Testimonials of Stop and Breathe^®

   “The Stop and Breathe^® program is such a wonderful service that is provided for our cancer patients. The mind/body connection is so strong and the art of meditation can really help a person cope with the diagnosis and the treatment process.”

-Diana Rawls RN & Clinical Coordinator
Kellogg Cancer Center

“I work in a pre-surgical holding room where I care for patients right before surgery. Anxiety usually peaks at this point, and I have witnessed Susan's ability to take people from a panic level to a peaceful state.  Susan has a gift for making an abstract concept very tangible for most people. She is courteous, thoughtful and compassionate. Susan has kindly provided a session for all our staff members , so I have had a chance to partake in her program firsthand. She is a true professional and I would highly recommend her services.”

-Nancy Abrassart RN
Highland Park Hospital
Pre-surgical Holding Room

   "Yesterday in our Nurse Meeting, I asked for feedback relative to having a relaxation coach.  The nurses feel this has been a great added benefit for our patients.  The patients seem very interested and engaged with this service.  It has been a welcome addition at Kellogg.”

-Jane Karol
Former Supervisor
Kellogg Cancer Center

   “Susan has done a very good job for us with several of our high anxiety patients and their families.  Just having her go in the room and offering her service has a positive effect on people.  The staff thinks highly of Susan Ginsberg (the founder of the Stop and Breathe® program), for the work she has done.”

-Jane Schneider
Nursing Manager at Same Day Surgery
NorthShore University HealthSystem/Highland Park Hospital

   “Soon after my lung cancer diagnosis, I started my Stop and Breathe^® sessions with Susan.  Cancer creates a lot of stress, which was detrimental to my recovery goals.  In my sessions with Susan, I am able to focus on the breathing and postures while the world melts away.  The relaxation I achieve with Susan’s guidance is better than sleep.  When the session ends I have a sense of calm, focus and well-being that carries me through the week.”

-Donna Lee Caringella
Stop and Breathe^® Client

   “After taking Susan's Stop and Breathe^® workshop, I decided to work through my own uncertainty about my ability and I began to volunteer at our local hospital.  Helping patients to breathe deeply and relax has been so rewarding and fulfilling for me. I am excited that I can put this practice to use with others! Susan is a very special teacher...I am so happy she has shared her gift with me through this workshop.”

-Mimi Horowitz

“When my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, she began a healing yoga class with Susan as part of her treatment regime.  Susan’s wisdom and spirit lifted us up when we needed it.  Her sessions gave us all strength, both physically and emotionally.                                                

-Harriet S.
Television Executive
Chicago, IL

   “I really enjoyed our training yesterday.  I admire and respect your courage to get this wonderful program off the ground.  Your beautiful energy is an inspiration.  Thank you.”

-Marci Barth
Yoga Instructor

   “Thank you so much for last weekend.  It was so much more than I had even expected, you are a great inspiration. I eventually want to start something like this including the breath work and meditation. You have a very kind and giving heart.”

-Dawn
Yoga Instructor

   “Susan, thank you! Your workshop and materials were extremely helpful and I can’t wait to use the materials and get started! This is right up my alley and I thank you for including me!”

-Sharyl Fishbein

   “I really enjoyed your training session and look forward to using the Stop and Breathe® program.  You have a lovely set up, and the materials you have put together are so comprehensive and helpful.  It is a real inspiration what you have developed and how you are sharing it with the community.”

-Deborah Lebold Wineman

   “Susan has given me the opportunity to relax emotionally, heal and help me find peace of mind for the first time since being diagnosed.  She works in a calm, nurturing and trusting manner.  Susan is a very special person and has become an important part of my healing process.”

-Stop and Breathe^® Client

   “I was moved! You have given us all a tremendous gift.  Thank you for this beautiful work and thank you for sharing, caring, and giving.  I loved it all!  Three hours of learning in a fun way.  I leave feeling more confident and with a real sense of purpose.”

   “I loved the workshop and I think it was so very beneficial for all of those who came.  Thank you for your generosity in presenting and the Chai Center!  I love your spirit and everything you are doing to also help so many others!”

-Mendy Hart

   “I so appreciate the chance to have shared this with you. I am so impressed with this amazing job you have created.  This was a wonderful program!  What a peaceful, practical, and inspiring experience.  Thank you so very much.”

   “Wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Love all the materials, resources, stories you share. You’re an inspiration. What a gift you have! Thank you for sharing your passion with my passion!”

   “Excellent materials and presentation. Lots of good information.  Makes me excited and hopeful for this program to become mainstream. You are a true blessing.”

   “You’re a great teacher/facilitator, Susan. Your care and compassion is so apparent that I know your teaching comes from the heart! The hospitals are lucky to have you.”

   “This program would be excellent to work on people with depression and anxiety.”

   “Went home and read your brochure, etc.  What a great ‘mitzvah’ you are doing with your endeavor.   It's terrific.  I sat with my husband for every one of his chemo treatments and always noticed the patients who had no one there to support them, to talk to them.  Just your interaction with patients is such a wonderful gift!  Thanks for a lovely class.”

   “This workshop was delightful!  I will need some help getting it organized to bring to hospice.  I will be in touch!”

-Katherine Ellinghausen

   “This is a wonderful program. You are doing very important work.  You are also a very good teacher and I plan to incorporate the Stop and Breathe^® concepts into my own work with cancer patients and others.”

-Jane Van De Velde RN

   “You inspired me from your heart and I would really love to do this.”

                                                              
   “It is easy to see how your passion is instilled in your students!”

-Lauren Singer

   “This training was wonderful. The combination of the presenter’s experience and the participants was powerful and amazing.”

-Lori Berman

   “I am so impressed and happy to share Stop and Breathe^® with you.  You have done such a thorough, professional and wonderful job in the creation, execution and training of Stop and Breathe^®!  I look forward to the opportunity to share it in the future with others and make a positive difference in their lives as you have in mine.”

   “I have taken Susan’s sessions for awhile now and her instruction has had a huge impact on me. Her classes are so peaceful.  I feel so fulfilled after a class I can’t even explain it.  Susan has a gift you don’t find very often and her massages at the end of class complete the experience.  Thank you Susan for sharing your gift with all of us!”

-L.J.
Vernon Hills, IL

    “My husband, my two girls, and I have taken private sessions with Susan.  She is phenomenally knowledgeable, extremely soothing, and has incredible patience.  She knows how to teach in a way that is non-threatening, motivating, and energizing.  We all walk away from this session feeling rejuvenated, stronger, and more at peace with our bodies, our minds, and our souls.  We love you Susan!!

-T., L., M. and J.
Deerfield, IL

  “The peacefulness of Susan’s voice took me to a place that I looked forward to every week.”

-Gayle H.
Highland Park, IL

  “I can honestly say that sessions with Susan allowed me to actually feel full relaxation and calmness for the first time in my life.  Having a stressful job and 3 kids, it is not often that I take a moment to take care of me.  Susan taught me not only how to do this in sessions, but to find that time during a routine day as well.”

-Debbie G.
Marital/Family Therapist
Buffalo Grove, IL

  “I am currently a yoga instructor and have taken several of Susan’s sessions.  I also hired her to teach at a facility where I am a fitness manager.  She is not only a wonderful person to know, but probably one of the most inspirational teachers I have had the pleasure to work with as a student.  Susan is a gracious spirit who wears her ‘heart’ on her sleeve.  You could not ask for a better  teacher or friend!”

-Debby B.
Northbrook, IL

   “Susan is an awesome teacher who expertly guides her students to a place where mind, body, and spirit come together.”

-Lynn
Long Grove, IL

  “If you are looking for a class where you are encouraged to set your purpose, concentrate on your breathing, Susan is instructive when needed, supportive always.   Each session, I leave feeling refreshed, balanced, and energized.”

-Heather
Highland Park, IL

  “Susan is an extraordinary human being with the ability to connect and nurture people from all backgrounds and levels.  Her sessions will heal you from the inside out emotionally, spiritually and physically.”

 -Julie
Buffalo Grove IL

A Heartfelt Testimonial   

"As a recent breast cancer patient and a very grateful survivor, I would like to share a bit of my journey with you. If one believes in “fate” or “what was meant to be”, I met Susan Ginsberg at the perfect time in my life.  I had just been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and was working on lining up my team of health care providers.  For some time, I had been interested in yoga and meditation, occasionally taking classes and doing some reading.  I was at work one afternoon and in walked Susan…we began a conversation and she mentioned she was a yoga/meditation instructor!  I explained my health situation and my wish for a combination of eastern philosophy with western medicine. She offered her hand…her knowledge…her friendship…her support at a time when it was most needed. 

   As I began my chemotherapy, Susan, my sister and two close friends began our Monday evening classes. Nothing made me want to miss my Mondays with Susan.  They were so enriching and such an integral part of my treatment.  Susan taught me yoga breathing—that was MOST helpful each chemo treatment.  I could breathe through having the needle inserted, visualize a good place during my chemo.  With each of my surgeries, I carried a meditation/visualization CD into the hospital. I would put the CDs on and immediately relax.  I found this more helpful than I can really express.  I have begun to speak with recently diagnosed cancer patients and I offer them some of what I’ve learned from Susan. 

   I “carried” Susan with me in my head, my heart and on my CDs as I went through all my treatments and surgeries. What a lovely opportunity it would be for anyone to visit and work with Susan during chemotherapy!  She would certainly be a most special asset to anyone interested in the love and warmth she has to offer.

-Mimi Horowitz