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  • Description:




    Dr. Jennifer Ligibel, Director of the Zakim Center (left) with Dr. David Rosenthal (middle) previous Director of the Zakim Center, and his wife Judy (right).




    For many New Englanders, apple picking is a yearly ritual marking the arrival of fall. In the case of the staff, patients, and friends of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at Dana-Farber, a recent visit to the orchard also provided a chance to celebrate - and support - an integral part of cancer care.

    They were gathered on a recent sunny Saturday at Belkin Lookout Farm in Natick, Mass. for the Zakim Center’s annual Music Heals the Soul fundraiser. In addition to experiencing the healing power of music through a live performance by Savage Pianos, attendees enjoyed food and drinks, chair massages and ear acupuncture from Zakim practitioners, do-it-yourself mug painting and slime making, and a trip to the farm’s orchard fo...
  • Description:

    There are times when dealing with cancer - or any of life’s myriad challenges - can feel overwhelming. Emotions run high, and energy low. Situations seem hopeless.


    It is during such moments that a growing number of Dana-Farber patients, caregivers, and staff turn to lessons and techniques learned from Patricia Martin Arcari, PhD, RN. As program manager for Meditation and Mindfulness at the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living, Arcari creates and leads individual and group-based classes and programs to help build skills in stress management and resiliency. Her offerings include a Mind-Body Resilience Program for patients and caregivers, a similar program for staff, several weekly drop-in staff- and patient-only meditation sessions, and a Mind-Body Book Discussion where patients discuss books reflecting the principles of mind-body resilience and integrative health.

    Due to the compounded stressors of the...
  • Description: Beginning next week, we'll start offering a new virtual Core Strength class every Wednesday from 12 – 12:30 p.m. ET taught by Juliana Berfield PhD, E-RYT 500, CPT. 




    In this class, you’ll incorporate core strength and stretch movements to improve your core stability and body wellness. Sessions involve a mix of yoga, barre, Pilates, and muscle conditioning with controlled breathing and alignment that builds strength and endurance. All levels welcome. Modifications offered. 


    Equipment needed: Yoga/Pilates mat 

    Optional: core/Pilates ball, elastic resistance band



    This class will be held meeting-style and only open to Dana-Farber patients, caregivers, and staff with a MyZakim account. Remember to sign up if you don’t already have an account, and we’ll see you in class!


  • Description: We'd love to get your feedback on the Zakim Center's online programs. Our anonymous survey should only take you about 5 minutes. Even if you haven't attended any of our programs, we still want to hear from you. Your feedback is important to us!


    https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/63KSXL2
  • Description: Beginning next week, we’ll offer Beginners Aerobics/Cardio Workout every Tuesday from 12 – 12:30 p.m. ET, in addition to Thursday’s class. This virtual class will be held webinar-style and open to the public.


    Yogalates will also replace Gentle Yoga Flow on Thursdays from 5 – 5:45 p.m. ET. This virtual class will be held meeting-style and only open to Dana-Farber patients, caregivers, and staff with a MyZakim account. Remember to sign up if you don’t already have an account, and we’ll see you in class!
  • Description: As a child growing up in North Dakota where her family owned a farm, Dana-Farber nutrition manager Stephanie Meyers MS, RDN, grew accustomed to her grandmother cooking everything from scratch.


    “She would send me to the garden with a laundry basket and tell me what to pick,” says Meyers. “Being so up close and personal with food—how wonderful and nourishing it could be—imprinted on me deeply.”

    Despite her background, Meyers thought that she might get into journalism in college. “I now think that’s hysterical,” she says. “That would never be a good fit for me.”

    “My advisor asked me, ‘What do you like to read about?’” she recounts. “I told her nutrition and food and she recommended I take a class. Things immediately clicked.” Meyers immediately changed her academic track to include nutrition.

    After her undergraduate studies, Meyers took on a year-long internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she worked with oncology patients for the fir...
  • Description: Veteran Tai Chi and Qigong Instructor Provides Complementary Care at Zakim Center
    Qigong, meditation, and Tai Chi instructor Ramel Rones’ main goal for his courses at the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living is to empower patients and their families. “Through Qigong, I give patients the tools to deal with their symptoms,” he says.

    He has been teaching these practices at Dana-Farber for almost two decades, offering courses to patients, their families, and staff. “My patient students range from just diagnosed to those in treatment, and to, finally, survivors. They can all benefit at every stage of the cancer journey.”

    Rones says that Qigong, Tai Chi, and meditation may help manage treatment symptoms like frozen shoulders, chronic pain, joint pain, lower back pain, migraines and osteoporosis.

    “When I started, this was all called alternative care, but that has changed to integrative, which I think is more suitab...
  • Description: Check the Class Schedule tab for full class descriptions and access!
    Beginners Aerobics/Cardio Workout, with Juliana Berfield, PhD, E-RYT 500, CPT

    Every Thursday from 12 - 12:30 p.m., starting March 3rd 

    This 30-minute aerobic cardio workout class will help get your heart rate up and pumping in a fun way! Aerobic cardio exercise promotes cardiovascular endurance and helps improve cognitive skills, posture, balance, overall mental health and mood. Suited for beginner to intermediate levels with modifications available. 

    This class will be held webinar-style, meaning that fellow participants and instructor do not have the ability to see you. The instructor can see your name and anything you type in the chat, but no one else. This program may be recorded.

    Dance & Movement, with Anna Krotinger, MBE

    Every Monday from 2 -3:00 p.m., starting March 7th

    This class aims to create a community around dance ...
  • Description: During the months of January and February, Juliana will be offering live yoga classes (Yoga Flow, Chair Yoga Flow, and Chair Stretch & Strength) on Wednesdays only. Her Tuesday and Thursday classes have been cancelled due to a temporary change in schedule. We apologize for any inconvenience, but encourage you to browse the Digital Library to take our previously recorded yoga classes whenever you'd like!
  • Description: Meditation with Live Music classes will continue being offered three times a week, however, the format of the class will revert back to webinar-style. This means that only the instructor's screen will be visible on the screen. The instructor and fellow participants will not be able to view one another on the screen. You can continue to use the Chat feature to communicate with the class.

    Please contact us with any questions!
  • Description: The Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living is currently enrolling participants for 13 Weeks to Wellness ─ an online nutrition program. This course is designed to help you rekindle healthy habits in challenging times. Each supportive small group meets one hour per week and gives you the tools and guidance needed to establish new routines that meet your health and wellbeing goals.

    Stephanie Meyers, MS, RDN, Nutrition Coordinator in the Zakim Center will guide you to implement a behavior-based Mediterranean approach to eating. This is not a diet, but a lifestyle intervention program facilitating shifts in both food habits and mindset as they relate to behavior change. Each week you’ll receive practical nutrition suggestions, new recipes and asynchronous links to enhance learning. The curriculum emphasizes your personalized learning and goal setting week-to-week.

    In addition to creating flexible and sustainable nutrition plans we’ll discuss how...
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