If you’re struggling with trauma, anxiety, or imposter syndrome, here’s why yoga may be helpful for you:
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Emotions aren't only in our head
People think about emotions as things we notice in our head. But they are stored in our body as well. Telling yourself you are safe right here and right now is vital, but not enough. Pushing through will also not help you get past the anxiety.
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It is more than becoming a pretzel
Poses (asanas) are only one of the 8 parts of yoga. Furthermore, Patanjali’s alignment instruction for asana is “sthira sukham asanam” which means “the posture should be steady and comfortable.” We should be able to comfortably and easily hold poses and not feel uncomfortable or restless. Every BODY is different. Don’t force the pose.
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There are many yoga pose styles
There are many yoga pose styles. Maybe one day a Yin yoga practice (holding each pose for several minutes) is what you need. Maybe one day a more dynamic and strengthening vinyasa flow is what you need. Maybe one day you need centering, asanas, and relaxation Kripalu provides. Maybe one day you need the relaxing poses of restorative yoga. Maybe one day you need to open to awareness and intuition in a Kundalini practice.
Managing the fight/flight with Yoga
On top of any traumas that are stored in our body, we are constantly putting our bodies in fight/flight or sympathetic nervous system domination. It is hard for many of us to gently transition from sympathetic dominance to parasympathetic dominance or rest and digest.
Yoga helps restore the body and mind to a natural calm state. Yoga is derived from a sanskrit word "yuj" which means to join or unite. Yoga is a way to unite the body, breath and spirit in order to bring the rest and digest or parasympathetic nervous system back on line.