Yoga Update
It all begins with an idea.
As from tomorrow Tuesday 28 March I will be teaching 2 classes weekly at Heartplace/Home of Yoga Fremantle.
As I have done for many years I teach on Friday morning at 9am and I’ve now added Tuesday morning from 8 - 9.30 a.m.
Both these classes are general Hatha Yoga which are suitable for all ages and body types.
As I myself get older I find my practice of Yoga more and more intersecting with my work as a counsellor and find myself studying articles and books which detail how traditional Yoga practices and philosophy converge with contemporary understanding of physiology and neurobiology and how that can be applied to mental health and particularly to anxiety, depression and even trauma.
As a consequence I find my own practice slowing down even more, more attention to the role of breath and generally a focus on what I think of as mindful embodiment. The world has been a particularly confusing and even scary place the last couple of years and I believe my own mental health, and hopefully my students is best served by using the 90 minutes on the mat as far as possible accentuating the Parasympathetic (rest and digest) side of the nervous system.
Of course its still important to stretch, tone & strengthen the body particularly if your Yoga practice is a one of the main components of your exercise regime. What I’m realising is its possible to have a strong and well rounded practice while staying comfortable and relaxed which results in a feeling of rejuvenation and deep relaxation after class.
In this journey I’m deeply appreciative of the work of Simon Borg-Olivier, whose online trainings I’ve found invaluable, the work of Joanne Lutz who has detailed the use of Yoga for mental health in her book - Trauma Healing in the Yoga Zone in which she coins the phrase - Nervous System Informed Trauma Sensitive Yoga (NITYA). As always I regularly check in with the writings of BKS Iyengar and TKV Desikachar both of whose wisdom is timeless.
Classes are open to all and can be booked through Sydel Weinstein at Heartplace and through the website heartplace.org.au