My personal yoga practice began 14 years ago, out of an interest in increasing my flexibility and preventing injuries, without knowing the depth and breadth of what I was getting into at all. It was several years before I became committed to my own yoga practice, and began to deepen my study of asana (physical yoga postures), meditation and yoga philosophy. Gradually I began to experience how yoga could support me mentally, physically, and spiritually. I began to listen to and experience my body in an entirely new way, to see and experience it as a wealthy resource of knowledge, information, and support. I started to see the inherent connection between my thoughts, feelings, and sensations, and how yoga could help me work with all of them in a way that allowed me to be more present, accepting, and compassionate. I began to learn new, foundational tools for dealing with my life in a way that allows me the opportunity to show up fully for whatever is happening. I have more options and choices all the time for how I want to respond to my own internal experience or to the world around me. My relationship with myself and others has benefited tremendously from yoga, and for all these reasons I continue to study and practice regularly.
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Began studying and practicing yoga in 1996
- Ashtanga Yoga 200-hour Teacher Intensive with Richard Freeman, 2002
- Art of Yoga Weekend Intensive with Kristin Laak, 2003 and 2004
- Created Therapeutic Yoga Program for the Eating Disorder Center of Denver, 2004
- Advanced Yoga Teacher Intensive with Richard Freeman, 2008
- The Truth Within: A yoga class for people recovering from food and body image issues, offered at The Yoga Workshop in Boulder, CO. in 2010
Yoga can be an excellent complement to psychotherapy, as the awareness one builds through the body in yoga is parallel to the awareness one gains of thoughts and feelings through therapy. When the best of both are utilized, and awareness of physical, mental, and emotional patterns are explored, the possibilities for change, empowerment, and freedom are great.
Depending on my client’s interest and the therapeutic value, we can incorporate yoga gradually into our work together. For a client who has a strong yoga background, there is already an established ground to work from. For a client new to yoga, it is possible to incorporate some basic yoga principles into a therapy session, which may involve simple breathing patterns to cultivate calmness or to increase energy, or working with thoughts and feelings mindfully and without judgment. It is also possible to explore some basic postures for addressing anxiety and depression, or to increase body awareness. This would naturally be a collaborative process between my client and I, always following my client’s comfort level and interest.
