From Cancer Diagnosis to Dharma: Kenya DeJarnette’s Healing Journey Through Yoga Therapy

Guests:

Kenya DeJarnette, Yoga Therapist and Cancer Survivor

Tina Paul, Yoga Therapist and Instructor at Memorial Sloan Kettering and MUIH

In this powerful episode, host Dr. Amy Wheeler sits down with yoga therapist Kenya DeJarnette and her former professor Tina Paul for a deeply moving conversation on healing, resilience, and finding one’s path through cancer and beyond. Kenya shares her transformational journey from a breast cancer diagnosis to discovering yoga therapy as a lifeline—a practice that reconnected her to her body, her faith, and her purpose.

Through heartfelt storytelling, Kenya reflects on how yoga helped her navigate infertility, grief, trauma, and the physical toll of cancer treatment. With grace and courage, she opens up about how being part of a supportive yoga and cancer care community reawakened her fighting spirit and taught her to embrace life with newfound openness.

Tina Paul offers a behind-the-scenes look at the integrative yoga therapy work being done at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, describing the role of therapeutic presence, breath, movement, and research in supporting those undergoing cancer treatment.

Together, the three explore themes of:

• Nervous system dysregulation and the role of breath and yoga in recovery
• Faith, spirituality, and openness to healing across different modalities
• Yoga Nidra as a gateway to deeper rest and reconnection
• Community as medicine for trauma and illness
• The importance of clinical training in yoga therapy
• How yoga can bring people back to their true self

Key Quotes:

🌀 "I always say yoga helped me come back to myself." — Kenya DeJarnette

🌀 "You grow through what you go through." — Kenya DeJarnette

🌀 "The healing mechanism isn’t just one thing—it’s the integrated power of presence, breath, movement, and relationship." — Tina Paul

🌀 "There is a blueprint for healing, and yoga offers us the map." — Amy Wheeler

Topics Covered:

• Kenya’s diagnosis and the physical and emotional challenges she faced
• Opening to yoga as a spiritual and healing practice
• Overcoming cultural and religious barriers to holistic care
• The role of social connection and community in healing
• Tina’s work in integrative medicine and current research on yoga for neuropathy
• Yoga therapy education and the journey from student to teacher

Resources & Mentions:

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine Department
• Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH)
• Yoga Nidra & Amrit Yoga Institute
• Book: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
• Research on yoga for neuropathy supported by NIH
• Loyola Marymount University’s Yoga Studies Program

Connect with Our Guests:

• Kenya DeJarnette: www.ariseyogatherapy.com
• Tina Paul: www.yogawithtina.com

Subscribe & Share:

If you were touched by Kenya’s story or inspired by the power of yoga therapy, please share this episode with someone who needs hope and healing. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

If you are interested in our programs at Maryland University of Integrative Health, find more information here. We are merging with Notre Dame of Maryland University very soon. If you are seeing this after summer of 2025, just google NDMU Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda to find details.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/