On the Threshold...

Tentative new beginnings...

Photo by Cats Coming

Practice Yoga with Julia - New Times for Shiva Shakti and Meditation Classes

Mondays September 1:30pm - 3pm - Union Church
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FREE! Monday Meditation on Zoom 7:45 - 8:15pm
Today’s Meditation not running, the next one is on the 4th November
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Shiva Shakti Studio Classes on Tuesdays at 7:30pm and Thursdays 12pm
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Starting on 7th November!
Community Yoga Class - Low-Cost Yoga in St Ann’s Library, Tottenham
More information is here
Please share info about this class with friends or relatives
who find yoga inaccessible for financial reasons.
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Dear Yoga Practitioners,

How are you? It feels like it’s been a while… I’ve been busy since the summer, doing the things that present themselves to be done, each one at a time and sometimes getting sidetracked by YouTube astrology updates (dear Pam Gregory makes much more sense of the world than the news does), tasty herbal lattes, and chocolate…
One day I will give up chocolate, but I think that’s a faraway day.

New Beginnings

I am now certified to practice Yoga Therapy and now embarking on collecting my practice hours for an international qualification in Yoga Therapy (IAYT). In addition to this, I’ve commenced a three-year Yoga Psychotherapy Diploma. It’s groundbreaking, pioneering, inspiring, fascinating, humbling and all-consuming work. Once again, I am throwing myself into the state of “beginner’s mind.”

My Start in Life

Our first module in the IYP Diploma was about the first developmental stage from 0 - 2 years old. This was a tough module for me emotionally. From 0 to 6 months old was the hardest, most traumatic time of my life. Yet, this pre-verbal adversity led me to yoga, to a non-mainstream view of health care and my interest in integrative approaches to chronic pain, chronic illness and chronic fatigue.

Since studying yoga therapy, I’m exploring how, in some cases, these intractable conditions might be related to unmetabolised past traumatic experiences. Some adverse experiences (like my own) may not be consciously recalled, this is certainly the case with pre-verbal or intergenerational experiences.

Attending to Body Sensations is Key to Healing

We now have evidence that the traumatic responses of our ancestors (e.g. lower than usual cortisol levels, aversion to certain sensory inputs) can get passed through the DNA through the generations. This passing of information is an evolutionary, protective mechanism. However, if we don’t attend to the signals from our body that relate to these experiences, we won’t be able to access the resilience that these messages from our ancestors pass on. Most of us repress uncomfortable feelings and sensations and try to “get on with our lives.” However, when we stuff these feelings and sensations down, we can experience other difficulties such as addictions, mental health problems, overwork, anger outbursts, chronic pain, fatigue, stress-related ailments, anxiety, relationship problems and the list goes on.

The Body Keeps the Score

The good news is, that scientists, therapists and body workers are discovering more about how trauma is stored in the body. Bessel van der Kolk has outlined the research in his groundbreaking book called The Body Keeps the Score. Since this book was published there has been more research in the area of trauma. We are now able to understand how trauma is held in the body and encoded in the genes. We also know how we can heal the effects of trauma, by creating safety (Steven Porges’s polyvagal theory is key here) and then rewiring our brain and nervous system.

I agree with somatic abolitionist, psychotherapist and yoga teacher Resmaa Menaken, the author of My Grandmother’s Hands, that this work must be done with other humans. The trend for online yoga and even online therapy is sure to continue and has its place in our healing toolkit. However, we are not able to co-regulate when we practice alone, in front of a computer screen. We need to be in the presence of another self-regulated human, or more than human, with a heart and a nervous system, a being who holds us with empathy and unconditional positive regard, to truly heal.

The Ever-Present Potential for Change

Thanks to the science of epigenetics, we no longer view our genetic code in a deterministic way. Scientists now realise that the environment (both our inner and outer environment) plays a huge role in how our genes express themselves. Neuroscientists used to think that our brains could not grow and change. However, in the last forty years or so we have discovered that quite a few brain structures are neuroplastic, which means they can change in size and activity in response to where we choose to place our attention.

Creating Safety First

Before working directly with the mind and our attention, it is helpful to create a feeling of safety in the body. This is called regulation. A body that feels unsafe, will activate the alarm bell of the brain, the amygdala. When we are in a high alert state, we cannot focus our attention anywhere except on the perceived threat. This activation sets off the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, flee, fawn) and blocks us from accessing the more nuanced thinking arising in the pre-frontal cortex and other structures. Asana is a well-known practice that fosters a sense of settledness and inner strength. That is probably why yoga is so popular these days. We feel the tangible benefits of moving mindfully and after our practice, we tend to feel more regulated and calm.

It is not uncommon to feel less safe in a calm state. Some of us are wary of letting our guard down and trusting that we can be soft, open and relaxed in our bodies, especially in a shared space. How well you can relax in savasana will give you a sense of this. If it is very difficult to let go of muscular tension, or if your mind tends towards rumination, in the relaxation practice at the end of a yoga session, this can be a sign that you are not feeling safe enough to let go. With practice this can change, but if it feels very uncomfortable it can be helpful to explore other ways of finding safety in a one-to-one yoga therapy session.

Self-Regulating and Co-Regulating Yoga Practices

Below I’ve listed a range of yoga practices that are known to be effective when we feel ill at ease, activated, anxious or unsafe.

NB: If you click on the orange links you’ll be taken to another Holistic Yoga Circle article, where I expand upon the practices mentioned… This will give you a sense of the enormous library of articles now present in Holistic Yoga Circle.

Yoga Practices to Create Safety, Calm and Ease

These are all practices that are shared in yoga classes the world over… Seek out these more regulating somatic classes and lean into them during these difficult times.

• Breathing diaphragmatically, slowly and calmly together (pranayama)

• Rhythmic movements like swaying, swinging, bouncing, shaking, undulating, circling and rocking (asana)

• Strong pushing movements activating arms, legs and core strength muscles (core strength, stronger asana)

• Grounding, feeling our connection to Earth, awareness of our edges, self-massage (muladhara chakra, abhyanga)

• Humming, om-ing and resonant sounding (mantra)

• Interoceptive awareness of… breath, movement, sensations, thoughts… (pratyahara) and slowing down (patience - kṣamā)

• Practising self-compassion and compassion for others (ahimsa)

• Having shared ethical principles (yama, niyama)

• Being aware of this moment now, learning how to come out of “auto-pilot” and rumination (meditation)

• Resting in awareness (savasana, yoga nidra, guided relaxation)
  

Evolving from Self-Regulation to Co-Regulation

A balanced yoga practice (ie, not just the fast-paced fitness yoga that is popular today, but a practice that incorporates meditation, pranayama and relaxation) helps us to self-regulate. This means yoga supports us in activating the parasympathetic branch (PNS) of our autonomic nervous system (ANS). The PNS initiates and supports the processes of rest, digestion, repair, immunity and restoration.

When we find calm within, others can rely on us as a settled, safe human being. In this way we can support others to regulate their nervous systems, this is called co-regulation. This is why doing yoga in person with other beings is so important. We humans are communal beings, we are here to hold each other, to teach and learn from each other how to find peace, safety and calm.

Connection and Community is Key

In my opinion, the days of yoga being a solitary practice for men living out in the wilds, are over. Ancient tantrik yoga, in the Kaula tradition (originating in the 5th - 7th Century, Northern India) emphasised the practice of yoga by everyday householders. This tradition welcomed women, and people of all castes, including the so-called “untouchable” caste, to not only participate in but to lead the practices. This was highly transgressive during that era in India. It is this tradition of yoga that I most resonate with, it feels to be the most appropriate for fostering justice and peace in our modern world.

At this moment in time, we need to overcome the isolation and separation that our culture has instilled in us, which was heightened during the lockdowns. Isolation is not good for our mental health. It’s so much more calming to move and breathe with others, so take yourself to an in-person class where you can move and breathe with others. And be sure to have some tea and cake afterwards! As we move through these surreal and momentous times, let’s explore ways to create more peaceful spaces, within ourselves, our homes and our communities.

With love and good wishes,

Julia xx