Pillar Four of Seed Yoga Therapy: Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation

This is last of the series on the 4 Pillars of Seed Yoga Therapy, and today we will focus on the fourth pillar: practicing mindfulness and meditation.

Both mindfulness and meditation work with steadying the mind, but when the nervous system is honored, a discipline is cultivated and the breath and body are attuned to the mind naturally begins to stabilize without needing to “do” anything specific with the mind. In this process meditation becomes even more effective.

When we fight the mind to change the mind it can become a state of near constant internal battle. For example, if the nervous systems is in a fear state, but the mind is trying to convince ourselves there is nothing to be afraid this leads to a conflict. We can’t convince ourselves we are safe if the nervous system and/or body feel threatened because the nervous system and body will always will that battle. It can be powerful to work with the nervous system and body first because not only will this shift the bodily experience, but also can shift the mental/emotional experience because they are connected. 

What is the difference between the mindfulness and meditation?

Mindfulness can be done anywhere and anytime. Pause and notice what you see, hear, feel, taste or smell right now by becoming mindful of your surroundings through the senses.

Meditation is a formal practice setting aside time to be in practice with the mind intentionally. There are countless forms of meditation, and sticking with one can bring powerful results. Finding a meditation that works for you is in itself a process. If you find awareness-based meditations (body scan or breath awareness) useful that can be your meditation. Lovingkindness is another form of meditation that can be useful for a judging or critical mind in order to foster compassion. Yoga Nidra is a powerful meditation that can calm the nervous system and has been effectively utilized in the treatment of trauma.

Typically the mind is pulled into the past or future and is rarely fully present. Stop and notice what you are thinking about even as you read this. Are you internalizing the words or thinking about what meditation you like, how you can or can’t meditate or about a conversation you had last week? By training the mind to come back to an anchor (i.e. breath, mantra, body sensations, etc.) it helps the mind step out of the constant push and pull of past and future into the presence of this moment. 

Being present doesn’t mean we don’t plan for the future nor forget about our past. Meditation can support doing those things intentionally rather than being at the whim of the mind. Practicing mindfulness can support being more present to our needs, wants and relationships in order to care for ourselves and those we love even more. Working with mind along with our bodies, nervous systems, breath and physiology is a powerful way to rewire the whole system so that it is vibrant, attuned, aware and able to honor and integrate the varied experiences we go through in our lives. 

If you are new to meditation my suggestion is to pick one meditation and try it for the next 30 days. See what you learn about yourself and your mind.

There is also a wonderful free meditation course taught by my teacher, Saundaryambika, where she gives meditation guidance as well as additional meditations. I have also created video on Tips and Tools to Starting and Sustaining a Meditation Practice to give some practical guidance for maintaining a meditation practice. 

If you have applied these pillars into your life I’d love to hear what you are observing. How has your life been impacted? Your ability to honor and understand your nervous system? Your relationship with your body? Your mind? Your relationships?

If you have read or watched the 4 videos on the pillars of Seed Yoga Therapy and are curious how to apply them to your unique life experiences, but need some additional support sign up for a free 20 minute consultation. In our consultation you can tell me about your current struggles, what you are longing for and I can share you how yoga therapy may be an ideal next step in your healing journey. 

Pillar Three of Seed Yoga Therapy: Attuning to the Body and Breath

Welcome to the next vlog on the Four Pillars of Seed Yoga Therapy, where we will explore the third pillar: Attuning to the Body and Breath.

The first pillar is honoring the nervous system where we learn how our unique nervous system is wired, understand the inherent wisdom in it and how to work directly with the nervous system.

The second pillar is cultivating discipline, which can stabilize the nervous system with predictability and routine. This supports a regulated nervous system as well as promoting a balanced physiology that aligns with the natural rhythms of the body. 

To understand how to attune to the body and breath first we have to know that everything happens in the body: thoughts, emotions, sensations, energy, and breath. Nothing is removed from the body making it imperative to work directly with the body when looking to shift patterns related to trauma, depression, anxiety or addictions. All of these “mental health” challenges also happen within the body. Even when we are dissociated or not “in our bodies” that too happens in the body. Numbing is a bodily experience just as much as the heart racing or heat arising from a panic attack or the heaviness or sensation of walking through concrete that can come from grief. 

As a mental health therapist my clinical training focused on using talking, analysis, and cognitive understanding to impact change in mental health challenges. This can be helpful because in that relationship we can be seen, heard and witnessed in our struggles, and this is never to be underestimated. Yet talking can also keep us in the intellect and analysis of the challenge rather than working directly with how the body, nervous system and energy is impacted. Working more upstream from the mind can be a more direct way to work these the challenges. My teacher, Saundaryāmbikā, explains how these things happen in the body first through chemicals, hormones and neurohormonal pathways and later the mind puts labels on them such as, scared or angry angry. A key ingredient in yoga therapy is to get under the labels to the direct experience of the body. 

Just as there are infinite ways to work with the nervous system and create a discipline or routine there are also countless ways to work with the body and breath. Each person’s body and energy needs to be addressed in their unique ways. For some people working with the body is building tolerance to begin to feel. For others it is soothing the body so the sensations aren’t overwhelming. For some a breath practice is simply noticing when they are holding their breath. For others it may be a practice of breathing with sensations as they arise. 

Since my work as a yoga therapist is inherently in the body I work with each person individually to co-create the embodiment practices that will support them. I don’t come from a prescriptive approach where certain asanas (poses) are good for anxiety or breathing techniques are good for trauma because each person’s anxiety or trauma will be unique to them. 

A useful first step to working with the body and breath is simple awareness. As my teacher says, awareness is everything. Doing a body scan or a breath awareness practice can support beginning to understand the relationship between the body, energy, mind, emotions and nervous system. If a moving practice feels more supportive a walking meditation can also be a way to start to connect with the body and breath. 

If you try one of the practices I’d love to hear what you notice and let me know if you have any questions or anything you hope I cover in talks on my YouTube channel.

Pillar Two of Seed Yoga Therapy: Cultivating Discipline

This is the second vlog in a series on 4 Pillars of Yoga Therapy, which is on Cultivating Discipline.

In the first pillar we focused on Honoring the Nervous System, and discipline is directly connected with the nervous system. There are many ways to work directly with the nervous system, and one of them is through creating stability in the body and mind through a routine.

As I have learned from my teacher, Saundaryāmbikā, when my lifestyle is chaotic that will create or maintain internal chaos. If I sleep at different times each day or eat at varied times my physiology and nervous system lives in a state of chaos.

When I can cultivate a discipline it can create a sense of stability and security for the body, mind and nervous system. Our nervous system likes structure and predictability, which can help to settle and keep it more regulated.

Trauma is unpredictable and chaotic, and if my lifestyle is also unpredictable and chaotic it can continually keep the system in a state of fight, flight and freeze, which can make trauma healing more challenging.

Everyone has some routines in their life. It might be brushing your teeth every morning and evening, walking your dog or having a standing date with a friend. These points of structure can be grounding and healing. 

Take stock of your life where you already have structure and predictability. Look for even the small things that support a sense of routine in your life. Even if life feels out of control or unstructured there are still things you do every day and/or week that provide a sense of predictability and stability. 

One of the best ways to create structure is to maintain a daily routine. When we go to sleep and wake up at the same time our physiology can begin to settle. When we eat at the same times our digestion, of our food as well as internal and external experiences, begins to become stronger and experiences, including traumas, don’t get as stuck in our system. Meditation or a daily movement practice can also be supportive disciplines that can be stabilizing to the body and mind.

As you reflect on where you have discipline and where you don’t can you think of one way you can bring more stability in your life as a practice of honoring the nervous system? As my teacher instructs when you add a new discipline into your life try it consistently for 3 months and notice what happens. Do you feel more content? Can you sleep more easily? Are your menstrual cycles less troublesome? After 3 months you can assess whether this is a routine you want to maintain or not, but give it at least that amount of time to see the effects. 

If you want to learn more about lifestyle recommendations that can support your nervous system I highly recommend the Heart of Wellness book by Saundaryāmbikā, which will walk you through a structured process to establish a routine to support your physiology, mind, body, nervous system, energy and heart. For all new yoga therapy clients this book is included in your first package because I have found that when people can follow these lifestyle recommendations the processing of trauma, the shifting of depressive or anxious states or the ability to move whatever is stuck within the system can move with more ease and fluidity. Working on balancing the physiology with its natural rhythms helps everything else come into balance as well. 

If you decide to add a new routine to your life let me know! I’d love to hear what you are working with and share what you discover after 3 months of consistent practice! See what you learn about yourself, your nervous system and your own healing journey by bringing in a simple routine into your life.

Pillar One of Seed Yoga Therapy: Honoring The Nervous System

The foundation of Seed Yoga Therapy rest on 4 pillars. Pillar one is honoring the nervous system.

In this video learn about the brilliance of the nervous system, how to honor its wisdom and how to work with it so it doesn’t get stuck in fight, flight or freeze.

As a mental health therapist my training kept me primarily in the realm of the mind. I found people could understand where their suffering may came from, but it didn’t necessarily change their direct experience. In the work I do with my teachers and in my own healing I am learning that focusing more upstream can get closer to the roots of suffering. This include understanding that everything we do happens in the nervous system, which is wired to protect us at all costs. All the thoughts and behaviors I have, even if they don’t serve me anymore, are an effort to keep me alive. These same thoughts and behaviors have served me at some point even if they don’t anymore. When I honor the nervous system I can work with it instead of fighting it and I can see that none of it is personal. It is physiological, and ultimately we will never win in a fight against the nervous system. 

Honoring the nervous system can:

  1. Make our experiences less personal.
  2. Give access to objectivity.
  3. Use the body to support healing, instead of trying to think our way through a nervous system state.
  4. Hold a broader understanding of the wisdom of our responses even if they aren’t comfortable.
  5. Increase compassion towards ourselves and others.  

How the nervous system work? The nervous system is vast and complicated, and this blog includes a bit of information as I understand it in hopes to support you in your own process. 

First think of a time when you felt completely at ease. Can you describe the experience? What did you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Feel?

The first line of defense when there is a threat is fight or flight. This is a brilliant response because if the nervous system believes it can outrun this threat or fight it off we will survive, but the nervous system doesn’t distinguish between a “real” or perceived threat.

The next line of defense is to freeze. This is the next best option if I’m unable fight or run away, as it floods the body with pain-reducing hormones and their is a possibility of the threat retreating when there is nothing to fight or chase after. Freezing is also a brilliant response to trauma. 

Let’s explore an example.

If I have a conflict with co-worker I might get mad and blame them for not meeting my needs or I might experience anger and blame towards myself for not being a good colleague. This can be an internal or an external fight response.

Or I might walk away from the conversation, go to a coffee shop to buy a cookie. This is a flight response.

Or I might be shut down, stop talking, go home and collapse on the couch in despair in a freeze response.

In any given moment all these responses may come to our aid, depending on the level of threat we perceive. Many people have one state we tend to default to more than others. None of these are bad or good, right or wrong. They are simply ways we are wired and conditioned to respond to threats. 

Knowing you are in a fight, flight or freeze response can be useful because you can take care of that response, but first we need to know what care your unique nervous system needs.

When in a state of calm it may be useful to reflect on these different states. What helps you when you want to run away from something or someone? It is doing something physical? Talking to a trusted friend? 

What helps when you want to fight? It is taking a break to be by yourself? Is it journaling?

What helps when you freeze? Is it cuddling with your pet? Is it making sure you are warm enough? 

Reflect on ways you can support yourself when you go into these states and it is also useful pay attention to the fluctuations in the nervous system. These states are happening all the time, in big and small ways. In the time you spent reading this post did you notice any shifts in your system? By noticing the changes in your nervous system state you can:

  1. Support those responses quicker because you will notice them sooner.
  2. Observe when the nervous system is calm and easeful, which many times is ignored because there is nothing screaming to get attention.
  3. Begin to become friends with your nervous system instead of being at war with it. 

Included in the video above is a practice to support you access the safe, peaceful and easeful part of your nervous system. Enjoy!

A new year, a new name and gratitude

Today, the first day of my 45th year, feels like the perfect day to share my new name with my larger community. I now am going by Saumyā [s-aw-m-y -ah], which feels like a birth day as well! 

One of the countless things I learned from my yoga therapy teacher, Molly Lannon Kenny, is the beauty of gratitude. In honor of having the privilege to be on this earth for 45 years and the opportunity to live into this new name here are 45 things I am thankful for:

  1. The breath
  2. My guru
  3. The body
  4. All my practices (physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual) that support knowing myself more authentically every day
  5. My partner
  6. My parents
  7. Sangha
  8. The Śrī Cakra
  9. Mountains
  10. WTA work parties
  11. Running water
  12. Lakes to swim in
  13. My senses
  14. Sunshine
  15. Rain
  16. The work I get to do in the world
  17. The Renegade Method
  18. Bats
  19. My home
  20. Farmers’ markets
  21. Birds
  22. Backpacks
  23. Dinacarya
  24. Sandals
  25. Exploring (inside and out)
  26. The Himalayas
  27. Dahlias
  28. Books (currently reading Fractals of Reality by Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan and The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Nikhilananda)
  29. The resources I have that provide shelter, food and fun
  30. Curiosity
  31. Wonder
  32. Inchworms
  33. My health
  34. Travel
  35. All the challenges I’ve experienced in life that have encouraged growth, resilience, refinement and a deeper understanding of myself
  36. My internal organs working hard without me even paying attention
  37. Trekking
  38. The mind
  39. Poetry
  40. Seward Park
  41. Incense
  42. Ponytail holders
  43. Tea kettle
  44. Cooking
  45. Writing

A gratitude list can be a great practice to do on particular days of the year, but it can also be a wonderful practice every day. Enjoy this embodied gratitude meditation as my birthday gift to you. 

Yesterday I was grateful to be in the woods on my birthday enjoying the sounds, sensations, tastes, smells and sights of the world through the trees, waterfalls, birds, bugs, butterflies, dal and beloved companionship.

Yoga Therapy for Anxiety

Does anxiety keep you tense and unable to relax?

Do you find it impossible to turn the mind “off”?

Do you long for peace and ease in the body, mind and heart? 

Anxiety can take a toll on the body through tight muscles, gastrointestinal distress, headaches or chronic pain. It can impact the mind through racing thoughts, catastrophizing, constant worrying about what might happen in the future or replaying painful experiences in the past. It can impact energy in feeling drained and exhausted yet not being able to sleep soundly. It can make relationships challenging in needing to prove yourself or concern about what others are doing or thinking about you. 

You are not alone. 

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health challenge in the United States, with over 40 million adults diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. With the uncertainty of the world around us, due to many factors including climate change, racism and sexism along with the individual experiences of raising a family, conflict with in-laws or losing a job, anxiety is a common response to feelings of uncertainty, lack of control and overwhelming circumstances. 

Anxiety in the body.

For some people anxiety can feel like a racing heart or difficulty breathing. For others it can be a churning stomach or a sense of feeling nauseous. It can feel like there is too much energy in the body or there is no way to move it out or through. It can make eating or sleeping difficult.

Anxiety in the nervous system. 

Anxiety can keep a person stuck in a fight or flight response, or the sympathetic state of the nervous system. The sympathetic response keeps us on high alert, constantly searching for threats, being on edge and hypervigilant. When people are stuck in a sympathetic state they can feel more heat or shakiness in the body. It may be difficult to find the right words to express yourself and it can be difficult to focus or concentrate. 

Anxiety in the mind. 

The anxious mind can be constantly “on” whether it is ruminating, planning, strategizing, worrying or trying to fix something. Many times anxiety makes it difficult to be present, and there can be many thoughts that pull the mind into reliving the past or trying to control a future outcome. The mind might feel like it is racing and it rarely gets a chance to rest. 

Yoga Therapy can help. 

The word Yoga means union or “to yoke.” Yoga is about bringing the different aspects of yourself: body, mind, energy, heart and spirit together into integration. For many people with anxiety there can be a disconnection between the body and mind. For some it can feel like the body is being taken over in panic attacks and for others the mind can feel like a prison of racing and intrusive thoughts. Yoga Therapy works holistically on all levels of your system to support healing, growth and the ability to anchor, ground and resource.  

Understanding the nervous system. 

Beginning with understanding the wisdom of your nervous system can be the first step towards understanding anxiety instead of fighting with it. The nervous system is always trying to protect you, even if it doesn’t feel that way. The hypervigilance or rumination of anxiety is an attempt to keep you safe. When and if it is possible to step back to honor the INTENTION of the nervous system, even if the impact has painful consequences, it can help to soften towards this pattern that is literally trying to keep you alive. 

Embodiment practices. 

As we understand how the nervous system is wired we can work directly with it through embodiment practices that can give a sense of predictability, grounding and ease so the nervous system doesn’t have to be on constant alert. When the mind is racing we can shift to observing how the body is impacted by the thoughts and address the bodily response. For some people going into the body can shift their focus from the thoughts of past and future into their direct experience in the present moment. In general, the present moment is more tolerable than the what if thoughts that pull the mind into future worst case scenarios or regrets about the past. 

Lifestyle and routine. 

We work with creating a routine to provide structure the nervous system can rely on. For many people anxiety can feel chaotic, out of control and scary. Giving the body and mind something that feels steady, in control and consistent can ease the mind while also supporting the physiology of the body to align with its natural rhythms. Read more about lifestyle and Yoga Therapy here. 

Working with the breath. 

Anxiety can cause the breath to move up the torso and to rely on “emergency muscles” in the neck to breathe. The natural breath involves the entire torso where the diaphragm in the upper belly easily moves, the ribs expand and contract and the chest lifts and lowers with each breath. When anxiety is present it is telling the nervous system there is something wrong, which can make a shift in the breath to a more alert and labored breath. Chronic anxiety can make it difficult to take full and deep belly breaths. By slowly easing into diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, the body can start to use the resource of the breath to calm and soothe the system. It is common for belly breathing to be challenging if you have not been using the full torso to breathe for a long time. Go slow and ease into it. Letting the belly be spacious and open can also feel vulnerable for some, so it is best to go at a slow, mindful pace and/or with someone who can support you easing into it so it can be an anxiety reliever rather than aggravator. 

Mindfulness and meditation. 

In Yoga Therapy we start more upstream through working with the body, breath, nervous system and physiology before we directly start working with the mind. Anxiety can make meditation seem like an impossible feat, and working to steady and stabilize the nervous system, body and breath first can make meditation more effective. Mindfulness can be a useful tool for anxiety because it helps take the mind out of looping thoughts into what is happening in the present. Right now as you are reading this, what is your body coming into contact with? Is it soft or hard? Warm or cool? What do you hear? What do you see? When we use the senses to anchor the mind and body in the present it can support the anxious mind to settle and this will support moving towards a more formal meditation practice. 

Sign up here to get your FREE Easing Anxiety Through Yoga Therapy Meditation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I be on medication and do Yoga Therapy?

Absolutely. Medication is one tool of many that can be extremely useful for anxiety, and it can be an additional benefit to our work because it can relieve the anxiety enough that the other tools we work with will be more effective. Some people benefit from medication for short periods of time and others need it long term. At times people have been able to reduce or stop anxiety medication through cultivating the tools of mindfulness and meditation. Everyone has their own unique expression of anxiety and the support they need to work with it. Yoga Therapy and medication are two of those supports that can be used in conjunction or not. 

How does Yoga Therapy differ from going to Yoga classes? 

Yoga Therapy is specifically tailored to your needs and as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist I have over 15 years of experience in working directly with mental health challenges like anxiety. I gather a detailed history and from that history we come up with a plan together that includes all aspects of you to address your strengths and challenges. You can also watch this video, which will share more about the difference between Yoga Therapy, Yoga classes and talk therapy. 

I’m currently seeing a talk therapist. Can I do Yoga Therapy too?

I love working in collaboration with talk therapists and any other providers you enjoy working with (including physical therapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, naturopaths, etc.).  If you are currently working with a therapist, talk to them to see if they think Yoga Therapy could be a benefit to your work. I have found the deep work therapists do with their clients can complement the embodiment work we do in Yoga Therapy while the nervous system work and resourcing we do in Yoga Therapy can be a support to more traditional talk therapy. 

Sometimes my anxiety feels like it is all in my body without any thoughts and l feel like I’m having a heart attack. If Yoga Therapy is body-based how do I work with panic attacks that feel so physical in nature?

Yes, anxiety can definitely feel more physical than mental for some, and this is why working with the body strategically can be a support. Learning how to be in the body when it is talking quietly is a skill that many people struggle with. If the body isn’t screaming there can be a tendency to ignore its signals and cues. Yoga Therapy can work to get to know the subtle experiences of the body so you have choice and agency when a panic attack is arising instead of being blindsided by it. Embodiment practices can help you understand the beginnings of a panic attack and how you can support the body at those lower levels of anxiety so you can potentially work with the body to decrease or eliminate panic attacks completely. You can turn your body from an enemy to a friend. 

Can I bill my insurance for Yoga Therapy?

If you are based in Washington State you may be able to be reimbursed for our session as I am an out of network provider for most insurance companies. I do not bill insurance directly, but can provide you with receipts once/month with a mental health diagnosis, if applicable. You will be reimbursed by your insurance company. Please check with your insurance company directly to find out more information about out of network providers and how much you will be reimbursed. If you do not live in Washington State you can not use your insurance for our sessions and we can not contract as doing mental health work. If we determine it is necessary for you to work with a mental health provider beyond the scope of Yoga Therapy you will have to find a provider that is licensed in your state. 

Are you ready to take your next step toward living a life with ease? 
Sign up a 20 minute free consultation to see if Yoga Therapy is a good fit for you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Have other questions?
Reach out to me at laura@seedyogatherapy.com.

Planting and Nourishing the Seeds of Intention

Pic from Unsplash

Intentions have always been an important part of my life. I reflect during the New Year on how I want to align with my intentions for the upcoming year. I contemplate the year before on my birthday, what I learned, and what I want to let go of in the next year of my life. I focus on my business intentions of how I want Seed Yoga Therapy to flourish and thrive. I pause on the new and full moon to notice what has unfolded in that last sequence of waxing or waning energy. When my cycle comes I honor it as a time of death and an upcoming birth into an opportunity to clarify my intentions within myself, my body, relationships and the world.

Intentions can be important anchors to ground me in my why. I just finished a yearlong practice of chanting the Bhuvaneśvarī Trailokya Maṅgalam Nāma Kavacam, which is a Mahāvidyā, great wisdom, goddess associated with the space element. There is so much to say about this incredible goddess, and if you want to learn more about her I would highly recommend my teacher’s self-study course to explore the incredible wisdom and practice associated with this goddess while learning how to apply it to your daily life. In this year long commitment I had the intention of creating space in my life. Creating space meant many things:

  1. Creating space for my emotions to be as they were instead of trying to manipulate them (i.e. allowing anger or fear to arise without trying to make unpleasant feelings go away).
  2. Creating space for others to be as they are with acceptance and not trying to change someone because I believe I know better (i.e. how that driver in front of me “should” be driving or how that person “should” be interacting with me).
  3. Creating space in my life by decluttering things I don’t need (i.e. the clothes I haven’t worn for a year because I “might” wear them or the activities I do out of habit instead of actual desire). 
  4. Creating space to bring in the new things I’m excited about (i.e. collaborating with colleagues who are doing great work or traveling to new places). 

Whenever I commit to a new practice at some point I hit a roadblock. It took me a long time to memorize this chant and the first several months I was attached to the recording and my piece of paper with the words. There were times I became frustrated with myself for not being able to memorize it easily and there were other mornings where my day was rushed and I didn’t have the time to dedicate to the chant. It would linger in my mind all day until I found that 10 minutes to sit down and do it. There were times I felt I was actually contracting instead of feeling more spacious internally and externally. I wondered what is the point of doing this chant when I still seem to be stuck in my habitual ways of being? However with each day I went back to my intention. Can I create space for even this? Frustration, old patterns and busyness along with joy, new insights and time slowing down.

When I don’t have a clear intention I tend to get lost in the whims of my mind. I’ll do a practice for a little while and then I’ll fall off because I get distracted, bored or believe it isn’t working. With this mindset I notice I can never really reap the benefit of a practice (whether it is meditation, lifestyle changes, exercise, journaling, etc.) because I am not truly committed. 

In The Heart of Wellness my teacher, Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan, talks about committing to an intention wholeheartedly for a minimum of three months to give that desire time to grow roots in order to impact your life, nervous system, body, mind and heart. 

Anytime is a good time to reflect on why you want to do something, and spring is a potent time to reconnect with what you want to plant and grow. In honor of spring I’ve created a yoga nidrā for you to explore your seeds of intention. 

Once you set your intention, write it down and put it somewhere you can see every day. If you have an altar, put it there as a reminder of your why. Say it every morning when you wake up and every evening before you go to bed. As you reflect on your day before falling asleep, think of at least one way you aligned with your heartfelt desire. In the morning commit to one action you can do to honor this resolve throughout your day. Slowly but surely like the seeds that turn into saplings that turn into trees that eventually bear fruit, our intentions, when planted, watered, nourished and given space to grow, can transform our lives inside and out. 

After a year of chanting this beautiful chant that felt both ethereal and incredibly embodied I have noticed significant shifts within myself. Many of them didn’t happen overnight or in a dramatic fashion. Similar to the vegetables planted in our garden I usually can’t see the growth process day to day, but without even realizing it that seed eventually turns into green beans and beets I put on my plate. When I stop and contemplate the growth process it brings me to a state of awe and wonder. We are all in that growth process all the time, but it can be hard to see! When I do an intentional practice for a year it helps me observe the changes more easily because I can compare my reality from this spring to last spring. I have experienced more space within and outside myself, and even though creating space is something I will explore for the rest of my life the seeds planted have and will continue to bear fruit.

A poem to the Aurora Borealis

Picture taken in Talkeenta, Alaska March 2024

Vast and quiet spaciousness
Takes over the sky in still bright darkness

Awaiting in anticipation
A star is born

Twinkling in the northeast
Beckoning

Is it clouds or her?
Subtle grey and then green emerge

From nothingness something arises
I hold my breath and wonder if it is real or my imagination

She appears getting brighter in each moment.
Whispering, “Come and play.”

Dancing up and down
Snaking and slithering

Sensual and seductive
Bright and bold

Her expression becomes diffuse
As she fades back into the beautiful blackness

Arising, sustaining and dissolving
Her dance is intoxicating

Heart longing and goosebumps ripple on my flesh
Her song swirls in my heart as she reveals and conceals herself.

The Power of Yoga Nidrā (+ a chance to win a free individualized practice!)

Pic from Unsplash

Did you know Seed Yoga Therapy has a YouTube channel with guided meditations? Subscribe to make sure you receive each new monthly meditation or video sharing on some aspect of Yoga Therapy, mental health and resilience! As a bonus I will also be giving away one free individualized Yoga Nidrā practice in April as a thank you to everyone who subscribes! A tailored Yoga Nidrā practice can focus on physical challenges such as chronic pain, injury recovery or fibromyalgia. It can address emotional challenges such as insomnia, trauma, anxiety, depression or learning to love the body you live in. A Yoga Nidrā practice can also be useful during transitions like changing jobs, moving, or starting a business so you can align with your highest intentions for this next journey. In order to enter, subscribe to my channel here and fill out this form. I’ll announce the winner on April 17, 2024!

The moment I experienced Yoga Nidrā with one of my first yoga teachers, Stephane Sisson, I was in love. She led us through a powerful meditation during śavāsana, corpse pose, at the end of class and I felt like I was transported to another place and time. The relaxation and ease I felt when I emerged from the meditation was nothing like I had ever experienced. 

Yoga is the Sanskrit word for union or yoke. I think of Yoga as a means of coming home to ourselves to the place of wholeness and divinity that is our essence. That essence is always there, however it can be covered by the experiences we have in life, pleasant and unpleasant, that make us forget that we are unbroken, undamaged and absolutely perfect. 

Nidrā is the Sanskrit word for sleep. The Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad describes 4 states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, deep sleep and turiya. Turiya isn’t really a state of consciousness but an all encompassing experience of awareness that envelops and pervades the other states. 

In the Bhagavad Gītā, one of the core texts on Yoga, Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna in Chapter 2, Verse 69: What all beings consider as day is the night of ignorance for the wise, and what all creatures see as night is the day for the introspective sage.

What I have learned about these states of consciousness from my teacher, Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan, has radically changed the way I look at my mind. In her teachings on the Bhagavad Gītā she explains that most people are dreaming the majority of the time and are rarely truly “awake.” 

I found this to be true in my own experience. When I am going about my day, if I pause and check in I am typically not present to what is in front of me. I am walking, but thinking about the errand I have to do later. I am eating and replaying a conversation I had yesterday. Dreaming is another way to see how I am not awake to each moment. Similar to my dreams at night I am living in a fantasy of what might happen if I say this or how that conversation could have gone if I had done that. The majority of my “waking” life is actually spent dreaming. 

The wise Kṛṣṇa describes in the 69th verse considers the day as the night of ignorance. If most of my “waking” life is actually spent dreaming I am not present to the life I am living, which means I am ignorant of what is happening! 

Deep sleep, on the other hand, is when everything comes to rest. Our thoughts, personalities, the fears and dreams we have all fade into nothingness. If you can catch it there is a moment right after you wake up from a deep sleep where you might not be aware of the sense of identity because it hasn’t come fully back online yet as you emerge from the deep sleep state. 

Kṛṣṇa continues, saying what all creatures see as night is day for the introspective sage. Deep sleep is a complete absorption within yourself. The majority of us do not have a memory of being in deep sleep because memory doesn’t exist there. It is this unconscious, yet usually very restful experience. According to Kṛṣṇa these sages can experience this absorption while awake. So the “night” of being unconscious in deep sleep is the sage’s “day” of being completely awake and present to their direct experience.

Yoga Nidrā is an ancient meditation that supports psychological, physical and spiritual healing by training the mind to become awake to the present moment through a systematic approach to the states of consciousness. We use these different states of consciousness to work with the physical body, mind, subtle body, breath, heart and awareness itself in order to reconnect and return to our fundamental sense of wholeness. This is the big picture approach to Yoga Nidrā: to become the wise sage who is absolutely awake! 

However there are many doorways into this powerful practice if becoming a sage isn’t on your list of life goals!  

  1. For some people it can be a source of sleep support. If you have insomnia, Yoga Nidrā may help. One of the common challenges of insomnia is actually a dream challenge if we look at it from the states of consciousness. For some people they have difficulty getting to sleep and deep sleep because of the consistent “dreams” of the what if stories (i.e. what if this happens tomorrow? What will happen if I say this?). 
  2. If you have experienced trauma, Yoga Nidrā can be supportive for your nervous system as it can activate the ventral vagal response that is associated with the parasympathetic part of the nervous system supporting rest and digestion. Trauma can impact the body’s ability to deeply rest because of hyper vigilance and increased levels of cortisol, which can also impact the body’s ability to digest sufficiently. The practice incorporates mindfulness and breathing practices that can help settle the system.
  3. Yoga Nidrā can also establish an embodied sense of safety and well-being, which can support resilience in the face of inevitable challenges. 
  4. Once a sense of ease, groundedness, security or love is established (there are countless words to describe this state and these might not be the right words for you) the practice can proceed into intentional dreaming where we invite different experiences or images in to process challenges or blocks we face. 
  5. Yoga Nidrā can also cultivate mindfulness as you practice watching your experience from the standpoint of awareness itself to observe the dreams of the mind. As you practice mindfulness in this relaxed state it can support you in “waking” life when you notice you have become lost in the dreams of past or future. 
  6. Yoga Nidrā has also been studied in decreasing stress, anxiety, pain, hypertension, insomnia, migraines, sympathetic arousal (fight or flight), guilt, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, muscle tension, and increasing reaction and anticipation time in athletes and hormonal balance in people experiencing menstrual irregularities. You can read more about the research studies here. 

Are you ready to try it? Here are a few guidelines to prepare you for the guided practice at the end of this blog. 

The first aspect to explore is what one of my Yoga Nidrā teachers, Dr. Richard Miller, calls the inner resource. This can be a person, place or being where you feel safe, whole, supported or seen. It can be a person who you are close with or someone who inspires you but you don’t know personally. It can be a place in nature, your kitchen or an imaginary place you create. It can be an animal you love or a spiritual figure. Once you determine who or what your inner resource is tune into the embodied experience of being in this place or with this being. Does it feel relaxing? Soothing? Warm? Where do those sensations live? Is it a full body experience? A softening of your belly? A smile? A quieting of the mind? 

Next contemplate a saṅkalpa, or intention. What do you hope for in this practice? To rest soundly through the night? To love and accept yourself? To feel at peace within yourself? Once you have a saṅkalpa put it in simple clear words as if it is already true. Instead of, “I will rest soundly,” say, “I rest soundly.” If you have a negative saṅkalpa (i.e. I don’t feel anxiety anymore) try naming what you want to feel instead (i.e. I am calm, grounded and can allow my emotions to move through me). You can have a different saṅkalpa every time you do a Yoga Nidrā practice or you can have the same intention for days, weeks, months or years. 

Give yourself an hour for the practice and an additional 15 minutes for journaling or drawing to integrate the wisdom your body/mind/heart may share with you. You can listen to my newest Yoga Nidrā here or there are shorter versions here.

In order to enter the current giveaway for a free individualized sesssion, subscribe to my channel here and fill out this form. I’ll announce the winner on April 17, 2024!

Befriending the Brilliant Body (Part 2)

Photo from Unsplash

In Befriending Your Brilliant Body Part 1 I shared how the body is the gateway to everything we experience in our lives: physically, emotionally, mentally, energetically, relationally and spiritually. I also shared some practices to become or return to a state of friendliness with the body. 

In Befriending Your Brilliant Body Part 2 we will go a little deeper, especially for those who have embodiment practices, are physically active, feel connected to their bodies or are kinesthetic learners. As I fall into all of these categories I find that learning to befriend and fully inhabit the body is a lifelong journey. 

If you are a mover why did you start a physical practice (whether it is yoga, running, swimming, tennis, etc.)? For myself I wanted something. I had insomnia and I thought yoga might help me sleep. Lucky for me it worked, and I became more and more dedicated to the practice through the years because I found it kept giving me what I wanted. I felt stronger, more capable, aware of my body and mind, and it was fun! Through feeling stronger in my body I took up running, which led to 5Ks, 10Ks, ½ marathons, a marathon and triathlons. I liked challenging my body and mind and enjoyed having a goal that I was striving for. Yet as I reflect on my experience with physical movement sometimes I was befriending the body and a lot of times I wasn’t.

When I first came to yoga there was a sense of innocence and curiosity. I had no idea what I was doing nor was I in a place to compare myself to anyone because I practiced by myself in my bedroom learning from a book. As I became more physically active and more engaged with active communities there creeped in a desire to manipulate the body. I strived for certain poses because I wanted my body to contort into shapes I thought were “advanced,” and I pushed myself to the point of injury. I lost some of the sheer awe of moving and being in my body to a place of trying to force it to an ascetic, pace or perceived ideal in comparison to other bodies. 

Even though I could say I was “in my body” I wasn’t actually honoring the body. I have come full circle to only doing yoga by myself in my bedroom where there is no one else watching or no one to watch. Sometimes I lie on my mat and simply feel my body. Sometimes I do movements. They might look like yoga āsanas but many times they don’t. The Sanskrit word for “seat” is āsana, and it refers to the different poses, or “seats,” we do in yoga. Currently, walking and hiking are more appealing than running, biking or swimming and allowing the body to go through these phases of wanting different kinds of movement can be a way to respect the body’s desires. If I was training for a race I “had” to run a certain amount of miles each week. I was listening to a training plan more than my body. Now I train for treks in the Himalayas, but there is a different quality to the training. I do have some mileage goals each week, but there is also a looser grip to the goals. If I start my cycle I take a break from strenuous activity to honor the work my body is doing to shed the uterine lining. If I have a lot of energy I go a little faster and enjoy the hills. If I am feeling lower energy I might choose a flatter or shorter route. This is not about competition anymore (even with myself), but more of an opportunity to honor the body, which can and does include challenging it! Competition isn’t bad or wrong. It can fuel excitement, fun and doing things that seemed impossible, and I experienced all of these in my physical pursuits. However, I also noticed a marked increase in manipulation of the body to look and act in ways it may not want or even be capable of.

A more subtle way to contemplate the body is around emotions, which also live in the body. Emotional words like happy, sad, angry and afraid are just labels, and we have certain sensations (and typically thoughts) that arise giving us information that a particular emotion is present. When I feel happy I know I am happy because I am smiling, my chest is open and my belly is soft. I know I am angry when my mouth tightens, my shoulders contract inward and my breath gets faster. When I am experiencing an emotion I don’t like I have difficulty allowing that emotion and I try to control, fix or change it. The same way I have manipulated my body in running and yoga I also do in my emotional states. When I experience fear I try to soothe myself so I don’t feel it anymore, I rationalize there is nothing to be afraid of or I blame someone else and get angry (which can feel safer than being afraid). What I am learning with my teacher, Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan, in The Renegade Method is a radically empowering way to allow things to unfold in the body instead of trying to control them. What emotion are you noticing right now as you read this? We are typically feeling something, but it may be quiet. See if you can identify the word(s) you use to name that emotional state. Peaceful? Nervous? Lethargic? Disappointed? Joyful? Pissed off? Need more suggestions? Check out this emotions and sensations chart to help you identify the emotion and/or sensation in the body. Once you have named the emotion, see if you can determine what your body is saying. How do you know that emotion is present? If you say because of the thoughts can you bring curiosity to see if you can FEEL the experience of those thoughts? What do thoughts of anger FEEL like in your body and how do they differ from shameful or hopeful thoughts? 

If you have identified the sensations of an emotion can you drop the stories about the emotions (i.e. this is a good emotion and should stay or this is a terrible emotion and I should figure out how to get rid of it, etc.) and describe the sensations? Do you feel tightness in your chest? Tingling in your stomach? Lightness in your shoulders? Tears welling up behind your eyes? Soft and relaxed belly? Instead of trying to control or manipulate the sensations can you allow them to be for a few moments? What happens when you allow the wave of sensations to move through the body? What happens when you try to control the waves? 

Photo from Unsplash

Emotions can be looked at as waves that come and go. Sometimes they are big tsunamis and other times they are gently lapping. No matter what kind of wave I want from the ocean, the ocean will continue to create waves in relation to the wind, tides and underwater phenomena that are impacting the water. We are our own ocean where different information that comes into our senses will cause different kinds of waves. If we can learn how to ride the waves as they come and go we can move through them with a little more ease. 

Finally, pausing is such a powerful tool for returning to the body. I find the mind is often moving at a much faster pace than the body and the mind can leave the body behind. Many times my mind is thinking about something 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days or 5 years from the moment I am in, which makes it hard to be present to the body. A practice my teacher gave me years ago is to pause in transitions. When I finish my meal I take five breaths to return to the present moment where the body lives. I feel the chair underneath me, my feet on the floor, the satiation in my belly and my breath moving in and out. I do this when I finish with a client or come home from an errand. Any and every transition can be a reminder to return home to the body and to the present moment. I have found this practice to be incredibly impactful and a transformative tool for slowing down my mind, being connected to my body more often, listening to what my body is telling me and being able to do more of what I want in my life because I move into the next activity with intention rather than an all too familiar state of rushing, lack presence and multi-tasking. 

In summary, here are some additional practices to explore in continuing the lifelong adventure of befriending the brilliant body:

  1. Innocence. Can you approach movement from a place of curiosity rather than an agenda of what your body should or shouldn’t do? Meet each practice fresh because your body is different every day.
  2. Let the body lead. How would you move if your mind directed? How would you move if your body directed? Can the mind take a break to allow the body to lead? 
  3. Emotions are sensations. When you are having an emotion can you get under the label to understand the bodily sensations? 
  4. Ride the wave. Once you identify the sensations of an emotion can you allow the emotion to run its course without trying to change it? Here is a guided meditation on riding the waves of emotions. If the emotions become overwhelming some of the practice in Befriending the Brilliant Body Part 1 can be helpful. 
  5. Pause. Whenever you finish something (i.e. a meeting, an email, taking a shower, cleaning the kitchen, watching a show, etc.) pause for 5 breaths. Notice how your breath feels moving in and out of the body. Become aware of the sensations in your body. Notice what your mind is doing. Step back and observe the thoughts and emotions present. After 5 breaths, move with intention to your next activity. 

These are just a few ways I explore befriending the body. How do you befriend your body? How has your befriending journey changed through the years? I’d love to be inspired by your own body kindness practices as we are all learning together!