Yoga & Psyche

Have you noticed that no matter how many times you chant a mantra or how often you return to the breath, relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, and other self-defeating behaviors persist? Learning to use your yoga practice to work with psychological issues and trauma stored in the body is a necessary skill if you want to optimize your psychological and spiritual transformation.

Through a combination of depth somatic psychology, trauma research insights, light yoga asana, meditative techniques, and partner exercises, you learn:

• Why psychological work is relevant to yoga practice
• Somatic psychotherapy techniques that allow you to perceive and intelligently process trauma and emotion in the body
• How to do “emotional adjustments” during yoga practice
• How to cultivate self-love and self-acceptance for all parts of yourself

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be better able to: 

• Articulate the significant findings of contemporary trauma research
• Identify how trauma and emotion is stored in the body
• Analyze the relevance of somatic psychology for yoga practice
• Practice applying emotionally-based adjustments to yoga practice
• Design applications of these techniques for various helping professions
• Assess the benefits of psychologically-integrated yoga techniques

No previous yoga or psychological experience is necessary to benefit from this workshop. New and experienced yoga students and teachers learn to skillfully address psychological challenges unique to the Western psyche. Therapists and those interested in psychology discover how to use yoga in their personal lives and private practices with their clients.