Heal All The Facets of You

Asana, or the physical poses, is the West’s favorite aspect of Yoga and one of mine too, having only found Yoga through my own chronic pain. Yoga is also based largely on the five koshas (kosha means sheath/covering of the Soul) with the outermost kosha being Annamaya/the physical body. If there are disturbances in the physical body, it will be hard to access the inner more sheaths–and that is where we want to be as we ultimately make our way towards Anandamaya/the bliss body. My approach to asana is based in the Iyengar tradition. B.K.S. Iyengar was the father of Yoga props such as the blocks, bolster, chair and rope wall. The props allow for focus on alignment and on customizing poses to meet your individual body and needs. Not pushing the body to be like “everybody else” or to prove something, as in some more athletic Yoga disciplines, is something I fiercely believe. Come as you are, this is feel good Yoga that’s about you.

One of the most fascinating elements of Yoga and healing for me is energy, being as though we’re all made up of energy and energy in the broadest sense has the capability to transform in ways that seem to defy logic. I’m trained in Reiki, which is a Japanese system of energy healing. In Reiki I’m basically connecting to universal love and transmitting that through my hands as a warm, healing touch. Reiki can be practiced in person or remotely, even just focusing consciousness towards a person or using a photograph of a person has the same effect. I’m also very interested in the Yogic system of energy which includes chakras (seven main whirling vortexs of energy in the body), and nadis (thousands of energy channels running through the body). There are many approaches to working with these systems from asana to chanting to visualization to colors. You might be surprised how much energy makes sense and how accessible it is to play with in your day to day life.

Relaxation is a broad path and I’ve come to know it by many names– meditation, mindfulness, centering, grounding. The common essence that has emerged for me is taking time to remember we are already whole and complete as we are. One way in I’ve come to love for its ease and effectiveness is Yoga Nidra, a guided meditation practice with nidra translating as “sleep”. Mentioning again the concept of the koshas, Yoga Nidra is one of the only practices believed to help us transcend our outer most layers and arrive directly at the bliss body. It’s very appropriate for modern day as it can be practiced at any time, anywhere, for as briefly as a few minutes. It’s deeply relaxing, a chance to stop doing and just be, great for chronic pain and insomnia, and it simply feels wonderful. Which is another core tenant of my belief system– ease and joy for no reason. We can practice Yoga Nidra in a one-on-one style and/or through audio recordings.

Lastly, sound is hugely inspiring to me and one of the things that most makes me feel joy and aliveness. I am a singer songwriter and love singing and playing my guitar. You may find me infusing this offering into your savasana, alongside crystal singing bowls. I’m also a big believer in the power of your own voice, especially in asserting confidence and power, so we may explore singing and chanting together.