Healing From the Inside Out: Aromatherapy, Therapeutic Yoga, and the Cancer Journey

Love Letters to Our Bodies Podcast | Episode 30

Sherry Steine

 What does it feel like to trust your body again after cancer? For many women, treatment can leave them feeling disconnected — from their bodies, their breath, and their sense of safety. In Episode 30 of Love Letters to Our Bodies, host Gwendolyn Mitchell sits down with Sherry Steine, an accredited yoga teacher, trauma-informed yoga therapist in residence, and certified aromatherapist, for a conversation that is equal parts practical wisdom and deep compassion.

From Personal Discovery to Purposeful Practice

Sherry's journey into healing arts began where many great paths do — with personal experience. Her early exploration of essential oils sparked a curiosity that led her to formal aromatherapy training and, eventually, into the world of therapeutic yoga. Today, she brings both modalities together in a uniquely integrated approach, supporting individuals navigating cancer treatment and recovery by helping them regulate their nervous systems and rebuild trust with their bodies.

The Power of Scent and Stillness

Essential oils, Sherry explains, can be powerful allies during treatment — easing anxiety, calming nausea, and supporting restful sleep. But she is quick to offer a grounding reminder: less is more. Just two or three drops in a diffuser is enough. (She also shares important safety precautions for those with pets, children, or during pregnancy — details every listener will want to hear.)

Paired with breath work and grounding practices, aromatherapy becomes part of a larger toolkit for creating calm in the midst of uncertainty. Sherry demonstrates how something as simple as applying an essential oil to an acupressure point can anchor the body in the present moment.

Why Restorative and Yin Yoga?

Not all yoga is created equal — and when it comes to cancer recovery, the style of practice matters deeply. Sherry draws an important distinction between group yoga classes and individualized yoga therapy, and explains why restorative and Yin yoga are particularly well-suited for healing. Restorative yoga offers the body profound rest, supporting the parasympathetic nervous system and creating the conditions for healing. Yin yoga, by working with the fascia, helps release emotional tension held deep in the body's connective tissue.

As Sherry puts it: "Rest is part of our superpower."

Culturally Attuned Care

One of the most meaningful threads in this conversation is Sherry's commitment to culturally attuned healing. She speaks candidly about the importance of understanding how racialized trauma affects the nervous system — and why women of color may need a more patient, therapeutic approach to reach a place of true rest and safety. Restorative yoga, she notes, is the yoga modality most supported by research for addressing racialized trauma.

This is the kind of care that sees the whole person — not just the diagnosis.

Start Small. Start Here.

Whether you are in active treatment, in recovery, or supporting someone you love, Sherry's invitation is simple and generous: start small. A single breath. A moment of stillness. An intentional inhale of a calming scent. These are not small things — they are doorways.

Listen here to Episode 30 or wherever you stream your podcasts, and visit Sherry's website to learn more about her work at Aligned Expression. You can also explore her books, Aligned by the Stars and In Color & Scent I Settle, both available on Amazon.

Love Letters to Our Bodies is a podcast by Moyo Institute, Inc., dedicated to holistic health, healing, and happiness for women on the cancer journey. Learn more at moyoinstitute.org.