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Set Yourself Free!: Prana Invites Yoga Students
to Bring Their Practice to a Deeper Level
Simply noticing sensation within the body is one of
the eight limbs of yoga - Pratyahara. Many yoga
students may have experienced this in savasana , the
corpse pose, as they practice the “art of
dying”…moving deeply into body and breath awareness,
while staying relatively alert. You may notice
sensations such as heat, pulsing, “energy “ moving.
One may also suddenly have the urge to laugh or cry
uncontrollably. This is when the yoga is really
doing what it was designed to do…to heal.
Allowing the yoga to integrate and move deeply into
your body, provides a healing experience. If we are
too concerned with “performing” the perfect pose or
moving onto the next one your body holds a level of
tension and you are not experiencing the deepest
healing possible. Yes, you will always receive some
benefits from your practice. The yoga finds it’s way
in. When you drop completely into the moment, for
even just a split second of a moment, the yoga
begins to heal the body. However, if you have not
had a complete yoga experience, you may leave a yoga
class feeling irritable, emotional or VERY high.
These are all common responses to yoga that has not
been grounded in the body.
The practice of pratyahara allows the yoga student
to fully integrate the yoga during and after each
posture. In my experience, this can only happen by
bringing your awareness and full attention into a
posture. Hold a posture at your edge, the place
where you feel sensation that can be released with
breath, but not continuous pain that may lead to
injury. While in a yoga pose, send all your breath
and awareness to the parts of your body that are
experiencing tension in the stretch and allow your
breath and full attention to release that tension.
This can require holding a posture for 8 - 10
breaths…maybe longer. When physical or emotional
tension rises while holding a pose, breath into that
tension, notice it, send love to it, so it feels
safe to release, no matter what may arise.
I suggest taking at least three breaths with your
fullest attention to the tension and then, if
needed, gently release from the posture. If the
tension turns into real pain. This is a warning sign
that your body is sending you to take care and
gently move out of the posture and into a posture
that is comfortable and can allow stillness. Many
find child’s pose or savasana to be good resting
poses. Bring your awareness and attention completely
into your body and breath during stillness is just
as important as doing so during the posture. Moving
into a resting pose will allow the yoga to fully
integrate. Pausing for several breaths after each
pose and noticing is the practice of pratyahara.
Feeling safe to have an energetic or emotional
release. Do you feel safe to cry, growl or laugh
freely in the studio where you study? This is very
important in order to experience the full benefits
of the yoga you are doing. Clearing energetic or
emotional blocks or tensions in the body leads to
healing chronic pain, illness, stress, depression
and more. If you do not feel safe to have a full
experience while practicing yoga, for whatever
reason, you may consider finding a safer place to do
your healing. Find a studio that encourages vocal
releases OR you can have these experiences in a
private Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy session.
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT) is a way to
passively receive yoga body work (very supported
stretches) in a private setting. PRYT therapists are
trained to guide their client through a series of
postures that are physically appropriate and that
fit the clients intention for their session.
Verbalization, sounds, tears and laughter are
welcome. PRYT therapists are trained to hold the
space for anything that arises from the experience
you have within your body.
The role of the therapist is to create a safe space
for emotional and physical release and reflect back
to the client what they hear. This technique is
modeled after Rogerian client centered therapy. The
PRYT therapist has no agenda and simply guides the
client to create their intention at the beginning of
the session, and at the end helps the client
integrate what has surfaced. This integration step
allows the client to feel complete with their
healing process in the moment.
Healing is a step by step process and PRYT moves the
client one step at a time, as the body, mind and
spirit are ready to go deeper and release. PRYT
benefits include, trauma release, deep relaxation
and personal transformation. Clients often leave a
session feeling lighter and further along on their
healing journey to optimal health. One of Prana’s
clients shared that after just two sessions, “I feel
like a new person. I have connected to a new part of
myself.”
Prana shares yoga and yoga therapy at Shelburne
Falls Yoga and throughout the greater
Northampton/Greenfield, MA area. For more
information visit her website at
www.pranaheals.com
Prana
888-253-2114
E-mail:
Brigid Regina Barrett
Website:
www.pranaheals.com
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