An Invitation to Slow Down: Yoga Nidra 2026

Rest is not always easy, especially when your body and mind have been shaped by cancer, treatment, or the long tail of everything that comes after. In 2026, Cactus Cancer Society continues our Yoga Nidra program, in partnership with our friends at Elephants and Tea.

Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation practice designed to support deep rest while maintaining a sense of awareness. Often called “yogic sleep,” it offers a way to settle the nervous system without effort, movement, or prior meditation experience. You do not need to know how to meditate. You do not need to arrive calm. You do not need to clear your mind, sit still, or do anything “right.” You simply need a place to rest and listen! 

Guided Yoga Nidra Meditation with Mamma G

Join Angie Giallourakis (aka Mamma G), Cactus Cancer Society, and Elephants and Tea for a seasonal series of guided Yoga Nidra meditations. Each session is centered around a different theme and is an hour-long meditation that you can participate in the comfort of your own home (wear your PJs, turn off your camera, and get comfy, we won’t judge!) You are welcome to attend a single session or join us for the full series. Come in pajamas. Come from the couch. Come exactly as you are.

Whether you are navigating treatment, survivorship, caregiving, or the in-between spaces that rarely get named, Yoga Nidra offers time to pause, listen inward, and reconnect with yourself in a supported way. 

2026 Session Themes and Dates

All sessions begin at 8:00 pm ET.

February 9, 2026
Connecting to the Energy Within

March 2, 2026
Coming to Awareness

April 6, 2026
The Objective Observer

May 4, 2026
Tapping into Your Joy

These Yoga Nidra sessions are not about fixing or achieving anything. They are about creating space to rest, reflect, and be held in community. Hopefully, you will leave refreshed and with a new tool in your “coping toolbox”! We look forward to practicing alongside you in 2026, blankets and all.

REGISTER HERE

Desert Dispatch: A Sustainability Pop-Up

I love projects that feel intentional and a little rebellious in the best way. The kind that invites you to slow down, touch real paper, and make something without pressure or performance. That’s Desert Dispatch.

For a limited time, Cactus Cancer Society is releasing a Desert Dispatch Sustainability Pop-Up, a limited-edition art experience with just 50 dispatches available. Created by young adult cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers, each dispatch delivers creativity, connection, and a moment worth savoring straight to your mailbox. Paper still hits different.

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How do stress, conflict, and isolation impact cancer outcomes?

Here at Cactus Cancer Society, we believe in the power of research for improving the lives of those who may be diagnosed with cancer in the future.  We’re always interested in amplifying the voices and experiences of young adults facing cancer, and making sure this population is represented in research. Check out the research opportunity below to see how you can use your story to help others!

The Young Adult Cancer Survivor Study

The purpose of this study is to understand more about how the world that teen and young adult lymphoma survivors live in affects the outcomes of their cancer treatment. We call this field of research social genomics, and it takes a close look at why and how different factors like social stress, conflict, and isolation can impact cancer diagnoses and outcomes.

This study for young adult cancer survivors is being run by a fellow young adult cancer survivor.  For more info, watch the research team’s informational YouTube video at https://youtu.be/xDlnWKvtkuU.

Am I Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible to participate if you:

  • Were diagnosed with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma between the ages of 15 and 39
  • Are currently between the ages of 18 and 39
  • Completed treatment within the past three years

What Will I Be Asked to Do?

You’ll be asked to complete an online survey every six months for two years and provide a blood sample every six months for two years.

Will I Be Compensated?

Participants will receive a $20 gift card each time they complete a survey and provide a blood sample (5 times for a total of $100).

How Do I Sign Up?

Learn more at https://youtu.be/xDlnWKvtkuU.  To sign up to participate, visit https://redcapproduction.umms.med.umich.edu/surveys/?s=ATKW4KFCEYHL9YR3

Join Our Next Survivorship Series!

Our Late Fall cohort of our popular Survivorship Series has a few more spots remaining!

Not familiar with our Survivorship Series? You’ll get the best of our Cactus Cancer Society programming, all with the comfort of hanging the same group of young adults facing cancer each week.

Together, 25 young adults facing cancer (patients and survivors alike) will go through an 8-week, online program experience where you’ll hit the highlights of our workshops! You’ll form a tight-knit community and each week, you’ll take part in a different 2-hour program with the same group of young adults moving together through the series.

After our in-person workshops, you’ll have access to a private social media group for your cohort of 25 young adults where you can connect and communicate. Please note, when you sign up you are committing to take part in all 8 weeks.

Sound like your cup of tea? Sign up here!