76: Trauma-Informed Yoga for Mental Health & Chronic Stress

Episode 76: Healing Through Trauma-Informed Yoga – Mind Body Detox Podcast

In Episode 76 of the Mind Body Detox Podcast, host Kara Lovehart, a Mind-Body Psychic Medium and Executive Intuitive Business Coach, delves into the transformative world of Trauma-Informed Yoga. This episode explores how this specialized practice supports individuals in healing from trauma, anxiety, and PTSD, while promoting emotional and mental wellness.

Kara breaks down the unique techniques that make trauma-sensitive yoga different, including how it fosters safety, choice, and heightened body awareness. Learn why Trauma-Informed Yoga is essential in today’s high-stress world and how it goes beyond physical postures to offer profound spiritual and emotional healing.

In this episode, Kara also highlights the potential misuse of power in traditional yoga spaces and emphasizes the importance of creating safe, inclusive environments for healing. Whether you're an experienced yogi or new to yoga, this episode offers key insights into using yoga for trauma recovery and embodiment.

Key Topics Discussed:

• What is Trauma-Informed Yoga?
• How it supports mental health and emotional healing
• Key differences in trauma-sensitive yoga instruction
• The importance of safe spaces in yoga
• Why yoga is essential for mental health and embodiment

Join the conversation to discover how this mindful yoga practice can help you reconnect with your body and spirit, regardless of your experience level.

Transcript

In episode 78 of the Mind Body Detox Podcast, host Kara Lovehart Mind-Body Psychic Medium & Executive Intuitive Business Coach delves into the transformative power of trauma-informed yoga. 

This practice, which adapts traditional yoga postures to meet the needs of individuals who have experienced trauma or chronic stress, prioritizes safety, choice, and body awareness. Kara explains how trauma-informed yoga helps participants reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and heal from emotional disconnection caused by stress or trauma.
 
She also highlights different yoga styles, offering insights into which types are best suited for individuals based on their unique needs and wellness goals. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking holistic approaches to emotional healing, mental health, or physical well-being.
 

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This is the MindBodyDetox podcast,
 
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where we discuss all things
 
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integrative health and wellness,
 
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interviewing folks from all
 
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over the world,
 
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sharing insights and wisdom
 
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for how to live a healthier life in mind,
 
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body, and spirit.
 
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welcome back to the mind
 
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body detox podcast I'm your
 
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host mind body medium cara
 
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loveheart and today we're
 
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exploring the powerful
 
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healing practice that's
 
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taking the wellness world
 
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by storm and that's
 
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trauma-informed yoga so if
 
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you've been searching for
 
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holistic approaches to
 
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mental health recovery from
 
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ptsd or emotional healing
 
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this episode's for you
 
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We're going to be diving
 
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into how trauma-informed yoga works,
 
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why it's so effective,
 
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and why it's essential in
 
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today's fast-paced, high-stress world.
 
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So we're also going to
 
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explore the different types
 
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of yoga and why people practice them.
 
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That's one of the common
 
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questions that people ask
 
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me as a yoga instructor.
 
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What type of yoga should I do?
 
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So let's start by defining
 
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trauma-informed yoga.
 
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So what is trauma informed?
 
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So trauma informed yoga is
 
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that to specialize practice,
 
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and this adapts the
 
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traditional yoga postures
 
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and mindfulness techniques.
 
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So this is to meet the needs
 
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of you as an individual,
 
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maybe who have experienced trauma.
 
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And maybe even if you don't
 
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identify as that,
 
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if you have experienced
 
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high stress or chronic stress,
 
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because both of these
 
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things take the nervous
 
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system and put it in overdrive.
 
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It can be sometimes very
 
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hard for us to downregulate
 
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our nervous system,
 
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and we can be more
 
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sensitized to environmental stimuli,
 
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to fast-paced motions like
 
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we see in power yoga,
 
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or even just the
 
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environmental factors like loud music,
 
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or even in general,
 
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how the yoga is practiced.
 
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So we're looking for,
 
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in trauma-informed yoga,
 
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prioritizing safety and
 
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choice and body awareness,
 
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which is also known as interoception.
 
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So let's think about this.
 
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If you've experienced some
 
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sort of chronic stress or trauma,
 
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you've experienced a,
 
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whether real or just experienced,
 
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or your perceptual
 
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experience of having your
 
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power of choice being taken away.
 
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So in trauma-informed practices,
 
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whether this is a clinician
 
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that practices
 
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trauma-informed awareness or yoga,
 
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we're utilizing in our
 
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language as instructors,
 
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choice.
 
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So it what it looks like in
 
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a practice is instead of okay,
 
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downward dog upward dog,
 
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now we're going to be
 
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moving into this breathwork practice.
 
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It's expressions like
 
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I invite you to take a deep
 
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breath in with me.
 
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Expressions like,
 
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if you'd like to close your eyes down,
 
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or if that doesn't feel
 
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comfortable for you,
 
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you can just soften your gaze.
 
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Because sometimes if you are
 
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in high stress, high alert,
 
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maybe it doesn't feel safe
 
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for you to close your eyes down.
 
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And in this type of yoga class,
 
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you're gonna be having the
 
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tools with the language
 
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your instructor's using to
 
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make the choices that are best for you.
 
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It's geared to help you get
 
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back in touch with your
 
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body and the awareness of your felt sense,
 
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which is that internal
 
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sense of how you're feeling.
 
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What does your body feel like?
 
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What do your emotions feel like?
 
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Where are you feeling them in your body?
 
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So this awareness and
 
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guiding through the classes
 
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will help you get in touch
 
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with your body and give you
 
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the power of choice.
 
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And again,
 
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this helps you feel more
 
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connected to your body,
 
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more in a space of empowerment,
 
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and it's really helpful for
 
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symptoms of reducing stress,
 
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even PTSD and anxiety.
 
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And of course,
 
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yoga in general is good for
 
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so many different things
 
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that we'll discuss here.
 
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Now, I think in this day and age,
 
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people are really learning
 
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about trauma-informed practices.
 
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And we ask, well,
 
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why would someone want to
 
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take a class like this?
 
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If you've experienced trauma
 
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or high stress,
 
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yoga classes can help you
 
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heal from the disconnection
 
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that trauma can cause,
 
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especially between the mind and the body.
 
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So through this mindful movement practices,
 
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breath work,
 
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and also this nonjudgmental environment,
 
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that is really important that
 
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We have that in classes that
 
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are led by trauma-informed instructors.
 
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This can help you gain a sense of safety,
 
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a sense of control in your body.
 
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And again, this is very,
 
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very effective for managing
 
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symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, or depression.
 
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Now, I will take a space here,
 
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just a moment,
 
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just to share that in this episode,
 
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we are not diagnosing, we're not
 
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Intending to treat any of these symptoms,
 
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that is something you work
 
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with your mainstream mental
 
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health professionals.
 
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But trauma-informed
 
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practices and body work in general,
 
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whether it's massage with a
 
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trauma-informed massage therapist,
 
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a somatic practice like
 
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somatic experiencing, or even yoga,
 
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if you are working with a counselor,
 
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it really pairs very well.
 
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So in general,
 
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we want to talk about if you
 
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are looking to take a
 
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trauma-informed yoga class,
 
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what should it look like?
 
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So in general,
 
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when you come into a yoga class,
 
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we want to look at how are
 
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they doing their intake?
 
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So that would look like in
 
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their intake form,
 
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it's going to ask you
 
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specific questions that you
 
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can be open and honest
 
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because it is something
 
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that's a private form that
 
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is going to be supporting
 
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just knowing what the instructor,
 
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sharing with the instructor
 
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what they need to know.
 
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that will give them an idea
 
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of okay maybe there's
 
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specific types of music
 
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maybe you've had a trauma
 
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during a thunderstorm and
 
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sometimes in massage
 
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therapy sessions and even
 
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maybe in yoga practices
 
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there might be relaxing
 
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music that might
 
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incorporate that type of
 
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thing into the practice so
 
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if the yoga instructors
 
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informed ahead of time of
 
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excluding that from the
 
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practice that is
 
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trauma-informed care we
 
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also will look at maybe you
 
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are someone that is
 
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gets overheated easily,
 
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and that can be a trigger
 
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for you for your stress response.
 
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So you might be a person
 
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that they would say, hey,
 
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maybe hot yoga is not for
 
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you and help discern better
 
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for you what might be good
 
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for your practice.
 
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One of the other things that
 
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we will see in a
 
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trauma-informed class in
 
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general is maybe how the
 
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marketing is done.
 
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So if you are going to a
 
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yoga studio or to a website,
 
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you can read the
 
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biographies of the
 
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instructors and you can
 
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learn a little bit more about the studio,
 
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how it's set up,
 
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what's the etiquette for coming in.
 
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how soon to come in ahead of time,
 
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where the location of the room is,
 
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giving your nervous system
 
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preparation even before you
 
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come into the studio.
 
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That is very helpful for if
 
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you're experiencing high
 
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stress to know what to expect.
 
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And especially when we're
 
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going into a new situation
 
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in a group environment,
 
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we can experience some
 
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stress just of that maybe
 
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social anxiety of meeting
 
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new people or knowing what
 
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do I expect in this situation?
 
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What is expected of me?
 
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So that's something that's
 
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very helpful for a trauma-informed class.
 
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We will also want to make
 
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sure you're looking for
 
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teachers who are either
 
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asking permission in a way
 
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that's trauma-informed
 
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about physically adjusting students.
 
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So sometimes in yoga classes,
 
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the instructor will come
 
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and adjust your poses for
 
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you to get into the pose in
 
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a way that is more efficient for you,
 
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for your body type.
 
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In a trauma-informed class,
 
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the instructor usually at
 
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the beginning of class will
 
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ask the students to either
 
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soften their eyes or close
 
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their eyes if they feel comfortable
 
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And ask them if they do not
 
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feel comfortable being
 
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touched in that practice to
 
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either raise their hand,
 
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or sometimes they can have
 
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a card that they'll have
 
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under your mat that you can pull out.
 
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And that way,
 
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if you are feeling
 
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uncomfortable with maybe
 
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socially that pressure of,
 
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I don't want anyone else to
 
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know that I don't want to be touched.
 
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Maybe I should be, you know,
 
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you can go through these
 
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whole things in our mind
 
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that make us think that
 
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maybe I should allow them to touch me.
 
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Maybe that's okay.
 
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And when we're learning to
 
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become sovereign and be able
 
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to find our own sense of
 
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our body safety having the
 
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permission and being asked
 
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permission and that's where
 
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you'll see a lot of
 
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language is different for
 
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trauma-informed yoga
 
00:08:20.562 --> 00:08:21.502
classes there's a lot of
 
00:08:21.603 --> 00:08:23.644
asking permission giving
 
00:08:23.884 --> 00:08:25.985
options and allowing you to
 
00:08:26.105 --> 00:08:28.026
opt out of poses or modify
 
00:08:28.065 --> 00:08:29.326
them based on your comfort
 
00:08:29.365 --> 00:08:31.007
level so that's something
 
00:08:31.026 --> 00:08:32.668
that we will definitely see
 
00:08:33.148 --> 00:08:34.568
in a trauma-informed class
 
00:08:35.249 --> 00:08:36.649
One of the things I also ask
 
00:08:36.688 --> 00:08:38.149
in my class to make sure
 
00:08:38.169 --> 00:08:39.570
that anyone who might have
 
00:08:39.649 --> 00:08:42.970
sensitivities to incense, to sage,
 
00:08:43.029 --> 00:08:44.270
to essential oils,
 
00:08:44.671 --> 00:08:45.791
these are common things
 
00:08:45.811 --> 00:08:46.951
that you might experience
 
00:08:46.971 --> 00:08:48.870
in a yoga studio that maybe
 
00:08:48.971 --> 00:08:50.111
that particular studio
 
00:08:50.152 --> 00:08:51.451
could not be aware of the
 
00:08:51.471 --> 00:08:52.631
trauma-informed practices
 
00:08:53.032 --> 00:08:54.231
to ask ahead of time.
 
00:08:54.672 --> 00:08:55.732
Because smells,
 
00:08:56.072 --> 00:08:58.312
just like certain types of music,
 
00:08:58.812 --> 00:08:59.393
certain types of
 
00:08:59.432 --> 00:09:00.994
environmental temperature changes,
 
00:09:01.254 --> 00:09:03.014
there are other things that can trigger
 
00:09:03.673 --> 00:09:04.774
chronic stress or trauma
 
00:09:04.815 --> 00:09:06.336
responses in the body and
 
00:09:06.375 --> 00:09:07.037
especially if you have a
 
00:09:07.076 --> 00:09:08.477
sensitivity to even a
 
00:09:09.477 --> 00:09:11.639
lovely oil such as lavender
 
00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:13.221
essential oil that can be
 
00:09:13.280 --> 00:09:14.381
something that can be you
 
00:09:14.402 --> 00:09:15.702
can just be sensitive to it
 
00:09:15.923 --> 00:09:16.964
and your nervous system
 
00:09:17.083 --> 00:09:17.964
isn't going to be able to
 
00:09:18.024 --> 00:09:20.346
enjoy that class so these
 
00:09:20.385 --> 00:09:21.267
are things that would be
 
00:09:21.326 --> 00:09:23.148
very helpful to look for
 
00:09:23.227 --> 00:09:24.089
when you're looking for a
 
00:09:24.149 --> 00:09:25.690
trauma-informed yoga class
 
00:09:27.178 --> 00:09:28.460
The other thing that I find
 
00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:29.421
that's really important
 
00:09:29.461 --> 00:09:30.861
when you're looking for a
 
00:09:30.922 --> 00:09:31.802
trauma-informed yoga
 
00:09:31.822 --> 00:09:33.583
instructor is to ensure
 
00:09:33.604 --> 00:09:34.264
that they're creating
 
00:09:34.325 --> 00:09:35.546
empowering and
 
00:09:35.625 --> 00:09:36.746
non-triggering environment
 
00:09:36.767 --> 00:09:38.227
through the language that they use.
 
00:09:38.869 --> 00:09:39.749
Using language that's
 
00:09:39.769 --> 00:09:41.650
sensitive to different backgrounds,
 
00:09:41.791 --> 00:09:42.412
culturally,
 
00:09:42.951 --> 00:09:45.653
different genders, different orientations,
 
00:09:46.235 --> 00:09:47.796
and definitely not sharing
 
00:09:47.836 --> 00:09:48.756
things that would be
 
00:09:49.437 --> 00:09:51.539
religious in nature or
 
00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:53.181
maybe political in nature.
 
00:09:53.621 --> 00:09:55.243
There are definitely traumas
 
00:09:55.283 --> 00:09:56.083
we've experienced
 
00:09:56.124 --> 00:09:57.284
specifically around maybe
 
00:09:57.365 --> 00:09:59.307
religious trauma or church hurt or
 
00:09:59.846 --> 00:10:00.606
things like that,
 
00:10:00.647 --> 00:10:02.288
that can be a trigger for people,
 
00:10:02.769 --> 00:10:04.230
or obviously political
 
00:10:04.370 --> 00:10:05.750
things can be very
 
00:10:05.789 --> 00:10:07.071
triggering for people in
 
00:10:07.171 --> 00:10:08.392
our polarized culture.
 
00:10:08.831 --> 00:10:11.014
So I think that that kind of conversation,
 
00:10:11.094 --> 00:10:12.274
those types of topics
 
00:10:12.293 --> 00:10:15.176
should just be left out of the yoga room.
 
00:10:16.317 --> 00:10:17.998
So I think that in general,
 
00:10:18.018 --> 00:10:19.538
when I first took yoga,
 
00:10:20.158 --> 00:10:22.039
it was one of those things that for me,
 
00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:24.721
I was definitely a little
 
00:10:24.760 --> 00:10:26.602
insecure about coming to a yoga class.
 
00:10:26.623 --> 00:10:27.462
This is when I was two
 
00:10:27.482 --> 00:10:29.024
hundred and sixty pounds and I was
 
00:10:29.501 --> 00:10:30.322
You know, even now,
 
00:10:30.383 --> 00:10:32.224
like if I go into a yoga class now,
 
00:10:32.384 --> 00:10:33.466
I really do check out the
 
00:10:33.485 --> 00:10:34.446
studio ahead of time
 
00:10:34.886 --> 00:10:35.847
because of my own past
 
00:10:35.908 --> 00:10:37.288
experiences that weren't
 
00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:39.451
the most feeling safe for me.
 
00:10:40.010 --> 00:10:41.332
I want to make sure that the
 
00:10:41.373 --> 00:10:42.594
instructors and the
 
00:10:42.634 --> 00:10:44.075
environment seems like it
 
00:10:44.095 --> 00:10:45.255
will be something that will
 
00:10:45.275 --> 00:10:46.057
feel safe for me.
 
00:10:46.994 --> 00:10:50.615
And I know that in our culture today,
 
00:10:51.235 --> 00:10:52.716
we need a lot more tools
 
00:10:52.995 --> 00:10:54.297
and especially this sense
 
00:10:54.336 --> 00:10:55.197
of self empowerment and
 
00:10:55.216 --> 00:10:56.898
this permission from maybe
 
00:10:56.918 --> 00:10:57.977
a podcast like this,
 
00:10:58.298 --> 00:10:59.259
going the information about
 
00:10:59.318 --> 00:11:00.458
what trauma informed means
 
00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:02.019
so that we can understand
 
00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:03.960
that that type of resource
 
00:11:04.259 --> 00:11:05.561
and option is out there,
 
00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:07.142
especially because, you know,
 
00:11:07.162 --> 00:11:07.802
it's not just our
 
00:11:07.902 --> 00:11:09.042
individual traumas that
 
00:11:09.062 --> 00:11:09.662
we've been through,
 
00:11:10.082 --> 00:11:11.182
but the collective global
 
00:11:11.263 --> 00:11:13.203
global pandemic that has
 
00:11:13.244 --> 00:11:14.744
caused a lot more of our
 
00:11:14.803 --> 00:11:16.345
nervous systems to be high,
 
00:11:16.644 --> 00:11:18.145
you know keyed up and it's
 
00:11:18.206 --> 00:11:19.506
hard for us necessarily to
 
00:11:19.567 --> 00:11:21.727
slow down and in order to
 
00:11:21.788 --> 00:11:22.788
help our nervous systems
 
00:11:22.889 --> 00:11:24.750
heal through the gift of
 
00:11:24.830 --> 00:11:26.150
yoga and breath work and
 
00:11:26.191 --> 00:11:28.192
meditation that yoga offers
 
00:11:28.812 --> 00:11:29.952
we have this opportunity to
 
00:11:29.993 --> 00:11:32.214
slow down and rebuild that
 
00:11:32.254 --> 00:11:33.855
emotional resilience and
 
00:11:33.934 --> 00:11:34.995
heal from the inside out
 
00:11:35.035 --> 00:11:36.476
and that's really what yoga is all about
 
00:11:37.698 --> 00:11:38.919
Another thing that I find
 
00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:41.321
important to mention is
 
00:11:41.880 --> 00:11:43.542
there is this thing that if
 
00:11:43.562 --> 00:11:44.802
you've never been to a yoga
 
00:11:44.822 --> 00:11:46.942
class and there are people
 
00:11:46.962 --> 00:11:47.822
who have experienced
 
00:11:47.863 --> 00:11:48.943
friends or family members
 
00:11:48.964 --> 00:11:49.823
that have gotten involved
 
00:11:49.844 --> 00:11:51.585
in yoga and gotten involved
 
00:11:51.625 --> 00:11:53.365
in the culture and the lifestyle of yoga.
 
00:11:54.081 --> 00:11:55.884
And because there is not
 
00:11:55.923 --> 00:11:56.924
necessarily a governing
 
00:11:56.966 --> 00:11:59.148
body that is going to make
 
00:11:59.187 --> 00:12:00.649
sure that each of the yoga
 
00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:01.610
cultures or little
 
00:12:01.650 --> 00:12:03.332
communities out there are
 
00:12:03.393 --> 00:12:04.835
practicing ethically and
 
00:12:04.875 --> 00:12:06.636
they're empowerment driven
 
00:12:06.976 --> 00:12:08.058
and they're not necessarily
 
00:12:08.119 --> 00:12:09.480
creating these cult-like
 
00:12:09.539 --> 00:12:11.182
environments that might be unhealthy,
 
00:12:12.102 --> 00:12:12.984
That's something that people
 
00:12:13.024 --> 00:12:13.803
are concerned about,
 
00:12:13.984 --> 00:12:14.804
especially if they've had
 
00:12:14.845 --> 00:12:15.585
friends have gotten
 
00:12:15.644 --> 00:12:17.105
involved with some of these
 
00:12:17.567 --> 00:12:18.547
environments that could
 
00:12:18.626 --> 00:12:19.847
seem very cult-like.
 
00:12:20.288 --> 00:12:22.110
We have seen yoga practices
 
00:12:22.549 --> 00:12:24.230
in the yoga traditions,
 
00:12:24.610 --> 00:12:26.032
such as Bikram yoga,
 
00:12:26.091 --> 00:12:28.193
and even in the Kundalini yoga tradition,
 
00:12:28.214 --> 00:12:29.995
the tradition that I follow,
 
00:12:30.355 --> 00:12:31.436
where followers of these
 
00:12:31.475 --> 00:12:32.375
teachers have had
 
00:12:32.635 --> 00:12:35.658
experienced unfortunate misuse of power,
 
00:12:36.259 --> 00:12:38.100
and this hierarchical like
 
00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:40.381
non-inclusive environment
 
00:12:40.422 --> 00:12:41.682
where people are pressured
 
00:12:42.023 --> 00:12:44.365
to or coerced to practice a
 
00:12:44.424 --> 00:12:46.105
certain way to practice
 
00:12:46.125 --> 00:12:47.626
certain lifestyle habits
 
00:12:48.028 --> 00:12:49.408
and even moving into more
 
00:12:49.448 --> 00:12:50.269
of these spiritual
 
00:12:50.730 --> 00:12:52.230
religious based practices
 
00:12:52.610 --> 00:12:54.032
that they if you're getting
 
00:12:54.072 --> 00:12:55.273
involved in yoga and you
 
00:12:55.312 --> 00:12:56.193
have a teacher that you
 
00:12:56.274 --> 00:12:57.274
really look up to and
 
00:12:57.294 --> 00:12:59.576
you're not having the discernment yet
 
00:13:00.136 --> 00:13:01.438
there is this sense of I
 
00:13:01.479 --> 00:13:02.860
need to follow what this
 
00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:04.562
person is saying to the T.
 
00:13:05.143 --> 00:13:06.244
And especially in a culture,
 
00:13:06.283 --> 00:13:08.307
we don't have that sense of autonomy yet,
 
00:13:08.787 --> 00:13:09.928
knowing who we are,
 
00:13:10.249 --> 00:13:11.490
knowing what our body wants,
 
00:13:11.551 --> 00:13:12.471
what it doesn't want.
 
00:13:12.912 --> 00:13:14.553
And if we're looking for guidance,
 
00:13:14.614 --> 00:13:16.616
sometimes we can easily fall victim
 
00:13:17.037 --> 00:13:19.038
to following blindly.
 
00:13:19.239 --> 00:13:20.519
And that's not any of our fault.
 
00:13:20.578 --> 00:13:22.380
If we're trying to seek that out,
 
00:13:23.160 --> 00:13:24.101
we're in that space of
 
00:13:24.461 --> 00:13:25.602
trying to find empowerment.
 
00:13:25.903 --> 00:13:27.203
That sometimes happens along
 
00:13:27.224 --> 00:13:28.284
the way because we haven't
 
00:13:28.325 --> 00:13:29.325
learned discernment yet.
 
00:13:29.826 --> 00:13:31.326
So I feel like the misuse of
 
00:13:31.386 --> 00:13:32.726
power in yoga culture is
 
00:13:32.767 --> 00:13:33.927
something that I wanted to
 
00:13:33.967 --> 00:13:36.009
just brush on because it is a real thing.
 
00:13:36.210 --> 00:13:37.090
And if anyone out there has
 
00:13:37.129 --> 00:13:38.250
experienced any of that,
 
00:13:38.892 --> 00:13:42.394
my deepest sorrow for you and the
 
00:13:43.871 --> 00:13:45.153
My compassion goes out to
 
00:13:45.192 --> 00:13:46.553
you because one of the
 
00:13:46.573 --> 00:13:48.254
things that I hear often is
 
00:13:48.735 --> 00:13:49.816
people say this all the time,
 
00:13:49.875 --> 00:13:50.556
and I don't know if it's
 
00:13:50.596 --> 00:13:51.557
just because of where I
 
00:13:51.616 --> 00:13:52.437
live in the country,
 
00:13:52.976 --> 00:13:54.418
but I've had people share
 
00:13:54.437 --> 00:13:55.798
with me that they have
 
00:13:55.859 --> 00:13:58.580
experienced that yoga is a cult.
 
00:13:59.541 --> 00:14:01.101
And there's this fear around it.
 
00:14:01.662 --> 00:14:02.844
and it makes me sad because
 
00:14:02.884 --> 00:14:04.325
there is so much power to
 
00:14:04.365 --> 00:14:06.187
yoga it is not a religion
 
00:14:06.326 --> 00:14:07.128
it is something that can
 
00:14:07.187 --> 00:14:08.288
benefit anyone no matter
 
00:14:08.328 --> 00:14:09.350
what their background or
 
00:14:09.370 --> 00:14:10.091
their spiritual or
 
00:14:10.110 --> 00:14:11.972
religious beliefs and it's
 
00:14:12.013 --> 00:14:13.975
so powerful for the mind
 
00:14:14.096 --> 00:14:16.197
and the body so I encourage
 
00:14:16.217 --> 00:14:16.879
you guys if you've
 
00:14:16.918 --> 00:14:18.379
experienced any of that or
 
00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:19.562
heard anything like that
 
00:14:19.902 --> 00:14:20.722
that this episode can
 
00:14:21.302 --> 00:14:22.945
educate you a little bit more about
 
00:14:24.116 --> 00:14:25.918
really what is something you
 
00:14:25.938 --> 00:14:26.919
should be experiencing in a
 
00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:30.081
class for your own maybe
 
00:14:30.221 --> 00:14:31.783
openness to experience yoga
 
00:14:31.823 --> 00:14:33.024
if you've never tried it before?
 
00:14:34.571 --> 00:14:35.572
So let's talk about what
 
00:14:35.711 --> 00:14:38.173
makes a safe yoga space.
 
00:14:38.432 --> 00:14:40.774
So the safe safe yoga space
 
00:14:40.955 --> 00:14:42.115
is this is where students
 
00:14:42.134 --> 00:14:43.015
will feel empowered.
 
00:14:43.216 --> 00:14:43.995
And this is where you'll be
 
00:14:44.035 --> 00:14:44.917
able to choose your
 
00:14:44.937 --> 00:14:47.618
movements and modify poses if needed.
 
00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:50.139
And in a trauma informed class,
 
00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:51.519
the instructors will create
 
00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:52.421
this environment by
 
00:14:52.640 --> 00:14:54.341
offering supportive guidance,
 
00:14:55.268 --> 00:14:56.429
and avoiding the physical
 
00:14:56.470 --> 00:14:58.072
adjustments without permission,
 
00:14:58.552 --> 00:14:59.955
allowing you as a student
 
00:14:59.995 --> 00:15:01.317
to set your own boundaries.
 
00:15:01.837 --> 00:15:03.240
And this is usually creating
 
00:15:03.341 --> 00:15:06.365
a calming and nonjudgmental atmosphere.
 
00:15:06.666 --> 00:15:07.947
So that's really important.
 
00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:09.860
At Firefly Hollow,
 
00:15:10.321 --> 00:15:11.380
what we do is we do our
 
00:15:11.421 --> 00:15:12.562
best to do some marketing
 
00:15:12.581 --> 00:15:13.643
and educate people about
 
00:15:13.682 --> 00:15:15.102
what our space looks like,
 
00:15:15.543 --> 00:15:17.283
what to expect when you come in.
 
00:15:17.745 --> 00:15:19.566
And so some of those things look like,
 
00:15:20.265 --> 00:15:22.147
here's our studio space.
 
00:15:22.226 --> 00:15:23.226
This is what each of the
 
00:15:23.267 --> 00:15:25.769
practices we offer include.
 
00:15:26.109 --> 00:15:27.369
This is what you can expect
 
00:15:27.389 --> 00:15:28.129
when you come in.
 
00:15:28.769 --> 00:15:29.750
We ask you to come in
 
00:15:29.770 --> 00:15:30.913
fifteen minutes early so
 
00:15:30.952 --> 00:15:32.234
you can fill out paperwork.
 
00:15:32.754 --> 00:15:33.534
As I said before,
 
00:15:33.575 --> 00:15:34.775
in that paperwork we give
 
00:15:34.836 --> 00:15:36.597
you a spot to just list
 
00:15:36.638 --> 00:15:38.059
some things that are maybe
 
00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:38.980
something that's stressful
 
00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:40.902
for you or things that we can know about.
 
00:15:41.523 --> 00:15:43.424
And that way we can really
 
00:15:43.485 --> 00:15:44.666
create a practice that
 
00:15:44.745 --> 00:15:46.807
includes you and your needs.
 
00:15:47.568 --> 00:15:48.870
We will also share, you know,
 
00:15:48.889 --> 00:15:50.130
about cancellation policies.
 
00:15:50.191 --> 00:15:50.811
That's something that's
 
00:15:50.890 --> 00:15:52.371
pretty standard when you go
 
00:15:52.432 --> 00:15:53.773
to a business or a clinic
 
00:15:54.094 --> 00:15:55.134
that offers yoga.
 
00:15:55.495 --> 00:15:56.115
That's something that you
 
00:15:56.154 --> 00:15:57.196
can expect to see,
 
00:15:57.475 --> 00:15:59.037
especially when these yoga
 
00:15:59.057 --> 00:16:00.158
instructors are, of course,
 
00:16:00.177 --> 00:16:01.418
getting paid to work.
 
00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:03.780
And if someone's not showing up, you know,
 
00:16:03.801 --> 00:16:04.801
it's something that it's
 
00:16:04.841 --> 00:16:05.642
stressful if you don't know
 
00:16:05.682 --> 00:16:06.722
ahead of time that you
 
00:16:06.783 --> 00:16:07.962
signed up for yoga class
 
00:16:08.144 --> 00:16:09.303
and maybe you just thought, OK,
 
00:16:09.384 --> 00:16:10.085
I can't make it.
 
00:16:10.625 --> 00:16:11.505
And if you didn't show up,
 
00:16:11.546 --> 00:16:12.746
then you're getting charged a fee.
 
00:16:12.846 --> 00:16:13.027
Right.
 
00:16:13.366 --> 00:16:13.947
Who doesn't?
 
00:16:14.628 --> 00:16:16.489
love who loves getting fees, right?
 
00:16:16.509 --> 00:16:17.230
It's not fun.
 
00:16:17.529 --> 00:16:18.529
But if you know ahead of time,
 
00:16:18.549 --> 00:16:20.030
that's what's expected of you.
 
00:16:20.432 --> 00:16:21.251
And as far as the
 
00:16:21.351 --> 00:16:22.732
professional protocols and
 
00:16:22.773 --> 00:16:25.254
procedures for that place of business,
 
00:16:25.354 --> 00:16:26.654
it's also really helpful to
 
00:16:26.715 --> 00:16:29.397
know that information.
 
00:16:29.437 --> 00:16:31.298
So I just want to also kind
 
00:16:31.337 --> 00:16:33.678
of segue here into talking
 
00:16:33.719 --> 00:16:36.360
about yoga beyond the physical practice.
 
00:16:37.421 --> 00:16:39.022
When I first got involved in yoga,
 
00:16:39.241 --> 00:16:41.344
I had this awareness that,
 
00:16:41.703 --> 00:16:42.524
just intuitively,
 
00:16:42.565 --> 00:16:46.147
that yoga was a very spiritual practice.
 
00:16:46.788 --> 00:16:47.587
And I didn't have the
 
00:16:47.629 --> 00:16:49.289
history or understand fully
 
00:16:49.750 --> 00:16:50.671
really what that meant.
 
00:16:51.191 --> 00:16:52.572
And so when I was going to a
 
00:16:52.611 --> 00:16:53.893
lot of these yoga classes,
 
00:16:54.332 --> 00:16:56.174
they were very much, as I learned later,
 
00:16:56.274 --> 00:16:58.035
very westernized versions
 
00:16:58.176 --> 00:17:00.018
of yoga and its practice.
 
00:17:00.518 --> 00:17:01.658
Because as you understand
 
00:17:01.698 --> 00:17:03.500
when you learn that yoga is
 
00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:05.300
more than just the physical postures,
 
00:17:05.442 --> 00:17:06.702
or we call them the asanas.
 
00:17:07.482 --> 00:17:09.084
it does incorporate breath
 
00:17:09.403 --> 00:17:10.845
it incorporates meditation
 
00:17:11.065 --> 00:17:12.906
and even ethical principles
 
00:17:12.946 --> 00:17:14.307
that will promote your
 
00:17:14.347 --> 00:17:15.607
healing that promote more
 
00:17:15.749 --> 00:17:16.729
deeper connection
 
00:17:17.108 --> 00:17:19.090
mindfulness and emotional balance
 
00:17:19.849 --> 00:17:22.412
So I think that when I first got involved,
 
00:17:22.652 --> 00:17:24.232
it felt because I was
 
00:17:24.272 --> 00:17:25.453
involved with power yoga,
 
00:17:25.534 --> 00:17:26.154
and we're going to talk
 
00:17:26.194 --> 00:17:27.316
about what the different
 
00:17:27.355 --> 00:17:28.375
types of yoga are.
 
00:17:28.836 --> 00:17:30.837
But power yoga is very fast paced.
 
00:17:31.358 --> 00:17:32.619
And as I learned later,
 
00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:33.881
I thought this doesn't make
 
00:17:33.921 --> 00:17:34.681
any sense to me.
 
00:17:34.901 --> 00:17:37.323
I was like, yoga, from what I understand,
 
00:17:37.363 --> 00:17:38.304
supposed to be relaxing.
 
00:17:38.823 --> 00:17:39.604
it's supposed to help you
 
00:17:39.644 --> 00:17:41.065
feel more connected to your body.
 
00:17:41.625 --> 00:17:42.685
And at that time,
 
00:17:42.747 --> 00:17:43.807
being someone that's gone
 
00:17:43.826 --> 00:17:45.709
through trauma and chronic stress,
 
00:17:46.250 --> 00:17:47.570
that type of movement and
 
00:17:47.631 --> 00:17:49.692
fast-paced motion was not
 
00:17:49.732 --> 00:17:51.574
only hard to keep up with
 
00:17:51.594 --> 00:17:53.215
when I didn't know the poses,
 
00:17:53.615 --> 00:17:54.737
I felt awkward.
 
00:17:54.836 --> 00:17:56.338
It felt more stressful for me.
 
00:17:56.479 --> 00:17:58.641
I felt I was comparing myself to others.
 
00:17:59.121 --> 00:18:00.903
And especially in that type of practice,
 
00:18:01.123 --> 00:18:02.304
as it was westernized,
 
00:18:02.763 --> 00:18:03.664
our culture is very
 
00:18:03.704 --> 00:18:05.686
competitive and comparing and
 
00:18:06.067 --> 00:18:07.208
I got to be like them and I
 
00:18:07.228 --> 00:18:08.349
have to do these inversion
 
00:18:08.390 --> 00:18:09.611
poses and things that I
 
00:18:09.631 --> 00:18:11.173
don't think my body can do right now.
 
00:18:11.953 --> 00:18:13.675
And there was then this sense of shame,
 
00:18:13.776 --> 00:18:14.856
like I can't do this.
 
00:18:15.438 --> 00:18:16.459
And it wasn't until later
 
00:18:16.479 --> 00:18:17.779
that I understood that that
 
00:18:18.040 --> 00:18:19.782
is not actually what yoga
 
00:18:19.823 --> 00:18:20.884
was intended to be.
 
00:18:21.585 --> 00:18:23.185
It is beautiful that we have
 
00:18:23.205 --> 00:18:24.807
that aspect of yoga and that
 
00:18:25.855 --> 00:18:27.196
adaptation of the practice
 
00:18:27.577 --> 00:18:29.378
because hot yoga power yoga
 
00:18:29.419 --> 00:18:30.640
some of these types of yoga
 
00:18:30.700 --> 00:18:33.382
are really beneficial so if
 
00:18:33.422 --> 00:18:34.663
you sit at a desk all day
 
00:18:34.864 --> 00:18:36.625
and you're in a space of
 
00:18:36.904 --> 00:18:38.826
just sitting movement can
 
00:18:38.866 --> 00:18:40.969
be very very helpful if
 
00:18:40.989 --> 00:18:42.349
you're someone like myself
 
00:18:42.450 --> 00:18:45.051
that is a entrepreneur I
 
00:18:45.112 --> 00:18:47.574
juggle a lot of tasks and a
 
00:18:47.594 --> 00:18:49.056
lot of wear many hats
 
00:18:49.915 --> 00:18:51.117
It is something that from my
 
00:18:51.178 --> 00:18:53.059
nervous system, a fast paced,
 
00:18:53.380 --> 00:18:55.701
high stress or high cardio
 
00:18:55.801 --> 00:18:57.904
type of class isn't what my
 
00:18:57.924 --> 00:18:58.885
nervous system needs for
 
00:18:58.925 --> 00:18:59.886
creating balance.
 
00:19:00.287 --> 00:19:01.929
Creating balance is more of
 
00:19:02.148 --> 00:19:03.810
a restorative practice,
 
00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:05.192
a practice that maybe
 
00:19:05.231 --> 00:19:06.232
invigorates my nervous
 
00:19:06.272 --> 00:19:08.255
system instead of stresses it out.
 
00:19:09.135 --> 00:19:10.656
So in general,
 
00:19:10.737 --> 00:19:13.898
we have lots of different types of yoga,
 
00:19:14.439 --> 00:19:15.680
and I'm going to talk about them.
 
00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:16.779
But in general,
 
00:19:16.859 --> 00:19:19.182
I think that we only really
 
00:19:19.241 --> 00:19:21.583
view yoga as a form of exercise.
 
00:19:22.163 --> 00:19:23.663
And it's not until you maybe
 
00:19:23.703 --> 00:19:24.364
get involved with the
 
00:19:24.403 --> 00:19:25.865
practice and do it
 
00:19:25.904 --> 00:19:27.165
consistently that you'll
 
00:19:27.205 --> 00:19:28.507
experience the benefits.
 
00:19:29.477 --> 00:19:31.317
Now we think about yoga as I
 
00:19:31.337 --> 00:19:32.377
want to get more flexible.
 
00:19:32.978 --> 00:19:33.597
That's common.
 
00:19:33.818 --> 00:19:35.219
We can dissociate that,
 
00:19:35.638 --> 00:19:36.779
but also increasing your
 
00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:38.740
strength that helps your muscles.
 
00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:39.601
It helps with our
 
00:19:39.621 --> 00:19:41.280
flexibility and then just
 
00:19:41.300 --> 00:19:42.521
the muscle strength in general.
 
00:19:43.342 --> 00:19:44.821
Reducing stress and anxiety
 
00:19:44.942 --> 00:19:46.623
is something that I only
 
00:19:46.682 --> 00:19:48.124
experienced through a
 
00:19:48.163 --> 00:19:49.544
continual practice and even
 
00:19:49.644 --> 00:19:50.845
just some of the yin yoga
 
00:19:50.884 --> 00:19:51.904
practices that I took.
 
00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.403
The breath work, the meditation,
 
00:19:54.883 --> 00:19:56.444
those do help activate the
 
00:19:56.484 --> 00:19:58.086
parasympathetic nervous system.
 
00:19:58.508 --> 00:19:59.409
And that's that rest and
 
00:19:59.429 --> 00:20:00.590
digest state that our
 
00:20:00.631 --> 00:20:01.711
nervous systems in our
 
00:20:01.771 --> 00:20:02.913
culture sometimes have a
 
00:20:02.953 --> 00:20:04.516
hard time activating.
 
00:20:04.977 --> 00:20:06.699
So it can really help calm the mind.
 
00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:08.580
Another thing is if you're
 
00:20:08.641 --> 00:20:10.382
someone that experiences
 
00:20:10.442 --> 00:20:12.904
brain fog and have a hard time focusing,
 
00:20:13.704 --> 00:20:13.944
you know,
 
00:20:13.984 --> 00:20:15.346
when our nervous system is keyed
 
00:20:15.426 --> 00:20:18.308
up and we are on high alert,
 
00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:20.111
our nervous system has
 
00:20:20.191 --> 00:20:21.912
evolved to when we're in
 
00:20:21.951 --> 00:20:24.034
that state of awareness to
 
00:20:24.054 --> 00:20:25.355
be scanning our environment
 
00:20:25.375 --> 00:20:26.476
for things coming at us,
 
00:20:26.516 --> 00:20:27.997
to be on high alert.
 
00:20:28.297 --> 00:20:29.278
Our peripheral vision is
 
00:20:29.317 --> 00:20:30.699
more keyed up so we can see
 
00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:32.300
things and we get easily
 
00:20:32.320 --> 00:20:33.942
distracted by noises in our
 
00:20:33.961 --> 00:20:35.624
environment or people walking by.
 
00:20:36.203 --> 00:20:37.444
And this is why I think some
 
00:20:37.505 --> 00:20:38.746
of us may be experiencing
 
00:20:38.806 --> 00:20:39.945
more focus issues.
 
00:20:40.346 --> 00:20:41.866
The extreme would be like ADHD.
 
00:20:41.886 --> 00:20:42.528
There's a lot of other
 
00:20:42.567 --> 00:20:43.768
factors that affect that.
 
00:20:44.189 --> 00:20:45.829
But mental clarity and focus
 
00:20:45.849 --> 00:20:47.369
can happen when you start
 
00:20:47.410 --> 00:20:48.270
to learn how to
 
00:20:48.330 --> 00:20:50.092
downregulate your nervous system.
 
00:20:50.612 --> 00:20:51.932
There's a lot of ways to do this,
 
00:20:51.992 --> 00:20:54.374
just like bodywork and massage and Reiki.
 
00:20:54.875 --> 00:20:55.595
But yoga,
 
00:20:55.835 --> 00:20:57.715
through this self-empowered sense of,
 
00:20:58.136 --> 00:20:59.497
I know that I can take a
 
00:20:59.537 --> 00:21:01.218
breath now through this practice.
 
00:21:01.618 --> 00:21:02.439
I know I can do this
 
00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:03.880
mindfulness exercise or
 
00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:05.881
this meditation practice that I learned.
 
00:21:06.442 --> 00:21:08.324
But that present moment body
 
00:21:08.344 --> 00:21:09.765
awareness that we can have,
 
00:21:10.346 --> 00:21:12.008
that can help us to learn
 
00:21:12.127 --> 00:21:14.509
how to get better focus
 
00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:15.771
through downregulation of
 
00:21:15.811 --> 00:21:17.354
the nervous system.
 
00:21:17.773 --> 00:21:17.874
Now,
 
00:21:17.894 --> 00:21:19.355
if you're doing more cardio brace
 
00:21:19.395 --> 00:21:20.636
practices, of course,
 
00:21:21.097 --> 00:21:22.278
we can increase our
 
00:21:22.318 --> 00:21:23.661
cardiovascular health.
 
00:21:24.060 --> 00:21:24.942
And this can, of course,
 
00:21:25.001 --> 00:21:25.742
reduce the risk of
 
00:21:25.782 --> 00:21:27.124
cardiovascular diseases.
 
00:21:28.351 --> 00:21:29.952
So me being a tall person,
 
00:21:30.292 --> 00:21:31.334
I was always the tall one
 
00:21:31.354 --> 00:21:32.414
in my group growing up.
 
00:21:32.915 --> 00:21:34.576
And I had this sort of
 
00:21:34.656 --> 00:21:36.479
posture of hunching over to
 
00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:38.161
get down with my friends.
 
00:21:38.181 --> 00:21:39.281
And I still am a little bit
 
00:21:39.521 --> 00:21:41.084
taller than most of my friends.
 
00:21:41.304 --> 00:21:43.246
And so posture is something that
 
00:21:43.826 --> 00:21:44.606
is a practice.
 
00:21:45.027 --> 00:21:46.508
If you are someone that's
 
00:21:46.567 --> 00:21:47.409
really trying to improve
 
00:21:47.429 --> 00:21:48.710
your posture ever,
 
00:21:48.769 --> 00:21:49.890
you've recognized that it's
 
00:21:49.910 --> 00:21:50.871
something that's a habit
 
00:21:50.911 --> 00:21:51.932
and takes some time.
 
00:21:52.372 --> 00:21:53.252
But if you're using the
 
00:21:53.492 --> 00:21:55.173
different types of yoga practices,
 
00:21:55.493 --> 00:21:56.434
you're going to start to
 
00:21:56.555 --> 00:21:57.915
align your spine and
 
00:21:57.935 --> 00:21:58.916
improve your posture
 
00:21:58.957 --> 00:21:59.317
because you're
 
00:21:59.356 --> 00:22:00.698
strengthening the muscles
 
00:22:00.758 --> 00:22:02.219
that naturally start to
 
00:22:02.298 --> 00:22:04.221
bring you more into balance structurally.
 
00:22:04.721 --> 00:22:05.441
So that's something that's
 
00:22:05.541 --> 00:22:06.281
really beautiful,
 
00:22:06.582 --> 00:22:07.823
specifically types of yoga
 
00:22:07.843 --> 00:22:10.105
like Iyengar yoga.
 
00:22:10.125 --> 00:22:11.365
We're going to talk more about that.
 
00:22:12.086 --> 00:22:12.965
and I think if you are
 
00:22:13.006 --> 00:22:14.487
experiencing like back pain
 
00:22:14.626 --> 00:22:16.446
or anything with body pain
 
00:22:16.507 --> 00:22:18.327
hip pain neck pain any type
 
00:22:18.347 --> 00:22:20.808
of pain any type of pain
 
00:22:21.128 --> 00:22:22.148
you're going to be able to
 
00:22:22.409 --> 00:22:24.309
potentially improve that if
 
00:22:24.349 --> 00:22:25.150
it's something that's a
 
00:22:25.210 --> 00:22:26.750
structural or a muscular
 
00:22:26.789 --> 00:22:28.691
imbalance that's the root cause of that
 
00:22:29.954 --> 00:22:31.276
If you are someone that does
 
00:22:31.695 --> 00:22:32.497
really struggle with
 
00:22:32.537 --> 00:22:35.578
emotions and emotional balance in general,
 
00:22:35.618 --> 00:22:36.839
when we are working with
 
00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:37.881
regulating our nervous
 
00:22:37.921 --> 00:22:39.321
system and stress response,
 
00:22:39.721 --> 00:22:41.723
we can help our hormones balance.
 
00:22:42.084 --> 00:22:43.125
This can be including our
 
00:22:43.164 --> 00:22:45.346
blood sugar and even our other hormones.
 
00:22:45.385 --> 00:22:47.287
So I really encourage those
 
00:22:47.327 --> 00:22:49.028
who are looking to add
 
00:22:49.169 --> 00:22:50.750
other natural options for
 
00:22:50.789 --> 00:22:52.050
balancing their emotions or
 
00:22:52.111 --> 00:22:53.271
dealing with emotional
 
00:22:53.311 --> 00:22:55.073
stress or trauma yoga as a
 
00:22:55.133 --> 00:22:56.094
really great practice.
 
00:22:57.384 --> 00:22:58.785
One of the things I like to
 
00:22:58.825 --> 00:22:59.904
hear from all my yoga
 
00:23:00.704 --> 00:23:03.965
students is enhancing the
 
00:23:03.986 --> 00:23:04.846
quality of sleep.
 
00:23:05.366 --> 00:23:07.207
So practices like Yoga Nidra,
 
00:23:07.426 --> 00:23:08.407
restorative yoga,
 
00:23:09.248 --> 00:23:10.387
and any other restorative
 
00:23:10.448 --> 00:23:12.249
practice can help with your sleep.
 
00:23:12.509 --> 00:23:14.390
But Kundalini surprisingly
 
00:23:14.470 --> 00:23:18.851
also can help with the sleep.
 
00:23:19.471 --> 00:23:20.632
And I find this is because
 
00:23:20.711 --> 00:23:22.251
we are discharging excess
 
00:23:22.291 --> 00:23:23.211
stress from the nervous
 
00:23:23.232 --> 00:23:24.492
system through those practices.
 
00:23:25.717 --> 00:23:27.396
So my favorite part of yoga
 
00:23:27.477 --> 00:23:29.678
in general is enhanced body awareness.
 
00:23:30.137 --> 00:23:31.818
We are a culture that really
 
00:23:31.858 --> 00:23:33.979
has a hard time being aware
 
00:23:34.019 --> 00:23:34.659
of our bodies.
 
00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:37.319
So when you are doing a lot of things,
 
00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.101
you're on your cell phone,
 
00:23:39.121 --> 00:23:41.181
you're calling people, you're driving,
 
00:23:41.701 --> 00:23:43.761
how often are you aware of your body?
 
00:23:44.673 --> 00:23:45.993
it's not until we have some
 
00:23:46.054 --> 00:23:47.354
some sort of physical pain
 
00:23:47.473 --> 00:23:48.414
a lot of times that we
 
00:23:48.474 --> 00:23:49.634
start to notice something
 
00:23:49.674 --> 00:23:51.215
in our body and not only
 
00:23:51.256 --> 00:23:52.557
the physical aspect but
 
00:23:52.596 --> 00:23:54.538
also emotionally noticing
 
00:23:54.577 --> 00:23:56.038
the body and how we have
 
00:23:56.097 --> 00:23:58.480
this felt sense of where
 
00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:00.760
we're feeling maybe stress
 
00:24:01.320 --> 00:24:02.421
or if we could locate an
 
00:24:02.520 --> 00:24:03.622
area in the body if we were
 
00:24:03.642 --> 00:24:05.343
to point to an area where
 
00:24:05.363 --> 00:24:07.463
am I experiencing anger or grief
 
00:24:08.044 --> 00:24:09.724
That somatic felt sense
 
00:24:09.785 --> 00:24:11.306
experience can only be
 
00:24:11.346 --> 00:24:12.606
accomplished when we start
 
00:24:12.626 --> 00:24:13.887
to have a sense of our
 
00:24:13.907 --> 00:24:15.148
internal body awareness.
 
00:24:15.589 --> 00:24:16.951
So this is really beautiful
 
00:24:17.050 --> 00:24:19.813
when you start doing a yoga practice.
 
00:24:19.853 --> 00:24:21.294
So I want to share a little
 
00:24:21.314 --> 00:24:24.796
bit about what we can do as far as...
 
00:24:25.942 --> 00:24:26.241
And again,
 
00:24:26.303 --> 00:24:27.703
understanding what to expect in
 
00:24:27.723 --> 00:24:29.326
a yoga class if you're going to do one.
 
00:24:29.826 --> 00:24:31.068
But I think one of the
 
00:24:31.088 --> 00:24:33.191
things I like to share is
 
00:24:33.352 --> 00:24:36.516
that we have so much to
 
00:24:36.536 --> 00:24:37.916
choose from in our local
 
00:24:38.018 --> 00:24:39.419
area and even online for
 
00:24:39.479 --> 00:24:41.122
different types of yoga classes now.
 
00:24:41.882 --> 00:24:42.923
And again,
 
00:24:43.144 --> 00:24:45.164
not all yoga classes are trauma informed.
 
00:24:45.506 --> 00:24:46.306
But importantly,
 
00:24:46.326 --> 00:24:47.267
just to make sure that you
 
00:24:47.326 --> 00:24:49.568
understand the etiquette, what to expect,
 
00:24:50.109 --> 00:24:52.192
and knowing what to wear
 
00:24:52.372 --> 00:24:53.173
and what to bring.
 
00:24:53.813 --> 00:24:55.153
That's often something to
 
00:24:55.193 --> 00:24:56.435
that you will find out when
 
00:24:56.455 --> 00:24:57.876
you're going to a new yoga class.
 
00:24:58.705 --> 00:25:00.186
We at Firefly Hollow provide
 
00:25:00.287 --> 00:25:01.728
mats and blocks and straps.
 
00:25:01.748 --> 00:25:03.689
A lot of times yoga studios will do that,
 
00:25:04.189 --> 00:25:05.390
but also what to wear.
 
00:25:05.710 --> 00:25:06.349
I think that that's
 
00:25:06.390 --> 00:25:08.510
something that is up to each person,
 
00:25:08.711 --> 00:25:09.432
but in general,
 
00:25:09.471 --> 00:25:10.951
it's hard to do yoga in jeans,
 
00:25:11.772 --> 00:25:13.973
but very comfortable
 
00:25:14.114 --> 00:25:15.855
clothing is very supportive for that.
 
00:25:17.017 --> 00:25:18.176
So one other thing that I
 
00:25:18.217 --> 00:25:19.416
will share if you are
 
00:25:19.537 --> 00:25:21.278
involved in any sort of yoga class,
 
00:25:22.018 --> 00:25:23.238
even if that yoga class is
 
00:25:23.357 --> 00:25:24.938
not trauma-informed and the
 
00:25:24.958 --> 00:25:26.358
instructor is not trained in that,
 
00:25:26.439 --> 00:25:27.298
that's okay.
 
00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:30.078
Just please know that in any class,
 
00:25:30.519 --> 00:25:32.660
you have the freedom to choose.
 
00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:34.980
If there's a yoga pose you do not wanna do,
 
00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:37.141
if you're not feeling comfortable with it,
 
00:25:37.201 --> 00:25:39.101
if your body's telling you don't do that,
 
00:25:39.401 --> 00:25:40.520
it's important to listen.
 
00:25:41.040 --> 00:25:42.821
And you always have the
 
00:25:42.882 --> 00:25:44.902
freedom to leave a class at any time.
 
00:25:45.979 --> 00:25:47.440
I found that there's been
 
00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:48.840
multiple classes in my
 
00:25:48.881 --> 00:25:50.603
history of attending yoga
 
00:25:50.742 --> 00:25:52.324
that I actually left
 
00:25:52.364 --> 00:25:53.905
classes because of the way
 
00:25:53.945 --> 00:25:55.086
the instructor was not only
 
00:25:55.126 --> 00:25:56.126
talking to the students,
 
00:25:56.607 --> 00:25:57.548
but some of the things that
 
00:25:57.567 --> 00:25:58.809
the instructor was sharing
 
00:25:59.210 --> 00:26:00.451
about their personal lives,
 
00:26:00.471 --> 00:26:01.191
about their personal
 
00:26:01.230 --> 00:26:02.492
opinions and beliefs that I
 
00:26:02.553 --> 00:26:03.953
felt that were not inclusive,
 
00:26:04.394 --> 00:26:07.296
that were just quite frankly offensive,
 
00:26:07.395 --> 00:26:08.938
and I just thought, I'm going to leave.
 
00:26:09.657 --> 00:26:11.058
I think the people pleaser
 
00:26:11.098 --> 00:26:14.180
in me earlier on would have not done so.
 
00:26:14.859 --> 00:26:16.940
But later on in my development,
 
00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:17.961
I realized this is
 
00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:19.381
something that's not healthy for me.
 
00:26:19.580 --> 00:26:21.882
And I don't really choose to support that.
 
00:26:22.061 --> 00:26:24.163
And it's not mattering if
 
00:26:24.202 --> 00:26:25.063
that person takes it
 
00:26:25.123 --> 00:26:26.303
personally as an instructor,
 
00:26:26.703 --> 00:26:27.743
I just got up and left.
 
00:26:27.983 --> 00:26:29.064
So just please know that you
 
00:26:29.223 --> 00:26:30.384
always have the choice and
 
00:26:30.404 --> 00:26:31.224
the freedom to do that.
 
00:26:33.088 --> 00:26:34.609
So we talk about yoga being
 
00:26:34.810 --> 00:26:36.231
more than just a practice
 
00:26:36.511 --> 00:26:39.575
of physical health or physical fitness.
 
00:26:40.536 --> 00:26:42.817
There are eight limbs of yoga.
 
00:26:43.258 --> 00:26:45.259
So yoga in general is an
 
00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:46.941
entire lifestyle that is
 
00:26:47.082 --> 00:26:49.624
geared to support you in
 
00:26:49.943 --> 00:26:52.747
getting your body ready for meditation.
 
00:26:53.626 --> 00:26:56.210
And the different limbs of yoga,
 
00:26:56.349 --> 00:26:58.070
we'll talk about them briefly here.
 
00:26:59.201 --> 00:27:00.261
support this lifestyle
 
00:27:00.321 --> 00:27:01.623
because in general yoga is
 
00:27:01.903 --> 00:27:04.462
a path to enlightenment to
 
00:27:04.502 --> 00:27:05.824
that sense of inner peace
 
00:27:06.423 --> 00:27:07.304
and I think that there's
 
00:27:07.384 --> 00:27:09.825
many paths to this and yoga
 
00:27:09.845 --> 00:27:11.204
is just one of them and in
 
00:27:11.244 --> 00:27:12.726
our culture we are not
 
00:27:12.746 --> 00:27:14.365
connected to our bodies we
 
00:27:14.405 --> 00:27:15.746
don't know our felt sense
 
00:27:15.846 --> 00:27:17.467
we're not necessarily aware
 
00:27:17.727 --> 00:27:19.787
of what we need and even
 
00:27:19.906 --> 00:27:21.587
the ability to calm our minds
 
00:27:22.087 --> 00:27:23.108
meaning calming our nervous
 
00:27:23.128 --> 00:27:24.470
systems down enough so that
 
00:27:24.490 --> 00:27:25.750
our mind can be still
 
00:27:26.230 --> 00:27:27.191
through that meditation
 
00:27:27.230 --> 00:27:28.811
practice we can then gain a
 
00:27:28.872 --> 00:27:29.593
deeper sense of
 
00:27:29.653 --> 00:27:31.013
self-awareness of who we
 
00:27:31.134 --> 00:27:33.275
are and connect to a sense
 
00:27:33.335 --> 00:27:35.576
of higher self beyond the
 
00:27:35.656 --> 00:27:37.317
identity the ego self of
 
00:27:37.357 --> 00:27:38.798
who we believe we are to be
 
00:27:39.199 --> 00:27:39.878
because that's where we
 
00:27:39.898 --> 00:27:41.440
have a lot of suffering we
 
00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:43.442
think we're supposed to be this or
 
00:27:43.981 --> 00:27:44.903
We have a standard for
 
00:27:44.962 --> 00:27:46.164
ourselves that we've set.
 
00:27:46.664 --> 00:27:47.807
And through these practices
 
00:27:47.846 --> 00:27:49.127
of discharging the stress,
 
00:27:49.528 --> 00:27:50.750
calming the body down,
 
00:27:51.131 --> 00:27:52.051
through meditation and
 
00:27:52.092 --> 00:27:53.413
breath work and mindfulness,
 
00:27:53.834 --> 00:27:55.236
and even the disciplines
 
00:27:55.276 --> 00:27:56.297
that are involved in the
 
00:27:56.336 --> 00:27:57.218
eight limbs of yoga,
 
00:27:57.638 --> 00:27:59.320
we can create a space.
 
00:27:59.861 --> 00:28:01.561
a sacred space for us to
 
00:28:01.642 --> 00:28:02.843
connect with that part of
 
00:28:02.883 --> 00:28:04.964
ourselves that's beyond who
 
00:28:04.984 --> 00:28:06.566
we think we are and that's
 
00:28:06.605 --> 00:28:07.926
the gift of yoga that is
 
00:28:07.987 --> 00:28:09.268
not always talked about in
 
00:28:09.347 --> 00:28:10.749
just the westernized yoga
 
00:28:10.828 --> 00:28:12.470
culture that is very much
 
00:28:12.509 --> 00:28:13.951
physical fitness based now
 
00:28:13.971 --> 00:28:14.832
there's nothing wrong with
 
00:28:14.872 --> 00:28:16.153
that if you need to get fit
 
00:28:16.232 --> 00:28:17.173
and you want to do physical
 
00:28:17.193 --> 00:28:18.714
fitness based yoga that's
 
00:28:18.755 --> 00:28:19.756
beautiful that's a
 
00:28:19.816 --> 00:28:21.517
beautiful thing but I find
 
00:28:21.737 --> 00:28:23.699
it's really interesting more so recently
 
00:28:24.358 --> 00:28:25.220
I've found more and more
 
00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:26.500
students are hungry and
 
00:28:26.520 --> 00:28:27.422
they're seeking for a
 
00:28:27.461 --> 00:28:28.261
deeper connection to
 
00:28:28.301 --> 00:28:30.023
themselves and are open to
 
00:28:30.084 --> 00:28:30.824
more of the spiritual
 
00:28:30.864 --> 00:28:33.665
practices that are involved in yoga.
 
00:28:33.705 --> 00:28:34.307
So briefly,
 
00:28:34.446 --> 00:28:36.548
the eight limbs of yoga include
 
00:28:36.588 --> 00:28:37.189
the yamas.
 
00:28:37.229 --> 00:28:37.970
These are the moral
 
00:28:38.029 --> 00:28:39.911
disciplines that are involved in yoga.
 
00:28:40.632 --> 00:28:42.492
The niyamas is self-discipline.
 
00:28:42.512 --> 00:28:44.394
So this is more internal discipline.
 
00:28:44.815 --> 00:28:46.997
The yamas, it's the external discipline,
 
00:28:47.057 --> 00:28:48.538
more so how you are in the world.
 
00:28:48.998 --> 00:28:51.099
The niyamas is how you are with yourself,
 
00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:51.259
right?
 
00:28:52.469 --> 00:28:54.670
The third limb of yoga is the asanas,
 
00:28:54.690 --> 00:28:55.509
which are the postures.
 
00:28:55.529 --> 00:28:56.230
These are the things that
 
00:28:56.250 --> 00:28:57.330
we're more familiar with.
 
00:28:58.191 --> 00:28:59.451
Pranayama is something you
 
00:28:59.471 --> 00:29:00.231
might have heard of,
 
00:29:00.332 --> 00:29:01.532
and that is breath work or
 
00:29:01.573 --> 00:29:02.373
breath control.
 
00:29:02.913 --> 00:29:04.834
Breath work is making a comeback.
 
00:29:05.013 --> 00:29:07.154
It is becoming a pop culture term,
 
00:29:07.355 --> 00:29:08.955
and I find it interesting
 
00:29:08.996 --> 00:29:10.195
because there are practices
 
00:29:10.236 --> 00:29:11.477
that are just breath work.
 
00:29:11.896 --> 00:29:13.178
But if you are taking a
 
00:29:13.278 --> 00:29:15.940
class with yoga that includes pranayama,
 
00:29:16.039 --> 00:29:16.681
you're going to get that
 
00:29:16.721 --> 00:29:18.061
breath work involved in the
 
00:29:18.082 --> 00:29:19.222
class and learn different
 
00:29:19.262 --> 00:29:20.503
techniques that you can use
 
00:29:20.844 --> 00:29:21.564
throughout your day,
 
00:29:21.584 --> 00:29:22.644
throughout your life to
 
00:29:22.704 --> 00:29:23.865
help activate your nervous
 
00:29:23.905 --> 00:29:24.826
system when you need to get
 
00:29:24.886 --> 00:29:27.048
more ready to go and to
 
00:29:27.067 --> 00:29:29.049
help calm it down under high stress.
 
00:29:29.349 --> 00:29:31.692
So that's really powerful.
 
00:29:32.152 --> 00:29:33.773
Pratyahara is the withdrawal
 
00:29:33.794 --> 00:29:34.634
of the senses.
 
00:29:35.034 --> 00:29:35.815
So we're kind of
 
00:29:35.855 --> 00:29:37.236
disconnecting from this
 
00:29:37.276 --> 00:29:38.596
third dimensional sense of
 
00:29:38.696 --> 00:29:39.657
five sense world.
 
00:29:40.285 --> 00:29:42.746
and expanding ourself in that practice.
 
00:29:43.645 --> 00:29:45.527
The Dharana is concentration.
 
00:29:46.386 --> 00:29:48.228
Dhyana is meditation.
 
00:29:48.768 --> 00:29:50.588
And the final one is Samadhi.
 
00:29:50.669 --> 00:29:51.828
So we're leading all of
 
00:29:51.848 --> 00:29:52.970
these eight limbs of yoga
 
00:29:53.410 --> 00:29:55.090
are said to lead to this
 
00:29:55.151 --> 00:29:56.770
sense of inner peace, enlightenment,
 
00:29:56.790 --> 00:29:58.412
and contentment.
 
00:29:58.451 --> 00:30:00.192
So trauma informed yoga
 
00:30:00.452 --> 00:30:02.933
really does emphasize the Asana,
 
00:30:02.953 --> 00:30:05.234
which is the movement, the breath work,
 
00:30:05.875 --> 00:30:06.875
and it helps students
 
00:30:06.934 --> 00:30:08.655
reconnect with their bodies and emotions.
 
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:11.904
So let's talk briefly about
 
00:30:11.944 --> 00:30:13.067
the different styles of
 
00:30:13.127 --> 00:30:15.654
yoga and give you an idea
 
00:30:15.714 --> 00:30:16.938
of maybe what type of yoga
 
00:30:16.979 --> 00:30:17.980
might be best for you.
 
00:30:19.550 --> 00:30:20.432
Vinyasa yoga.
 
00:30:20.892 --> 00:30:23.213
This is a fast paced breath
 
00:30:23.493 --> 00:30:25.115
focused flowing yoga.
 
00:30:25.655 --> 00:30:27.517
So when you move into a
 
00:30:27.576 --> 00:30:29.338
posture and maybe expand
 
00:30:29.378 --> 00:30:30.880
your inhaling and as you
 
00:30:30.920 --> 00:30:32.480
flow with that posture and
 
00:30:32.520 --> 00:30:33.842
maybe are leaning forward
 
00:30:33.862 --> 00:30:34.843
or moving into a different
 
00:30:34.903 --> 00:30:36.703
part of the posture, you're exhaling.
 
00:30:37.204 --> 00:30:38.246
And this is good for people
 
00:30:38.266 --> 00:30:39.547
who want physical movements.
 
00:30:39.586 --> 00:30:40.948
They want to get that flow.
 
00:30:41.307 --> 00:30:42.548
If you're sitting at a desk all day,
 
00:30:42.588 --> 00:30:43.289
this is great.
 
00:30:43.490 --> 00:30:45.090
You're getting more breath into the body,
 
00:30:45.151 --> 00:30:45.892
more oxygen,
 
00:30:46.132 --> 00:30:47.553
and this can help with mental focus.
 
00:30:49.061 --> 00:30:51.044
Ashtanga yoga is structured.
 
00:30:51.403 --> 00:30:53.566
So this is physically very demanding.
 
00:30:53.665 --> 00:30:55.708
It is the same set of
 
00:30:56.637 --> 00:30:58.680
postures in a sequence that
 
00:30:58.779 --> 00:31:00.201
is very disciplined so I
 
00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:01.121
feel like if you're someone
 
00:31:01.141 --> 00:31:02.521
that wants to increase your
 
00:31:02.942 --> 00:31:04.604
discipline that is a very
 
00:31:04.624 --> 00:31:07.105
good yoga you can try hatha
 
00:31:07.125 --> 00:31:08.247
yoga is one of my favorite
 
00:31:08.287 --> 00:31:09.907
types of yoga so it's
 
00:31:09.968 --> 00:31:11.509
slower paced it's similar
 
00:31:11.548 --> 00:31:12.750
to vinyasa where we're
 
00:31:12.809 --> 00:31:14.211
working on the foundational
 
00:31:14.250 --> 00:31:15.771
poses but it's good for
 
00:31:15.811 --> 00:31:17.032
beginners and it's good for
 
00:31:17.212 --> 00:31:18.273
mindfulness because we're
 
00:31:18.354 --> 00:31:20.375
using breath but in each of
 
00:31:20.394 --> 00:31:22.116
the posture postures we may
 
00:31:22.676 --> 00:31:23.958
extend that breath for a
 
00:31:24.077 --> 00:31:25.238
sequence of three breaths,
 
00:31:25.377 --> 00:31:26.659
inhaling and exhaling,
 
00:31:26.999 --> 00:31:28.440
and then move to the other
 
00:31:28.579 --> 00:31:29.740
part of the posture.
 
00:31:30.221 --> 00:31:31.300
So hatha yoga is a really
 
00:31:31.320 --> 00:31:32.622
great one for beginners.
 
00:31:32.961 --> 00:31:34.021
We offer that at Firefly
 
00:31:34.061 --> 00:31:36.824
Hollow with our lovely Miss Mimi.
 
00:31:36.923 --> 00:31:38.284
And then we have yin yoga.
 
00:31:39.184 --> 00:31:40.305
This is one I feel that is
 
00:31:40.384 --> 00:31:42.746
so powerful for getting
 
00:31:42.766 --> 00:31:43.987
into a meditative state.
 
00:31:44.307 --> 00:31:45.326
This is where we're holding
 
00:31:45.366 --> 00:31:47.147
postures for maybe extended
 
00:31:47.208 --> 00:31:48.189
periods of time.
 
00:31:48.628 --> 00:31:49.689
This is really helpful for
 
00:31:49.749 --> 00:31:50.730
deep relaxation.
 
00:31:51.428 --> 00:31:52.888
And in general,
 
00:31:52.969 --> 00:31:54.588
I want to just take a note here,
 
00:31:55.288 --> 00:31:57.349
yin yoga and many yoga in general,
 
00:31:57.589 --> 00:31:58.289
anytime you're doing any
 
00:31:58.329 --> 00:32:00.151
sort of body work or moving your body,
 
00:32:00.451 --> 00:32:01.730
there can be an experience
 
00:32:01.931 --> 00:32:03.192
of an emotional release.
 
00:32:03.291 --> 00:32:05.913
So if you've held on to a
 
00:32:05.932 --> 00:32:07.972
particular muscle group for a long time,
 
00:32:08.032 --> 00:32:08.993
it's really tight and
 
00:32:09.034 --> 00:32:12.335
congested and you finally get blood flow,
 
00:32:12.555 --> 00:32:13.234
energy flow,
 
00:32:13.454 --> 00:32:14.535
you're stretching that area
 
00:32:14.555 --> 00:32:14.954
and you get some
 
00:32:14.994 --> 00:32:16.276
circulation in that area.
 
00:32:16.796 --> 00:32:18.176
you can have this response
 
00:32:18.196 --> 00:32:19.457
in the body that you might
 
00:32:19.778 --> 00:32:21.518
feel an emotion come up and
 
00:32:21.538 --> 00:32:23.118
that's really normal in a
 
00:32:23.159 --> 00:32:24.759
trauma-informed practice
 
00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:25.941
the instructor will also
 
00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:27.340
inform you of that being a
 
00:32:27.401 --> 00:32:30.262
possibility one of the yin
 
00:32:30.282 --> 00:32:31.423
yoga classes that I was
 
00:32:31.462 --> 00:32:33.003
participating in I entered
 
00:32:33.023 --> 00:32:34.744
into the class and I knew
 
00:32:35.005 --> 00:32:36.105
from the class one of the
 
00:32:36.125 --> 00:32:36.885
students was one of my
 
00:32:36.925 --> 00:32:38.446
clients and I knew that
 
00:32:38.467 --> 00:32:39.666
they had experienced some
 
00:32:39.767 --> 00:32:41.008
sexual trauma in their life
 
00:32:41.587 --> 00:32:42.968
And the instructor didn't
 
00:32:43.068 --> 00:32:44.288
actually inform at the
 
00:32:44.328 --> 00:32:45.409
beginning of the practice
 
00:32:45.548 --> 00:32:47.309
of what an emotional release looks like.
 
00:32:47.789 --> 00:32:49.510
It's not something that's super,
 
00:32:49.611 --> 00:32:50.550
super common.
 
00:32:51.010 --> 00:32:51.830
It can happen.
 
00:32:52.151 --> 00:32:53.471
So I don't want you to shy
 
00:32:53.491 --> 00:32:54.332
away from doing a go-go
 
00:32:54.352 --> 00:32:55.291
class because fear you're
 
00:32:55.311 --> 00:32:56.512
going to break down or have
 
00:32:56.532 --> 00:32:57.252
an experience.
 
00:32:57.573 --> 00:32:58.373
But it's just something to
 
00:32:58.393 --> 00:33:00.153
be aware of that's really normal.
 
00:33:00.953 --> 00:33:02.315
And I think that this
 
00:33:02.394 --> 00:33:03.816
practice was challenging
 
00:33:03.855 --> 00:33:05.656
for me because I saw we
 
00:33:05.676 --> 00:33:07.198
were doing some hip opening
 
00:33:07.478 --> 00:33:08.699
moves where we're opening
 
00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:11.480
our legs and stretching the inner thighs,
 
00:33:11.559 --> 00:33:12.401
the adductors.
 
00:33:12.881 --> 00:33:14.461
And those muscles, of course,
 
00:33:14.521 --> 00:33:16.663
if you have had any sort of sexual trauma,
 
00:33:16.702 --> 00:33:17.564
you can see how that might
 
00:33:17.604 --> 00:33:19.184
be related to in the
 
00:33:19.244 --> 00:33:20.965
unconscious memory or just
 
00:33:21.006 --> 00:33:21.925
the activation of those
 
00:33:21.986 --> 00:33:23.186
muscles and stretching them
 
00:33:23.406 --> 00:33:25.208
can actually release a response.
 
00:33:25.728 --> 00:33:27.348
And this one client student,
 
00:33:27.368 --> 00:33:28.369
she actually had
 
00:33:28.730 --> 00:33:29.931
within maybe forty five
 
00:33:30.010 --> 00:33:30.971
seconds she just started
 
00:33:31.031 --> 00:33:32.532
weeping and she got up to
 
00:33:32.573 --> 00:33:33.913
leave the room and luckily
 
00:33:33.993 --> 00:33:34.954
I knew it was going on
 
00:33:34.974 --> 00:33:36.796
because I was observing and
 
00:33:36.855 --> 00:33:37.977
I went out and I connected
 
00:33:38.017 --> 00:33:39.178
with her and consoled her
 
00:33:39.258 --> 00:33:39.837
and I think that's
 
00:33:39.877 --> 00:33:41.239
something that I want to
 
00:33:41.278 --> 00:33:42.440
share especially if you're
 
00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:43.520
doing some of the slower
 
00:33:43.560 --> 00:33:44.882
break space practices
 
00:33:45.142 --> 00:33:45.843
because when you're moving
 
00:33:45.883 --> 00:33:46.963
fast you may not have time
 
00:33:46.983 --> 00:33:47.644
to think about what you're
 
00:33:47.663 --> 00:33:49.505
feeling right and that's
 
00:33:49.545 --> 00:33:51.426
why I feel that hatha and
 
00:33:51.507 --> 00:33:52.907
yin and restorative yoga
 
00:33:52.928 --> 00:33:54.288
these slower practices are
 
00:33:54.557 --> 00:33:55.538
I think are really good for
 
00:33:55.578 --> 00:33:57.041
going inward and having
 
00:33:57.082 --> 00:33:58.124
that space and time to
 
00:33:58.144 --> 00:33:59.066
connect with your body.
 
00:33:59.426 --> 00:34:00.067
So just so you know,
 
00:34:00.107 --> 00:34:00.809
that's something that could
 
00:34:00.829 --> 00:34:02.313
be happening for some
 
00:34:02.353 --> 00:34:03.494
people for going through yoga.
 
00:34:04.473 --> 00:34:06.214
Restorative yoga is more gentle.
 
00:34:06.775 --> 00:34:09.996
It uses props and it is very
 
00:34:10.096 --> 00:34:11.016
helpful for supporting the
 
00:34:11.036 --> 00:34:12.938
body so that when you're in a pose,
 
00:34:13.257 --> 00:34:14.838
you don't have to hold yourself up.
 
00:34:15.498 --> 00:34:17.539
This is like you're working
 
00:34:17.559 --> 00:34:18.739
with bolsters and you're
 
00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:19.920
lying in different poses
 
00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:20.860
that are completely
 
00:34:20.920 --> 00:34:22.382
surrounding your body and
 
00:34:22.422 --> 00:34:23.442
helping you to release
 
00:34:23.461 --> 00:34:25.643
without having to engage your body.
 
00:34:26.164 --> 00:34:26.864
And I think that that's
 
00:34:26.943 --> 00:34:29.045
really good for a deeper relaxation.
 
00:34:30.327 --> 00:34:31.969
Hot yoga is usually also
 
00:34:32.009 --> 00:34:32.849
called Bikram yoga.
 
00:34:33.269 --> 00:34:34.831
It's very physically intense.
 
00:34:35.050 --> 00:34:35.891
It's done in a hundred and
 
00:34:35.931 --> 00:34:37.753
five degree room and it
 
00:34:37.793 --> 00:34:39.655
helps support detoxification.
 
00:34:39.675 --> 00:34:40.476
So if you're someone that's
 
00:34:40.496 --> 00:34:41.436
going through a detox
 
00:34:41.496 --> 00:34:42.818
protocol and you want to
 
00:34:42.938 --> 00:34:45.320
sweat that healthy, good feeling sweat,
 
00:34:45.661 --> 00:34:47.402
and you're able to do an intense workout,
 
00:34:47.702 --> 00:34:48.983
you don't have any heart issues.
 
00:34:49.083 --> 00:34:49.344
Again,
 
00:34:49.384 --> 00:34:50.664
when you go to a studio that offers
 
00:34:50.704 --> 00:34:51.184
hot yoga,
 
00:34:51.224 --> 00:34:52.766
they'll tell you the contraindications.
 
00:34:53.146 --> 00:34:54.688
But that's one that can be very helpful.
 
00:34:55.250 --> 00:34:56.771
I will share my experience
 
00:34:56.931 --> 00:34:58.333
of my hot yoga class, though.
 
00:34:58.914 --> 00:35:00.436
I took multiple hot yoga
 
00:35:00.456 --> 00:35:01.458
classes in the past,
 
00:35:02.079 --> 00:35:03.782
but the one I took was a Bikram class.
 
00:35:04.362 --> 00:35:05.403
And at the time,
 
00:35:06.005 --> 00:35:07.306
I wasn't informed about
 
00:35:07.407 --> 00:35:08.547
trauma-informed practices.
 
00:35:09.389 --> 00:35:12.550
And the instructor was talking about,
 
00:35:12.829 --> 00:35:14.869
we were doing a pose called camel pose.
 
00:35:15.170 --> 00:35:16.791
So imagine you're on your knees,
 
00:35:17.231 --> 00:35:17.990
you're on your knees,
 
00:35:18.010 --> 00:35:19.210
your hands are gripping
 
00:35:19.271 --> 00:35:21.592
your ankles and you're leaning back,
 
00:35:21.612 --> 00:35:22.672
you tilt your head back and
 
00:35:22.692 --> 00:35:24.251
you open up your chest, right?
 
00:35:24.692 --> 00:35:25.532
So we're in a hundred and
 
00:35:25.552 --> 00:35:26.333
five degree room.
 
00:35:26.413 --> 00:35:26.913
We've already been
 
00:35:26.952 --> 00:35:27.813
practicing for twenty
 
00:35:27.853 --> 00:35:28.972
minutes in this sequence.
 
00:35:29.512 --> 00:35:31.293
And I, of course, was thirsty.
 
00:35:31.373 --> 00:35:32.614
I was feeling a little bit dizzy.
 
00:35:33.815 --> 00:35:35.556
and what the instructor said
 
00:35:36.376 --> 00:35:38.759
she said don't worry if you
 
00:35:38.798 --> 00:35:40.460
get dizzy it's just your
 
00:35:40.501 --> 00:35:41.742
heart chakra opening up
 
00:35:42.461 --> 00:35:43.842
immediately me as an energy
 
00:35:43.882 --> 00:35:44.963
medicine practitioner as a
 
00:35:45.023 --> 00:35:46.465
medium who understands that
 
00:35:46.505 --> 00:35:47.525
and feels that and really
 
00:35:47.565 --> 00:35:48.766
relates to that somatically
 
00:35:48.786 --> 00:35:49.827
in my body as a subtle
 
00:35:49.867 --> 00:35:51.530
energy field is kind of my expertise
 
00:35:52.469 --> 00:35:54.012
I immediately was triggered.
 
00:35:54.152 --> 00:35:55.014
I was so triggered.
 
00:35:55.054 --> 00:35:56.916
I was like, wait a minute, excuse me.
 
00:35:57.215 --> 00:35:57.577
Yes,
 
00:35:57.637 --> 00:35:59.097
we can have a heart opening and it can
 
00:35:59.157 --> 00:36:00.699
feel like an opening in the chest.
 
00:36:00.760 --> 00:36:02.061
It can feel lovely.
 
00:36:02.081 --> 00:36:02.762
You can experience all
 
00:36:02.782 --> 00:36:04.565
different types of releases with that.
 
00:36:05.025 --> 00:36:06.427
But if you're feeling dizzy,
 
00:36:07.148 --> 00:36:09.851
That to me was a call to
 
00:36:09.891 --> 00:36:10.891
potentially confuse
 
00:36:10.911 --> 00:36:13.175
students who maybe needed to take a break,
 
00:36:13.615 --> 00:36:15.097
who instead of pushing through,
 
00:36:15.157 --> 00:36:15.898
because she was saying,
 
00:36:15.958 --> 00:36:17.719
just push through it, right?
 
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:19.643
This Western culture, you gotta push,
 
00:36:19.663 --> 00:36:20.423
it's gotta hurt.
 
00:36:21.244 --> 00:36:22.967
That was really triggering to me.
 
00:36:23.547 --> 00:36:24.829
And the way that that Bikram
 
00:36:24.849 --> 00:36:26.170
class was done,
 
00:36:26.210 --> 00:36:27.110
it was almost like I was
 
00:36:27.150 --> 00:36:29.474
being yelled at by a drill sergeant.
 
00:36:29.534 --> 00:36:30.735
Let's move it to the next pose.
 
00:36:30.775 --> 00:36:32.817
And it was very demanding.
 
00:36:32.898 --> 00:36:34.079
So it wasn't trauma informed
 
00:36:34.099 --> 00:36:34.900
in the language.
 
00:36:35.380 --> 00:36:38.143
And it was very vigorous and stressful.
 
00:36:38.222 --> 00:36:39.164
It was so stressful to
 
00:36:39.204 --> 00:36:40.126
listen to her voice.
 
00:36:40.666 --> 00:36:41.726
And I ended up never going
 
00:36:41.766 --> 00:36:43.829
back to that yoga studio, unfortunately.
 
00:36:45.460 --> 00:36:47.101
So yoga nidra is another yoga.
 
00:36:47.262 --> 00:36:49.481
It is a form of guided meditation.
 
00:36:49.581 --> 00:36:50.842
So when I first did my first
 
00:36:50.862 --> 00:36:53.364
yoga nidra class, I was like, okay,
 
00:36:53.403 --> 00:36:54.684
I thought we're gonna do some poses.
 
00:36:55.164 --> 00:36:56.065
It was something that we
 
00:36:56.085 --> 00:36:57.005
were really more lying
 
00:36:57.025 --> 00:36:58.264
there in a comfortable position.
 
00:36:58.545 --> 00:37:00.505
And the guided meditation
 
00:37:00.565 --> 00:37:02.347
portion of that was so
 
00:37:02.387 --> 00:37:05.068
beautiful because if your mind wanders
 
00:37:05.788 --> 00:37:07.047
The instructors for Yoga
 
00:37:07.088 --> 00:37:09.789
Nidra are trained that they can,
 
00:37:10.048 --> 00:37:11.389
at a steady pace,
 
00:37:11.750 --> 00:37:13.489
keeping your mind occupied
 
00:37:13.510 --> 00:37:14.931
with a guided meditation
 
00:37:14.971 --> 00:37:16.871
that has visual and sensory
 
00:37:17.331 --> 00:37:19.811
focal points to keep you on
 
00:37:19.871 --> 00:37:21.373
track with that meditation
 
00:37:21.572 --> 00:37:23.273
so you can go deeper into yourself.
 
00:37:23.873 --> 00:37:25.733
And there's relaxing music playing.
 
00:37:26.114 --> 00:37:27.594
It's also called yogic sleep,
 
00:37:28.034 --> 00:37:29.195
and it's a really great
 
00:37:29.235 --> 00:37:31.016
form of guided meditation.
 
00:37:31.735 --> 00:37:33.056
in a group setting if you
 
00:37:33.076 --> 00:37:34.436
are someone that has a hard
 
00:37:34.476 --> 00:37:37.396
time meditating by yourself
 
00:37:37.516 --> 00:37:38.737
aerial yoga is one of my
 
00:37:38.878 --> 00:37:40.518
favorite types of yoga I
 
00:37:40.657 --> 00:37:41.978
love the local studio here
 
00:37:42.018 --> 00:37:43.338
called artemis that's in
 
00:37:43.398 --> 00:37:45.418
red lion they have aerial
 
00:37:45.458 --> 00:37:46.619
yoga and it's really good
 
00:37:46.659 --> 00:37:48.019
for strength building and
 
00:37:48.059 --> 00:37:49.840
they use a hammock or silks
 
00:37:49.940 --> 00:37:51.420
that you get to use to
 
00:37:51.481 --> 00:37:52.501
assist in different types
 
00:37:52.521 --> 00:37:54.661
of poses for me I can go a
 
00:37:54.702 --> 00:37:56.181
lot deeper into the poses
 
00:37:56.481 --> 00:37:57.742
and it helps me with
 
00:37:57.822 --> 00:37:58.902
inversions because I'm not
 
00:37:58.943 --> 00:38:00.182
always good at going upside down
 
00:38:00.802 --> 00:38:01.905
And it's really helpful
 
00:38:01.925 --> 00:38:03.726
because you get to swing around and move.
 
00:38:04.166 --> 00:38:05.849
I love the Shavasana in
 
00:38:06.110 --> 00:38:07.150
aerial yoga because you're
 
00:38:07.190 --> 00:38:08.492
lying in the hammock at the end,
 
00:38:08.552 --> 00:38:09.172
stretched out,
 
00:38:09.534 --> 00:38:11.016
and you're rocking slightly
 
00:38:11.076 --> 00:38:11.836
left and right.
 
00:38:11.896 --> 00:38:13.438
And it's just so nourishing
 
00:38:13.559 --> 00:38:14.260
and restorative.
 
00:38:14.898 --> 00:38:16.059
Now, for those of you out there,
 
00:38:16.539 --> 00:38:18.360
I'm going to take a segue here quickly.
 
00:38:18.500 --> 00:38:19.500
If you are someone that's
 
00:38:19.599 --> 00:38:22.661
hyperflexible or hypermobile, now,
 
00:38:22.702 --> 00:38:23.922
how do you know if you do that?
 
00:38:24.362 --> 00:38:25.563
You want to notice if you
 
00:38:25.623 --> 00:38:28.085
hyperextend your legs or your arms.
 
00:38:28.585 --> 00:38:29.344
There should be a nice
 
00:38:29.545 --> 00:38:31.005
gentle bend in your knees
 
00:38:31.166 --> 00:38:31.925
and your elbows.
 
00:38:32.467 --> 00:38:33.786
And that's something that if
 
00:38:33.827 --> 00:38:35.027
you are hypermobile,
 
00:38:35.108 --> 00:38:36.208
you might be someone that
 
00:38:36.409 --> 00:38:38.028
easily dislocates your shoulder,
 
00:38:38.309 --> 00:38:40.271
maybe injures your knees or your joints,
 
00:38:40.311 --> 00:38:41.010
your ankles.
 
00:38:41.610 --> 00:38:42.371
And for me,
 
00:38:42.552 --> 00:38:43.711
I didn't know until later on in
 
00:38:43.731 --> 00:38:44.672
my yoga practice.
 
00:38:44.893 --> 00:38:45.733
I just thought I was super
 
00:38:45.773 --> 00:38:46.893
bendy and super great at
 
00:38:46.914 --> 00:38:47.974
yoga and flexible.
 
00:38:48.474 --> 00:38:50.496
We talked about this in Yogi Aaron podcast,
 
00:38:50.516 --> 00:38:50.777
right?
 
00:38:51.137 --> 00:38:53.398
That if you are someone that's hypermobile,
 
00:38:53.737 --> 00:38:54.438
that's something to be
 
00:38:54.478 --> 00:38:55.619
aware of when you do yoga.
 
00:38:55.900 --> 00:38:56.840
You want to make sure that
 
00:38:56.880 --> 00:38:58.460
you're creating a slight bend.
 
00:38:58.481 --> 00:38:59.681
You're not overextending or
 
00:38:59.722 --> 00:39:01.583
hyperextending your knees or your arms.
 
00:39:01.983 --> 00:39:03.143
And so with aerial yoga,
 
00:39:03.244 --> 00:39:05.264
that's one thing if you are hyperflexible,
 
00:39:05.525 --> 00:39:06.606
just to be mindful of,
 
00:39:06.985 --> 00:39:08.695
so that you don't overextend.
 
00:39:08.775 --> 00:39:09.659
So that's one thing that I
 
00:39:09.699 --> 00:39:11.527
had to be mindful of in that practice.
 
00:39:13.313 --> 00:39:16.717
Another yoga that I love is Iyengar yoga.
 
00:39:17.056 --> 00:39:18.117
It's one of the greatest
 
00:39:18.157 --> 00:39:19.559
yogas for me as a
 
00:39:19.599 --> 00:39:20.840
disciplined person because
 
00:39:21.001 --> 00:39:22.702
I was wanting to be specific.
 
00:39:23.161 --> 00:39:24.483
It's precision focused.
 
00:39:24.523 --> 00:39:25.945
It's a style that emphasizes
 
00:39:25.985 --> 00:39:27.565
the alignment and the posture.
 
00:39:27.967 --> 00:39:29.288
It does use props like
 
00:39:29.307 --> 00:39:30.588
blocks and straps and even
 
00:39:30.628 --> 00:39:31.829
chairs to assist you in
 
00:39:31.849 --> 00:39:32.751
holding the poses.
 
00:39:33.351 --> 00:39:35.273
And people begin to practice
 
00:39:35.373 --> 00:39:37.394
Iyengar to build their
 
00:39:37.434 --> 00:39:38.675
strength and their balance
 
00:39:39.175 --> 00:39:41.516
and a detailed sense of body awareness.
 
00:39:41.896 --> 00:39:42.717
So at that time,
 
00:39:42.876 --> 00:39:44.097
I was still in my route to
 
00:39:44.137 --> 00:39:45.557
go to be a chiropractor and
 
00:39:45.657 --> 00:39:46.918
I wanted the alignment.
 
00:39:46.998 --> 00:39:48.358
I wanted the postural alignment.
 
00:39:48.398 --> 00:39:49.878
I wanted to be in a
 
00:39:50.338 --> 00:39:52.199
physically pristine or
 
00:39:52.260 --> 00:39:55.181
precise alignment with each of my poses.
 
00:39:55.681 --> 00:39:56.661
So I took one of these
 
00:39:56.702 --> 00:39:58.003
classes in college too.
 
00:39:58.083 --> 00:39:59.543
And I remember the students were like,
 
00:39:59.623 --> 00:40:00.103
oh my gosh,
 
00:40:00.644 --> 00:40:02.405
they were really not happy
 
00:40:02.425 --> 00:40:03.306
with the instructor because
 
00:40:03.327 --> 00:40:04.947
they felt like she was too precise.
 
00:40:04.967 --> 00:40:06.088
This is too stressful.
 
00:40:06.608 --> 00:40:08.170
And for someone who's never done yoga,
 
00:40:08.510 --> 00:40:10.452
and that's their first experience of yoga,
 
00:40:10.472 --> 00:40:10.512
it
 
00:40:11.112 --> 00:40:12.211
They may never try it again
 
00:40:12.231 --> 00:40:13.452
because it's very strict
 
00:40:13.612 --> 00:40:14.632
and more rigid because
 
00:40:14.652 --> 00:40:15.614
they're wanting you to be
 
00:40:15.773 --> 00:40:17.134
proper in the alignment.
 
00:40:17.534 --> 00:40:18.514
And this is really helpful
 
00:40:18.554 --> 00:40:20.094
if you had alignment issues
 
00:40:20.155 --> 00:40:21.576
or structural issues to get
 
00:40:21.596 --> 00:40:22.835
you back in alignment to
 
00:40:22.876 --> 00:40:23.916
make sure you're doing your
 
00:40:23.956 --> 00:40:25.556
downward dogs perfectly.
 
00:40:25.936 --> 00:40:27.818
You're tilting your pelvis the right way.
 
00:40:28.077 --> 00:40:28.677
You're making sure you're
 
00:40:28.697 --> 00:40:30.059
not overextending your joints.
 
00:40:30.338 --> 00:40:31.978
And for me, being hyperbendy,
 
00:40:32.099 --> 00:40:33.219
this was really helpful for me.
 
00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:35.181
But if someone like yourself,
 
00:40:35.242 --> 00:40:36.844
if you don't like that really strict,
 
00:40:36.885 --> 00:40:38.407
rigid type of practice,
 
00:40:38.907 --> 00:40:40.210
Iyengar may not be for you.
 
00:40:40.530 --> 00:40:42.092
But that's one of my favorite practices.
 
00:40:43.161 --> 00:40:43.882
the other one you might have
 
00:40:43.902 --> 00:40:45.983
heard of is chair yoga so
 
00:40:46.003 --> 00:40:46.862
this is a yoga that's
 
00:40:46.902 --> 00:40:48.643
really good to do on a
 
00:40:48.684 --> 00:40:49.985
chair it's good for anyone
 
00:40:50.005 --> 00:40:51.606
that has issues maybe with
 
00:40:52.166 --> 00:40:53.907
mobility or they're elderly
 
00:40:54.027 --> 00:40:54.527
or if they're just
 
00:40:54.547 --> 00:40:56.329
beginners and my mom loves
 
00:40:56.369 --> 00:40:57.849
chair yoga she swears by it
 
00:40:58.449 --> 00:40:59.990
I can also use chair yoga
 
00:41:00.010 --> 00:41:00.771
in my practice for
 
00:41:00.811 --> 00:41:02.913
kundalini yoga but I find
 
00:41:02.952 --> 00:41:04.114
it something that's really gentle
 
00:41:04.494 --> 00:41:05.114
and supportive.
 
00:41:05.173 --> 00:41:06.474
And if you learn chair yoga,
 
00:41:06.954 --> 00:41:07.855
even if you're not someone
 
00:41:07.875 --> 00:41:09.596
that has mobility issues or
 
00:41:09.715 --> 00:41:10.836
accessible issues with
 
00:41:10.876 --> 00:41:11.896
getting down the floor,
 
00:41:12.436 --> 00:41:13.538
you can use chair yoga
 
00:41:13.577 --> 00:41:14.757
practices to support
 
00:41:14.777 --> 00:41:17.699
yourself in maybe midday,
 
00:41:18.099 --> 00:41:19.639
take a lunch break and at your desk,
 
00:41:19.679 --> 00:41:21.021
do some chair yoga to get
 
00:41:21.081 --> 00:41:22.101
some of that movement in
 
00:41:22.121 --> 00:41:23.402
your body and help yourself
 
00:41:23.422 --> 00:41:24.101
with stiffness.
 
00:41:24.422 --> 00:41:26.302
So that's one of my favorite yogas.
 
00:41:27.163 --> 00:41:28.385
So my favorite yoga in
 
00:41:28.445 --> 00:41:30.027
general is Kundalini yoga.
 
00:41:30.606 --> 00:41:31.768
This is a practice that
 
00:41:31.789 --> 00:41:34.152
incorporates breathwork, mudra,
 
00:41:34.231 --> 00:41:35.373
which are hand positions
 
00:41:35.393 --> 00:41:36.675
and positions the body is
 
00:41:36.715 --> 00:41:37.976
connecting to itself,
 
00:41:38.697 --> 00:41:40.980
and working with the mantras,
 
00:41:41.019 --> 00:41:42.181
which is chanting.
 
00:41:42.882 --> 00:41:44.902
And I found that when I
 
00:41:45.043 --> 00:41:46.023
discovered Kundalini and
 
00:41:46.043 --> 00:41:47.063
took my first class,
 
00:41:47.862 --> 00:41:49.043
it was something that I
 
00:41:49.103 --> 00:41:50.623
felt invigorated afterwards.
 
00:41:51.063 --> 00:41:52.443
I felt a sense of expansion
 
00:41:52.463 --> 00:41:54.045
in my nervous system and my energy.
 
00:41:54.605 --> 00:41:56.284
And for someone who's very energy-based,
 
00:41:56.364 --> 00:41:58.385
being an energy-sensitive person,
 
00:41:58.425 --> 00:41:59.065
being a medium,
 
00:41:59.746 --> 00:42:01.166
finding this clarity in
 
00:42:01.347 --> 00:42:03.887
feeling my aura get bigger, get clearer.
 
00:42:04.067 --> 00:42:05.668
And for me, that's a really big deal.
 
00:42:06.568 --> 00:42:08.429
I noticed that I was clearer
 
00:42:08.469 --> 00:42:10.371
mentally I had flexibility
 
00:42:10.411 --> 00:42:11.913
still but because the
 
00:42:11.972 --> 00:42:14.355
practice involves sets of
 
00:42:14.416 --> 00:42:15.637
postures or movements that
 
00:42:15.657 --> 00:42:17.898
are repetitive so instead
 
00:42:17.918 --> 00:42:19.519
of me having to figure out
 
00:42:19.599 --> 00:42:21.001
in this vinyasa flow where
 
00:42:21.021 --> 00:42:22.903
are we going next and having to keep up
 
00:42:23.503 --> 00:42:25.746
When you learn a Kundalini yoga posture,
 
00:42:26.146 --> 00:42:27.849
you're going to be doing the same posture,
 
00:42:27.909 --> 00:42:29.271
the same repetitive movement,
 
00:42:29.811 --> 00:42:31.653
activating muscles, releasing them,
 
00:42:31.893 --> 00:42:32.375
activating,
 
00:42:32.534 --> 00:42:35.097
releasing over and over again for three,
 
00:42:35.157 --> 00:42:37.019
six, nine, or eleven minutes or more,
 
00:42:37.320 --> 00:42:38.242
depending on how
 
00:42:38.922 --> 00:42:40.623
how developed you are in your practice.
 
00:42:41.083 --> 00:42:42.445
And I love that because most
 
00:42:42.485 --> 00:42:43.806
of Kundalini yoga is not
 
00:42:43.867 --> 00:42:45.748
only repetitive movements,
 
00:42:46.389 --> 00:42:48.490
but it's done with the eyes closed down.
 
00:42:49.152 --> 00:42:50.873
This really starts to bring
 
00:42:51.193 --> 00:42:52.655
a lot more awareness to the body.
 
00:42:52.815 --> 00:42:53.335
And for me,
 
00:42:53.576 --> 00:42:54.737
embodiment practices have
 
00:42:54.797 --> 00:42:55.737
changed my life.
 
00:42:56.257 --> 00:42:57.518
So incorporating the
 
00:42:57.659 --> 00:42:59.681
repetitive movement with the breath work,
 
00:43:00.659 --> 00:43:02.300
and working with engaging
 
00:43:02.340 --> 00:43:03.900
the spine because thinking
 
00:43:03.920 --> 00:43:06.342
about it the spine is what
 
00:43:06.382 --> 00:43:08.483
encases our spinal cord
 
00:43:08.742 --> 00:43:09.583
which is our central
 
00:43:09.643 --> 00:43:11.403
nervous system and our
 
00:43:11.443 --> 00:43:12.324
central nervous system is
 
00:43:12.445 --> 00:43:14.385
so tied to our stress
 
00:43:14.425 --> 00:43:16.606
response our muscles it
 
00:43:16.646 --> 00:43:18.027
really runs the whole show
 
00:43:18.106 --> 00:43:18.827
it's the connection from
 
00:43:18.867 --> 00:43:19.807
the brain to the rest of
 
00:43:19.827 --> 00:43:21.168
the body so if we're
 
00:43:21.307 --> 00:43:21.849
activating and
 
00:43:21.909 --> 00:43:23.248
strengthening the spine and
 
00:43:23.309 --> 00:43:24.869
all the areas along the spine
 
00:43:25.369 --> 00:43:26.731
we're working with enhancing
 
00:43:26.791 --> 00:43:28.172
that nervous system flow
 
00:43:28.653 --> 00:43:30.416
and in kundalini practice
 
00:43:30.615 --> 00:43:31.737
we do work with the chakra
 
00:43:31.777 --> 00:43:32.998
system or the subtle energy
 
00:43:33.059 --> 00:43:34.219
body we work with
 
00:43:34.239 --> 00:43:35.581
visualization and breath
 
00:43:35.621 --> 00:43:36.762
work to activate those
 
00:43:36.822 --> 00:43:38.766
spaces within the body and
 
00:43:38.786 --> 00:43:39.646
within the nervous system
 
00:43:39.666 --> 00:43:40.347
and energy field
 
00:43:40.967 --> 00:43:42.369
And I love that because for
 
00:43:42.429 --> 00:43:43.411
personal development and
 
00:43:43.431 --> 00:43:44.472
for spiritual development,
 
00:43:44.931 --> 00:43:46.733
if we're able to calm down
 
00:43:46.773 --> 00:43:49.056
the mind through repetitive practices,
 
00:43:49.117 --> 00:43:49.797
through breath work,
 
00:43:49.836 --> 00:43:51.599
through discharging stress from the body,
 
00:43:52.260 --> 00:43:53.201
we can start to get in
 
00:43:53.240 --> 00:43:54.882
touch with a sense of the self,
 
00:43:55.282 --> 00:43:56.483
a sense of self beyond,
 
00:43:57.204 --> 00:43:57.304
oh,
 
00:43:57.545 --> 00:44:00.387
I am a mother or I work here or this is
 
00:44:00.407 --> 00:44:01.989
what my financial situation is,
 
00:44:02.088 --> 00:44:03.871
all these stories we tell ourselves.
 
00:44:04.451 --> 00:44:05.771
And through Kundalini,
 
00:44:05.831 --> 00:44:07.653
it's been so powerful in
 
00:44:07.733 --> 00:44:09.755
learning to downregulate my
 
00:44:09.815 --> 00:44:11.177
system and using breath
 
00:44:11.217 --> 00:44:12.797
practices such as the breath of fire,
 
00:44:12.818 --> 00:44:14.659
which is a practice in many yogas,
 
00:44:14.679 --> 00:44:15.740
but also in Kundalini,
 
00:44:16.280 --> 00:44:17.581
I can bring myself up
 
00:44:17.641 --> 00:44:19.063
online if I'm feeling tired
 
00:44:19.083 --> 00:44:20.684
or if I need to get back
 
00:44:20.824 --> 00:44:23.067
into a space of activity or mental focus.
 
00:44:24.005 --> 00:44:24.826
The other thing I find
 
00:44:24.865 --> 00:44:25.846
really powerful about
 
00:44:25.927 --> 00:44:28.027
breath of fire practice is
 
00:44:28.268 --> 00:44:29.268
it is a specific breath
 
00:44:29.309 --> 00:44:30.289
work that you're working
 
00:44:30.329 --> 00:44:31.251
with strengthening the
 
00:44:31.311 --> 00:44:33.413
diaphragm or diaphragmatic breathing.
 
00:44:34.092 --> 00:44:35.353
Most of us don't know that
 
00:44:35.454 --> 00:44:37.155
when we are shallowly breathing,
 
00:44:37.195 --> 00:44:38.777
so through the upper chest only,
 
00:44:39.317 --> 00:44:40.458
that is triggering to the
 
00:44:40.498 --> 00:44:41.798
nervous system that we are
 
00:44:41.838 --> 00:44:42.519
in fight or flight.
 
00:44:42.699 --> 00:44:44.842
We shallowly breathe when we're stressed.
 
00:44:45.222 --> 00:44:46.063
That's why if something
 
00:44:46.103 --> 00:44:47.322
happens that surprises us,
 
00:44:47.483 --> 00:44:49.704
we take a deep breath in and we gasp, go,
 
00:44:50.164 --> 00:44:50.364
you know,
 
00:44:50.545 --> 00:44:52.465
that gasping is that short breath.
 
00:44:52.585 --> 00:44:53.166
It's short.
 
00:44:53.746 --> 00:44:55.148
And through deepening the breath,
 
00:44:55.208 --> 00:44:56.188
when we're relaxed
 
00:44:56.409 --> 00:44:57.750
naturally through the belly,
 
00:44:58.110 --> 00:44:59.030
we're telling our nervous
 
00:44:59.070 --> 00:45:01.452
system almost like a hack to calm down.
 
00:45:01.972 --> 00:45:02.972
And so through practicing
 
00:45:03.012 --> 00:45:04.373
Breath of Fire and many of
 
00:45:04.393 --> 00:45:05.155
the other breath work
 
00:45:05.474 --> 00:45:06.615
included in Kundalini,
 
00:45:07.056 --> 00:45:08.998
we are then activating the
 
00:45:09.038 --> 00:45:10.458
parasympathetic nervous system,
 
00:45:10.498 --> 00:45:11.760
getting ourselves in this
 
00:45:11.820 --> 00:45:12.920
rest and digest state.
 
00:45:13.302 --> 00:45:14.322
And if you can learn this
 
00:45:14.362 --> 00:45:15.242
and practice this,
 
00:45:15.664 --> 00:45:17.224
you can start to see when
 
00:45:17.244 --> 00:45:19.567
you start to get stressed, activated,
 
00:45:19.927 --> 00:45:20.927
and learn to use these
 
00:45:20.967 --> 00:45:22.128
practices so that you can
 
00:45:22.148 --> 00:45:24.371
be a better partner, a better mother,
 
00:45:24.411 --> 00:45:25.112
a better parent.
 
00:45:25.692 --> 00:45:27.813
and actually not get keyed
 
00:45:27.873 --> 00:45:30.175
up and maybe either fight, flight,
 
00:45:30.215 --> 00:45:30.876
fawn or freeze,
 
00:45:30.896 --> 00:45:32.157
whatever you do that can
 
00:45:32.197 --> 00:45:33.418
create relationship issues
 
00:45:33.498 --> 00:45:35.121
or even we can sabotage ourselves.
 
00:45:36.061 --> 00:45:38.682
So I really enjoy that about Kundalini.
 
00:45:39.663 --> 00:45:40.784
I feel like also what
 
00:45:40.804 --> 00:45:42.625
happened for me in Kundalini practices,
 
00:45:42.664 --> 00:45:44.467
there's been a practice for everything.
 
00:45:44.967 --> 00:45:46.987
So there's a practice for releasing grief,
 
00:45:47.288 --> 00:45:49.309
for anger, for detoxing the organs.
 
00:45:49.510 --> 00:45:51.050
And specifically because of
 
00:45:51.110 --> 00:45:52.911
my training in Chinese
 
00:45:52.952 --> 00:45:54.012
medicine and working with
 
00:45:54.032 --> 00:45:55.032
the meridian system,
 
00:45:55.474 --> 00:45:56.675
the meridians are the
 
00:45:56.735 --> 00:45:57.855
energy channels that flow
 
00:45:57.894 --> 00:45:58.436
through the body,
 
00:45:58.496 --> 00:46:00.056
that flow through our connective tissue,
 
00:46:00.077 --> 00:46:01.077
through our muscle tissue.
 
00:46:01.498 --> 00:46:02.438
And it's an extension of the
 
00:46:02.478 --> 00:46:03.079
nervous system.
 
00:46:03.639 --> 00:46:04.579
So what I'd like to do in my
 
00:46:04.619 --> 00:46:05.940
practice for Kundalini is
 
00:46:06.000 --> 00:46:07.681
talk about what are we doing?
 
00:46:07.721 --> 00:46:08.981
What movement are we doing?
 
00:46:09.041 --> 00:46:10.123
We're activating and
 
00:46:10.163 --> 00:46:11.623
releasing this area that's
 
00:46:11.664 --> 00:46:12.903
stimulating and clearing
 
00:46:13.005 --> 00:46:14.224
out these meridian channels.
 
00:46:14.766 --> 00:46:15.686
Similar to if you're getting
 
00:46:15.746 --> 00:46:16.445
Reiki or if an
 
00:46:16.547 --> 00:46:18.166
acupuncturist is working
 
00:46:18.206 --> 00:46:19.568
with an energy channel that
 
00:46:19.608 --> 00:46:21.469
may be overactive or underactive,
 
00:46:21.889 --> 00:46:22.650
that's what they're doing.
 
00:46:22.789 --> 00:46:23.150
Like I say,
 
00:46:23.230 --> 00:46:24.331
acupuncturists and energy
 
00:46:24.351 --> 00:46:24.971
workers are like the
 
00:46:25.010 --> 00:46:25.972
electricians of the body.
 
00:46:26.293 --> 00:46:27.773
Massage therapists work with the muscles,
 
00:46:28.034 --> 00:46:29.315
chiropractors work with the spine.
 
00:46:29.675 --> 00:46:31.235
So you can actually work
 
00:46:31.255 --> 00:46:33.755
with the meridian channels with the prana,
 
00:46:33.876 --> 00:46:34.715
we call it in yoga,
 
00:46:34.876 --> 00:46:36.637
the chi is in Eastern traditions,
 
00:46:36.657 --> 00:46:39.137
and we have different words for it,
 
00:46:39.896 --> 00:46:41.958
but we can work with clearing that.
 
00:46:42.418 --> 00:46:43.557
And that's really powerful
 
00:46:43.597 --> 00:46:44.398
when it comes to
 
00:46:44.478 --> 00:46:46.699
discharging stress and even
 
00:46:47.099 --> 00:46:47.719
getting rid of and
 
00:46:48.099 --> 00:46:49.480
releasing emotions like grief.
 
00:46:50.059 --> 00:46:52.663
sadness anger any of that
 
00:46:52.702 --> 00:46:54.304
stuff and anxiety these are
 
00:46:54.364 --> 00:46:55.684
really powerful practices
 
00:46:55.704 --> 00:46:57.487
to support that but that
 
00:46:57.507 --> 00:46:58.268
spiritual practice of
 
00:46:58.307 --> 00:46:59.409
kundalini I think is the
 
00:46:59.449 --> 00:47:01.471
thing that really really
 
00:47:01.510 --> 00:47:03.913
supports my journey and I
 
00:47:03.992 --> 00:47:05.193
love that we incorporate
 
00:47:05.213 --> 00:47:06.735
chanting because if you're
 
00:47:06.755 --> 00:47:07.896
someone that can't meditate
 
00:47:07.976 --> 00:47:09.237
you have a really loud
 
00:47:09.297 --> 00:47:11.059
inner dialogue chanting
 
00:47:11.500 --> 00:47:12.983
saying phrases over and over
 
00:47:13.003 --> 00:47:15.706
again out loud, focusing on your voice,
 
00:47:16.067 --> 00:47:17.469
on the sound of expression
 
00:47:17.648 --> 00:47:18.630
instead of that internal
 
00:47:18.670 --> 00:47:20.393
monologue can distract you
 
00:47:20.472 --> 00:47:21.795
from that inner monologue
 
00:47:22.155 --> 00:47:23.998
and you can become more present.
 
00:47:24.038 --> 00:47:25.159
It can help clear the mind.
 
00:47:25.681 --> 00:47:27.222
And also if you're someone that has had
 
00:47:27.603 --> 00:47:29.204
experiences in being shut
 
00:47:29.244 --> 00:47:30.764
down in your own expression
 
00:47:31.164 --> 00:47:32.726
vocalizing or even maybe
 
00:47:32.766 --> 00:47:34.347
some self-criticism about
 
00:47:34.387 --> 00:47:35.407
your voice what it sounds
 
00:47:35.447 --> 00:47:36.827
like it's a beautiful
 
00:47:36.887 --> 00:47:38.349
practice to just go into
 
00:47:38.389 --> 00:47:39.028
that if you feel
 
00:47:39.068 --> 00:47:40.510
comfortable and just listen
 
00:47:40.530 --> 00:47:41.670
to the sound of your voice
 
00:47:42.170 --> 00:47:43.791
allow it to carry you into
 
00:47:43.811 --> 00:47:45.572
a nice gentle altered
 
00:47:45.612 --> 00:47:46.492
relaxed state of
 
00:47:46.552 --> 00:47:48.173
consciousness and it's in
 
00:47:48.213 --> 00:47:49.094
these relaxed states of
 
00:47:49.155 --> 00:47:51.396
consciousness that we allow
 
00:47:51.516 --> 00:47:52.577
the lower brain
 
00:47:53.297 --> 00:47:54.398
the reptilian brain,
 
00:47:54.737 --> 00:47:55.418
the fight or flight
 
00:47:55.458 --> 00:47:57.739
response of the brain to downregulate,
 
00:47:57.898 --> 00:47:58.699
to calm down.
 
00:47:59.159 --> 00:48:00.840
And then the higher levels of the brain,
 
00:48:01.081 --> 00:48:01.961
the neocortex,
 
00:48:02.021 --> 00:48:03.822
so it's the newer brain in our mammal.
 
00:48:04.063 --> 00:48:05.202
It's a newer brain that's up
 
00:48:05.242 --> 00:48:06.704
there and developed since
 
00:48:06.724 --> 00:48:07.804
we've evolved as humans.
 
00:48:08.405 --> 00:48:10.206
We are able to then connect with that.
 
00:48:10.606 --> 00:48:11.706
this is where creativity
 
00:48:11.746 --> 00:48:12.748
comes in this is where
 
00:48:12.788 --> 00:48:15.610
innovation intuition wisdom
 
00:48:15.650 --> 00:48:16.550
this connection to
 
00:48:16.690 --> 00:48:17.550
something that's beyond
 
00:48:17.592 --> 00:48:19.052
ourself we can't have
 
00:48:19.092 --> 00:48:20.032
spiritual experiences
 
00:48:20.052 --> 00:48:20.974
without activating or
 
00:48:21.014 --> 00:48:22.434
connecting with that and so
 
00:48:22.474 --> 00:48:24.436
the practices of breath
 
00:48:24.476 --> 00:48:26.577
work movement and asanas
 
00:48:26.958 --> 00:48:29.221
and even mudra can really help with that
 
00:48:29.960 --> 00:48:30.782
And I specifically talk
 
00:48:30.822 --> 00:48:32.163
about mudras in the
 
00:48:32.222 --> 00:48:34.485
practice related to some of
 
00:48:34.505 --> 00:48:35.565
the acupressure points.
 
00:48:35.846 --> 00:48:36.346
Because when you're
 
00:48:36.365 --> 00:48:38.327
stimulating different parts of the body,
 
00:48:38.387 --> 00:48:39.608
so say, for example,
 
00:48:39.628 --> 00:48:40.628
you're putting the thumb
 
00:48:40.648 --> 00:48:41.949
and the index finger together.
 
00:48:42.490 --> 00:48:43.851
Through kundalini practice,
 
00:48:43.891 --> 00:48:45.733
we're working on raising the kundalini,
 
00:48:45.773 --> 00:48:46.693
which is said to be the
 
00:48:46.773 --> 00:48:47.795
life force energy.
 
00:48:47.914 --> 00:48:49.275
This is their nervous system energy,
 
00:48:49.315 --> 00:48:50.737
if you don't like that word life force.
 
00:48:51.117 --> 00:48:53.378
We're extending it and expanding it.
 
00:48:53.778 --> 00:48:54.519
Through the repetitive
 
00:48:54.579 --> 00:48:55.740
movement and breath work,
 
00:48:56.021 --> 00:48:56.882
what's fascinating is
 
00:48:56.902 --> 00:48:58.282
people will start to feel a
 
00:48:58.362 --> 00:48:59.224
subtle vibration.
 
00:48:59.943 --> 00:49:01.405
heat, pulsing,
 
00:49:01.445 --> 00:49:02.945
maybe a magnetic sensation
 
00:49:03.266 --> 00:49:04.525
between their fingertips
 
00:49:04.927 --> 00:49:05.487
when they're touching
 
00:49:05.527 --> 00:49:06.606
different parts of the body.
 
00:49:06.947 --> 00:49:07.847
And so they're really
 
00:49:07.887 --> 00:49:09.268
starting to activate and
 
00:49:09.389 --> 00:49:11.590
sense something beyond the physical form.
 
00:49:11.809 --> 00:49:13.030
It's really our extension of
 
00:49:13.070 --> 00:49:13.971
our nervous system.
 
00:49:14.451 --> 00:49:15.472
And this is what I do in our
 
00:49:15.512 --> 00:49:17.552
practice for Kundalini is
 
00:49:17.833 --> 00:49:19.014
bring that awareness to
 
00:49:19.034 --> 00:49:19.934
that part of the self,
 
00:49:19.954 --> 00:49:21.034
because that's an extension
 
00:49:21.054 --> 00:49:21.835
of the intuition.
 
00:49:22.255 --> 00:49:22.936
It's that sense of
 
00:49:23.635 --> 00:49:25.876
scanning a room with your nervous system,
 
00:49:25.976 --> 00:49:27.117
maybe with your five senses,
 
00:49:27.157 --> 00:49:28.039
but being able to close
 
00:49:28.059 --> 00:49:29.619
your eyes and sense the
 
00:49:29.719 --> 00:49:31.079
subtle shifts in the room,
 
00:49:31.681 --> 00:49:32.780
the emotions in the room.
 
00:49:33.222 --> 00:49:34.702
And that you can really then
 
00:49:34.762 --> 00:49:36.784
come into a practice, an environment,
 
00:49:36.804 --> 00:49:37.643
a relationship,
 
00:49:38.204 --> 00:49:40.505
more self-aware and more aware of other.
 
00:49:40.945 --> 00:49:41.947
And when you're more aware of other,
 
00:49:41.967 --> 00:49:42.947
you're able to show up in a
 
00:49:42.987 --> 00:49:44.248
deeper place of compassion
 
00:49:44.648 --> 00:49:47.550
Empathy, love, patience, all of that.
 
00:49:47.891 --> 00:49:48.632
And I think it's through
 
00:49:48.652 --> 00:49:50.052
this expansion of the inner
 
00:49:50.092 --> 00:49:51.835
awareness that extends the
 
00:49:52.014 --> 00:49:53.175
outer awareness that we can
 
00:49:53.235 --> 00:49:54.878
then move towards that
 
00:49:54.938 --> 00:49:56.559
sense of samadhi or enlightenment,
 
00:49:56.659 --> 00:49:57.780
whatever you'd like to call it.
 
00:49:58.570 --> 00:49:59.951
So what I do at the practice,
 
00:50:00.311 --> 00:50:01.692
especially being trauma informed,
 
00:50:02.052 --> 00:50:03.833
is every beginning and end of practice,
 
00:50:04.092 --> 00:50:05.134
we scan the body.
 
00:50:05.353 --> 00:50:06.673
I do a felt sense scan.
 
00:50:06.954 --> 00:50:08.175
How are we feeling physically?
 
00:50:08.775 --> 00:50:10.076
Notice anywhere in the body
 
00:50:10.175 --> 00:50:11.277
where you might be feeling tight,
 
00:50:11.697 --> 00:50:12.297
congested.
 
00:50:12.677 --> 00:50:13.617
Maybe you're feeling good.
 
00:50:14.018 --> 00:50:15.478
And we observe this all with
 
00:50:15.559 --> 00:50:16.860
non-judgment of ourselves.
 
00:50:17.519 --> 00:50:18.981
We label on a scale of one
 
00:50:19.001 --> 00:50:20.981
to ten where we're feeling congestion,
 
00:50:21.322 --> 00:50:22.402
where we're feeling something,
 
00:50:22.842 --> 00:50:24.143
and just notice it so that
 
00:50:24.164 --> 00:50:25.043
at the end of the practice,
 
00:50:25.063 --> 00:50:26.224
we can see if it changes.
 
00:50:27.099 --> 00:50:27.338
Again,
 
00:50:27.378 --> 00:50:28.860
this brings a greater sense of
 
00:50:28.920 --> 00:50:30.559
self-awareness and embodiment.
 
00:50:31.179 --> 00:50:32.201
The next thing is we'll scan
 
00:50:32.240 --> 00:50:33.041
the mental body.
 
00:50:33.121 --> 00:50:34.760
So this is when your mental
 
00:50:34.780 --> 00:50:36.762
body is like this sense of your thoughts,
 
00:50:37.081 --> 00:50:38.782
clarity, mental fogginess.
 
00:50:39.163 --> 00:50:40.222
If your brain's racing,
 
00:50:40.503 --> 00:50:41.824
just noticing that we look
 
00:50:41.844 --> 00:50:43.963
at that and we scan the emotional body.
 
00:50:44.324 --> 00:50:45.625
Are we feeling anything and
 
00:50:45.664 --> 00:50:47.264
sensing it in an area of the body?
 
00:50:47.505 --> 00:50:50.025
If we had to locate it, is it in our knee?
 
00:50:50.206 --> 00:50:51.867
Whatever it is, we give it a label.
 
00:50:52.266 --> 00:50:53.467
We scale it on intensity
 
00:50:53.507 --> 00:50:55.347
level one to ten and just notice.
 
00:50:55.927 --> 00:50:56.949
And then the final area,
 
00:50:57.048 --> 00:50:58.230
because Kundalini is there
 
00:50:58.269 --> 00:51:00.811
to activate that natural life force,
 
00:51:00.851 --> 00:51:01.351
the prana,
 
00:51:01.371 --> 00:51:02.793
the Kundalini from the base of
 
00:51:02.813 --> 00:51:03.753
the spine up,
 
00:51:04.114 --> 00:51:05.835
we're working with awareness
 
00:51:05.996 --> 00:51:07.536
of the subtle energy field.
 
00:51:07.717 --> 00:51:08.818
You could call it the aura,
 
00:51:09.159 --> 00:51:09.798
but I say it's the
 
00:51:09.838 --> 00:51:11.139
extension of the nervous system.
 
00:51:11.681 --> 00:51:12.902
It's that part of the self
 
00:51:12.922 --> 00:51:13.802
that if you're in a room
 
00:51:13.882 --> 00:51:15.463
and someone's staring a hole in your back,
 
00:51:15.724 --> 00:51:16.364
you sense it.
 
00:51:16.463 --> 00:51:17.925
You know that someone's looking at you.
 
00:51:18.306 --> 00:51:20.427
That phenomenon is this
 
00:51:20.608 --> 00:51:22.028
reality that we have
 
00:51:22.449 --> 00:51:23.951
a sense that's beyond just
 
00:51:24.010 --> 00:51:24.851
physical touching,
 
00:51:24.891 --> 00:51:26.193
physical objects and things
 
00:51:26.474 --> 00:51:27.916
that we can scan this environment.
 
00:51:28.235 --> 00:51:29.056
And if we're able to be
 
00:51:29.097 --> 00:51:30.518
aware of our own energy,
 
00:51:30.559 --> 00:51:31.699
our own auric field,
 
00:51:32.159 --> 00:51:33.041
and this is through all
 
00:51:33.061 --> 00:51:34.143
different practices of yoga,
 
00:51:34.182 --> 00:51:35.143
not just Kundalini,
 
00:51:35.443 --> 00:51:36.706
but that extension
 
00:51:36.806 --> 00:51:38.327
specifically through Kundalini practice,
 
00:51:38.367 --> 00:51:39.728
we're bringing awareness of it
 
00:51:40.469 --> 00:51:41.471
we can then become aware of
 
00:51:41.490 --> 00:51:42.652
when we're out of balance.
 
00:51:43.273 --> 00:51:44.173
Maybe where we're feeling
 
00:51:44.213 --> 00:51:45.916
heaviness or a sense of
 
00:51:45.956 --> 00:51:47.838
congestion or even lightness.
 
00:51:47.858 --> 00:51:49.960
So we can notice what types of things,
 
00:51:50.340 --> 00:51:51.481
food, people,
 
00:51:51.742 --> 00:51:53.344
practices in our lives make
 
00:51:53.384 --> 00:51:55.266
our aura heavier, make it lighter,
 
00:51:55.306 --> 00:51:56.005
make it brighter.
 
00:51:56.407 --> 00:51:57.987
Because I found that as a...
 
00:51:58.748 --> 00:52:00.230
is a clairvoyant seeing
 
00:52:00.269 --> 00:52:02.271
people who practice kundalini yoga,
 
00:52:02.791 --> 00:52:03.931
not just kundalini yoga,
 
00:52:03.952 --> 00:52:04.572
there's many different
 
00:52:04.612 --> 00:52:05.512
practices that do this,
 
00:52:05.893 --> 00:52:07.153
but people who do practices
 
00:52:07.213 --> 00:52:09.235
like this to strengthen their auric field,
 
00:52:09.536 --> 00:52:10.436
their subtle body,
 
00:52:10.737 --> 00:52:12.777
get their balance in their energy systems,
 
00:52:13.137 --> 00:52:15.099
they're more vibrant, they're healthier,
 
00:52:15.159 --> 00:52:16.139
their immune systems are
 
00:52:16.679 --> 00:52:17.621
much more regulated.
 
00:52:18.121 --> 00:52:19.922
and they're actually able to
 
00:52:20.001 --> 00:52:21.202
be more in tune with their
 
00:52:21.262 --> 00:52:22.844
life purpose sense of
 
00:52:22.963 --> 00:52:24.744
meaning this intuition
 
00:52:24.804 --> 00:52:26.485
being guided and this is
 
00:52:26.505 --> 00:52:27.927
what I am passionate about
 
00:52:27.967 --> 00:52:29.188
of course you know you can
 
00:52:29.228 --> 00:52:30.268
still do kundalini yoga
 
00:52:30.329 --> 00:52:31.949
just for exercise but I
 
00:52:31.989 --> 00:52:33.110
really love the extension
 
00:52:33.190 --> 00:52:34.510
of this into the spiritual
 
00:52:34.612 --> 00:52:35.731
aspect and nature of who we
 
00:52:35.791 --> 00:52:36.693
are because we're really
 
00:52:36.733 --> 00:52:38.014
not just one thing we are
 
00:52:38.233 --> 00:52:40.135
mind body and spirit we are
 
00:52:40.195 --> 00:52:41.876
physical beings having a
 
00:52:41.936 --> 00:52:42.956
spiritual experience
 
00:52:43.961 --> 00:52:44.963
So the one other thing I
 
00:52:44.983 --> 00:52:46.764
would say that I love about
 
00:52:46.804 --> 00:52:48.864
the practice is when we are
 
00:52:48.905 --> 00:52:50.206
doing mudra and different
 
00:52:50.246 --> 00:52:51.527
types of positions that are
 
00:52:51.626 --> 00:52:52.487
putting pressure on
 
00:52:52.527 --> 00:52:54.467
different pressure points, like I said,
 
00:52:54.487 --> 00:52:55.568
we're able to clear some of
 
00:52:55.588 --> 00:52:56.929
this energy channel stuff.
 
00:52:57.349 --> 00:52:58.210
And when that happens,
 
00:52:58.231 --> 00:52:59.150
this is when we have these
 
00:52:59.170 --> 00:53:00.152
emotional releases.
 
00:53:00.672 --> 00:53:02.092
I just did a grief practice
 
00:53:02.112 --> 00:53:03.333
because I had some loss in
 
00:53:03.353 --> 00:53:04.233
my life recently.
 
00:53:04.634 --> 00:53:06.635
And I did the Kundalini grief practice.
 
00:53:06.655 --> 00:53:07.916
There's protocols for that.
 
00:53:08.436 --> 00:53:09.137
And it was something I
 
00:53:09.157 --> 00:53:10.898
didn't have much expectations for.
 
00:53:11.318 --> 00:53:13.460
But during the practice, I was...
 
00:53:14.099 --> 00:53:15.802
feeling this emotion rise up
 
00:53:16.083 --> 00:53:17.284
and I started to just have
 
00:53:17.324 --> 00:53:19.186
this beautiful cry a
 
00:53:19.226 --> 00:53:20.708
release and it was just so
 
00:53:20.748 --> 00:53:22.269
beautiful it wasn't sadness
 
00:53:22.309 --> 00:53:23.972
it wasn't necessarily
 
00:53:24.012 --> 00:53:24.672
something I thought it
 
00:53:24.693 --> 00:53:26.375
would be but it was just so
 
00:53:26.434 --> 00:53:28.557
cathartic and like clearing
 
00:53:28.597 --> 00:53:30.260
and I felt so clear afterwards
 
00:53:31.181 --> 00:53:31.760
The other time,
 
00:53:31.840 --> 00:53:32.461
I've had multiple
 
00:53:32.501 --> 00:53:33.661
experiences with emotional
 
00:53:33.681 --> 00:53:34.762
release with Kundalini,
 
00:53:35.362 --> 00:53:36.744
more so than any other practices.
 
00:53:36.804 --> 00:53:37.543
And that's just for me.
 
00:53:37.684 --> 00:53:39.405
You may have it with any type of practice.
 
00:53:39.864 --> 00:53:40.565
But I really,
 
00:53:40.804 --> 00:53:42.846
really enjoyed just
 
00:53:42.925 --> 00:53:43.887
experiencing the different
 
00:53:43.927 --> 00:53:44.847
types of releases.
 
00:53:45.467 --> 00:53:47.429
There's a yoga kriya,
 
00:53:47.449 --> 00:53:49.429
which is a set of postures in Kundalini,
 
00:53:49.469 --> 00:53:50.010
a kriya.
 
00:53:50.590 --> 00:53:52.110
I did a set of postures for
 
00:53:52.471 --> 00:53:54.452
releasing any sense of
 
00:53:54.891 --> 00:53:57.072
self-hatred and embracing self-love.
 
00:53:57.693 --> 00:54:00.177
And I could say that just that practice,
 
00:54:00.277 --> 00:54:01.358
it includes breath work,
 
00:54:01.458 --> 00:54:03.079
it includes repetitive
 
00:54:03.139 --> 00:54:04.842
movement and holds at the positions.
 
00:54:05.382 --> 00:54:06.804
And it includes visualization.
 
00:54:07.045 --> 00:54:07.304
Again,
 
00:54:07.425 --> 00:54:08.887
I said our eyes are closed down a
 
00:54:08.907 --> 00:54:10.349
lot of times with kundalini yoga.
 
00:54:10.869 --> 00:54:12.592
And it really did create
 
00:54:12.612 --> 00:54:14.173
this sense of expansion in
 
00:54:14.213 --> 00:54:15.615
my body and release.
 
00:54:16.612 --> 00:54:17.733
And again, that's why I really,
 
00:54:18.173 --> 00:54:19.233
I'm feeling called to that
 
00:54:19.313 --> 00:54:20.594
as you hear me talking
 
00:54:20.635 --> 00:54:21.894
mostly about Kundalini,
 
00:54:22.235 --> 00:54:23.936
but Kundalini practice is my favorite.
 
00:54:24.856 --> 00:54:25.737
There is so many different
 
00:54:25.757 --> 00:54:27.077
types of yoga and Kundalini
 
00:54:27.097 --> 00:54:28.577
may not be a style for you.
 
00:54:29.398 --> 00:54:31.039
I would say keep in touch
 
00:54:31.079 --> 00:54:32.199
here and stay tuned if you
 
00:54:32.239 --> 00:54:33.699
are interested in Kundalini yoga.
 
00:54:33.800 --> 00:54:34.480
Actually in the new year,
 
00:54:36.141 --> 00:54:37.601
I will be offering kundalini
 
00:54:37.621 --> 00:54:38.762
yoga online and online
 
00:54:38.802 --> 00:54:40.523
courses for that so keep in
 
00:54:40.563 --> 00:54:41.782
mind if you are interested
 
00:54:41.802 --> 00:54:43.403
in that to check out on our
 
00:54:43.463 --> 00:54:44.204
online community because
 
00:54:44.224 --> 00:54:45.244
that will be coming soon
 
00:54:45.965 --> 00:54:47.125
because I think in general
 
00:54:47.804 --> 00:54:49.266
any type of yoga that can
 
00:54:49.306 --> 00:54:50.786
help you with your own
 
00:54:50.846 --> 00:54:52.246
self-awareness with helping
 
00:54:52.306 --> 00:54:53.387
you with your chronic
 
00:54:53.427 --> 00:54:55.068
stress or heal trauma
 
00:54:55.108 --> 00:54:56.148
through that body awareness
 
00:54:56.188 --> 00:54:57.409
piece and learning how to
 
00:54:57.489 --> 00:54:58.509
manage your emotions
 
00:54:59.048 --> 00:55:01.670
It's just really priceless at this time.
 
00:55:02.391 --> 00:55:03.612
And I think the other factor
 
00:55:03.733 --> 00:55:05.434
is we have this
 
00:55:05.494 --> 00:55:06.916
disconnection in our society.
 
00:55:06.956 --> 00:55:08.536
There's the epidemic of loneliness.
 
00:55:08.916 --> 00:55:09.717
And when you come into a
 
00:55:09.797 --> 00:55:11.318
space where everyone is
 
00:55:11.378 --> 00:55:12.800
practicing a specific
 
00:55:12.860 --> 00:55:13.940
sequence of poses and
 
00:55:13.960 --> 00:55:14.601
you're connecting with
 
00:55:14.621 --> 00:55:16.182
people throughout the class,
 
00:55:16.222 --> 00:55:17.324
before or after the class,
 
00:55:17.443 --> 00:55:18.664
specifically with the same
 
00:55:19.126 --> 00:55:20.927
intention of self-development,
 
00:55:20.967 --> 00:55:21.668
self-awareness,
 
00:55:22.248 --> 00:55:23.309
first personal fitness,
 
00:55:23.648 --> 00:55:24.329
there's something really
 
00:55:24.389 --> 00:55:25.409
magical and beautiful that
 
00:55:25.469 --> 00:55:26.891
helps our nervous system
 
00:55:26.951 --> 00:55:28.331
naturally calm down when we
 
00:55:28.371 --> 00:55:28.992
have that sense of
 
00:55:29.032 --> 00:55:30.072
connection and belonging.
 
00:55:30.452 --> 00:55:31.213
And that's why I feel so
 
00:55:31.273 --> 00:55:32.153
passionate about trauma
 
00:55:32.193 --> 00:55:33.235
informed yoga and trauma
 
00:55:33.255 --> 00:55:34.614
informed care is because
 
00:55:34.815 --> 00:55:36.096
it's facilitators are
 
00:55:36.115 --> 00:55:37.197
setting up environments
 
00:55:37.217 --> 00:55:39.858
where we can feel safe, we can feel safer,
 
00:55:39.918 --> 00:55:42.300
at least and feel a sense of belonging.
 
00:55:42.500 --> 00:55:44.001
And that sense of belonging is
 
00:55:44.340 --> 00:55:45.641
hardwired to how our nervous
 
00:55:45.681 --> 00:55:46.621
system reacts.
 
00:55:47.123 --> 00:55:49.063
We can do a lot of work by ourselves,
 
00:55:49.443 --> 00:55:50.585
but sometimes it's not
 
00:55:50.605 --> 00:55:51.425
until we get into a
 
00:55:51.485 --> 00:55:52.726
community that feels safe
 
00:55:52.746 --> 00:55:53.847
and we still feel a sense
 
00:55:53.867 --> 00:55:55.507
of belonging that we can
 
00:55:55.628 --> 00:55:56.807
actually allow the
 
00:55:56.889 --> 00:55:58.630
hardwiring of our brain to
 
00:55:58.690 --> 00:56:00.311
let itself calm and that we
 
00:56:00.331 --> 00:56:01.471
can then start creating
 
00:56:01.550 --> 00:56:04.293
deeper healing in our traumas, our stress,
 
00:56:04.353 --> 00:56:05.132
our mental health,
 
00:56:05.414 --> 00:56:06.693
or even our physical bodies.
 
00:56:06.753 --> 00:56:07.934
Because if we're holding
 
00:56:07.994 --> 00:56:08.896
onto a lot of stress,
 
00:56:08.936 --> 00:56:09.996
we can actually manifest
 
00:56:10.036 --> 00:56:11.137
pain in the body for that.
 
00:56:12.371 --> 00:56:13.552
So in general,
 
00:56:14.273 --> 00:56:15.153
I appreciate you guys
 
00:56:15.233 --> 00:56:16.293
listening to this episode.
 
00:56:16.393 --> 00:56:18.235
I'm always open to your questions.
 
00:56:18.536 --> 00:56:19.496
Please send them to us.
 
00:56:19.516 --> 00:56:20.476
We love to hear them.
 
00:56:21.077 --> 00:56:22.077
I think that exploring
 
00:56:22.117 --> 00:56:23.117
trauma-informed yoga and
 
00:56:23.177 --> 00:56:25.239
practices can be very helpful.
 
00:56:25.639 --> 00:56:27.101
And if you are interested or
 
00:56:27.141 --> 00:56:29.121
anyone in trying this type of practice,
 
00:56:29.561 --> 00:56:30.322
definitely seek out a
 
00:56:30.362 --> 00:56:31.782
certified trauma-informed
 
00:56:31.842 --> 00:56:33.244
instructor near you.
 
00:56:33.483 --> 00:56:34.505
You can check that out just
 
00:56:34.525 --> 00:56:35.985
by Google searching it and
 
00:56:36.025 --> 00:56:36.865
make sure that again,
 
00:56:37.126 --> 00:56:38.347
even if they are trauma-informed,
 
00:56:38.688 --> 00:56:40.170
If it doesn't feel right in your body,
 
00:56:40.329 --> 00:56:41.512
if it's not a match for you,
 
00:56:41.893 --> 00:56:43.275
listen to it because you
 
00:56:43.396 --> 00:56:45.500
are your own best source of wisdom.
 
00:56:46.161 --> 00:56:47.061
Always listen to that.
 
00:56:48.072 --> 00:56:50.172
So thank you guys so much for listening.
 
00:56:50.313 --> 00:56:52.614
And again, be well until next time,
 
00:56:52.634 --> 00:56:53.253
my friends.
 
00:56:54.014 --> 00:56:55.414
Thank you for listening to
 
00:56:55.454 --> 00:56:57.956
the MindBodyDetox podcast.
 
00:56:58.356 --> 00:56:59.938
If you love this podcast,
 
00:57:00.217 --> 00:57:01.478
share it with others and
 
00:57:01.538 --> 00:57:02.418
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00:57:02.938 --> 00:57:04.480
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00:57:04.500 --> 00:57:06.019
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00:57:06.119 --> 00:57:07.280
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00:57:07.380 --> 00:57:09.121
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00:57:09.141 --> 00:57:10.202
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00:57:10.702 --> 00:57:12.143
You can also follow the link
 
00:57:12.182 --> 00:57:13.443
in our show notes to submit
 
00:57:13.463 --> 00:57:14.744
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00:57:14.764 --> 00:57:15.445
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