressures of the diagnoses, recovery process or expectations from family and friends.”

The principles of yoga, which includes breathing and meditation, is to provide an escape from that constant thinking…” Ashley Brown, yoga instructor

Brown will lead the class in slow moving and breathing.

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“We’ll also focus on opening up the hips, shoulders and hearts,” Brown said.

Participants should bring their own yoga mats if they can, she said.

“I have three, and will bring those, but there is a shortage of mats at the hospital,” Brown said.

The idea for Brown to teach a yoga class to the group came from DeKoff, whom she worked with at Park City Style magazine.

“Deb is a photographer and I’m a freelance journalist,” Brown said. “Deb told me about the breast cancer support group and asked if I would be interested in volunteering to teach yoga. And I was so happy to do that.”

Brown discovered yoga 13 years ago when she took an elective course in college.

“I initially signed up for the class as a workout, and that’s not what it was at all,” she said. “It became my first taste of breathing and moving and not thinking about the homework I had and my to-do list.”

The feeling reminded Brown of the focus she felt when she was on swim team, something she had done for most of her life.

“I loved it, and after that, yoga became an integral part of my life,” she said.