8-week Yoga Therapy course for the Mind. The benefits explained, part 2.
The word ‘Yoga,’ means union, connecting to our true essence and having a healthy relationship with oneself enables us to connect with others.
One of the aims of the 8 week yoga therapy course for the mind, is to teach clients to become more self-aware by understanding their bodies (psychoeducation). Give them resources to self- regulate to empower action in looking after oneself (self-efficacy). Yogic and mindfulness techniques on the course support establishing this relationship with the mind - body, through bringing back connection and balance with oneself.
“We are dangerous when we are not conscious of our responsibility for how we behave, think, and feel.”
- Marshall B. Rosenberg.
Week 1 – Bringing down the breath
This week, we will learn to elongate our exhale and understand the relationship between breath and mood.
Did you know that the breath has a pattern?
In this session, we want to notice how the body responds to new movements, and gaining an understanding of what the body is feeling will allow us to settle and be present.
The breath also allows us to be present, using the Ujjayi breath, which is also known as ocean breath, releasing tension through sound and belly breathing. This practice centres our focus, drawing our attention inward instead of on distractions in our environments while toning the Vagus nerve.
The Vagus nerve is part of the autonomic nervous system and responsible for emotional regulation, social connection and even the fear response. The Polyvagal theory suggests that toning this nerve by using breathing practices sends messages to the brain that we are in a safe, relaxed situation. Anxiety can cause a racing heart (palpitations), and this practice will reduce the heart rate so we can feel calm.
Do you feel safe within yourself and your environment?
This is your perfect starting point, as it is easier to modify breathing than our thought processes. It is important, to relieve us of constant rumination by slowing down our thoughts. We will feel more energised and become more present.
So let’s take a moment together!
Week 2 – Steady and smooth
This week, we will learn how to inhibit a sense of steadiness in the breath, to create steadiness in the body.
We all are looking for true stability and strength from within to endure our hectic lives.
Feeling emotionally steady can be hard to achieve, it is okay to struggle, because it's fair to say we all do. Depression and anxiety can really rock us, we can start to feel unstable, and spiral into a place where there is more of a struggle to bounce back.
Together we can become more mindful and empower ourselves through the development of smooth breathing. Notice your current mood, energy levels and quality of your thoughts, what is your body and mind trying to tell you? We will learn how to tune into this intuition.
Breathing in a smooth rhythm fully stimulates our sympathetic feedback system especially with the Kapalbhati breath. This is necessary for proper emotional regulation.
For example, if we feel nervous our sympathetic system takes over and puts us in flight or fight mode, giving us the energy to tackle the situation. Once we have returned to a calm state the parasympathetic system becomes activated. In a state of anxiety our emotions can become overwhelming in-turn impacting the regulation of the body.
So how can we balance this? Using the breath and body practices from this week, we develop stability we can respond to these emotions with inner strength and regain control of the situation.
How would you describe your breath at this moment? short/long/shallow?
Week 3 – Finding space
This week, we want to find ways to create space in the mind and alleviate the feelings of MENTAL STUCKNESS.
Can you note a time in the past week when you have felt either restricted or spacious, physically, mentally or emotionally
Here we want to remind ourselves to slow down, keeping the body open and as relaxed as we can. Spaciousness can be achieved through mindfulness, breathing, improved posture and even stretching.
Creating sound by humming, chanting, singing helps our energy to be centred and creates a feeling of wellness through the entire mind-body due to a release of hormones such as oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. When we are tense, our Chakras (energy points in the body) can become blocked, so finding space and unblocking them will lead to a release. Start at the bottom and move upward through your body.
If we are hunched over, it tells the body that we are nervous and potentially in danger, sending the wrong messages to the brain. So sustain an open body while participating in our sound practice.
This awareness produces regulation and lets the brain establish healthier physiological and psychological pathways, again creating safety. When we are anxious we can feel as if there is a lack of mental space, like we have no capacity left to cope with all our overwhelming emotions.
We do have space, we just need to find it again, feeling open mentally and physically will allow us to face our problems with more confidence, to take advantage of opportunities in front of us.
Week 4 – Grounding
This week, we will learn how to physically and energetically ground ourselves to become present in the moment again.
Grounding is a self-soothing skill to use when you are having a bad day or dealing with a lot of stress, overwhelming feelings, and/or intense anxiety.
We will explore the relationship between a sense of stability and a sense of control, through regaining contact between the body and the ground. Practising mindfulness in this way allows inner connection to develop through attention towards ourselves.
Remember you are the priority, forget the rest of the world, for now.
This week's activity is yoga nidra (yogic sleep), it is a guided meditation of noticing all our points of contact with elements of visualisation to help reduce intense feelings by developing deep relaxation.
Regular mindfulness practice can change our perspective on situations we are in. There are thousands of sensory receptors in the human body which are responsible for converting energy from our external environment into internal electrical impulses. So producing calm energy through mindfulness means we will exude peace from within.
“When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.” - Epictetus
Week 5 – Body Sensations
Did you know that our thoughts create emotions and body sensations? The mind and body are not separate, we are one system. This week we learn how this relationship works by observing the sensations in the body. So we can understand what needs to change to improve our mind-body relationship.
Focusing on these sensations means our attention is focused and we are present. Concentrating on the body quietens the mind automatically. This strong concentration can cause direct physical reactions due to the activation of the sympathetic systems.
For example, if we are nervous we can feel a twinge in our stomach, and if we feel safe we feel warmth in our stomach, this is because the sympathetic system is directly connected to our abdominal region.
This week's activity is a body scan, where we are guided through our bodies, noticing but not judging the sensations active in that space.
Here is some neurobiology: this scan induces full physical awareness, this is shown by our body activity in our prefrontal cortex and insula slowing down, which suggests that our emotions are being experienced effortlessly with no judgement.
When we become exhausted by our thoughts, we subconsciously cut our minds off from our bodies to protect ourselves. So being able to focus on one sensation at a time is important to understanding our physiological and psychological landscape.
Week 6 – Movement in the Mind
This week, we will learn that self-awareness practice allows us to see through our anxious thoughts that are hijacking our attention and energy.
Do you find your thoughts drifting towards the past or future a lot?
A journey of mindfulness, allows us to understand our subconscious more, it can be developed through noticing where the mind is.
This week's activity is a walking meditation that allows us to slow down and pay attention to how the mind works. Concentration helps you stay more in tune with your body and in the present moment.
Our sympathetic systems put us in a high state of arousal and if this energy is not used it can become stuck in our system and excess cortisol can make us feel agitated. Practising walking meditation uses up this energy to find a state of calm.
When we are in a state of constant mental and physical tension it can be draining, so altering our mental patterns can cause regulation towards more positive feelings, we can source strength from within to be in control.
Week 7 – Mental Labelling
What do you notice happens to your body when you become lost in your mind?
The mind is trying to constantly imagine the past or plan for the future, it can cause a feeling of doubt and potentially lead to a lack of trust in ourselves.
Addressing your type of thinking can allow you to control it. Using a pen and paper to do this, can give you clarity and doing this regularly will help you identify what your mental norm is.
Do you know what your mental norm is?
This week's mindfulness activity is seated meditation, which teaches us to regulate and be tolerant of ourselves. It makes us more attentive to what feelings occur at any given moment in a non-judgemental way.
Allow yourself to self-evaluate and change your mindset and in the long-term your mental health.
When we are in a state of permanence, we start to lose faith in ourselves, but becoming psychologically and physically present in the moment again will allow for a sense of clarity to be regained. We all know the future is unknown and nerve-wracking, so focus and make decisions now, you can be in control of this moment.
Week 8 – Finding the pleasant
“Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behaviour and relationships.” - Travis Bradberry.
This week, we will learn to accept and live with our potentially unpleasant thoughts and feelings.
The pleasant can be hard to find, but make it simple, for example identifying a sensation, a single feeling, thought, or memory, anything that brings you JOY!
The activity this week is Metta meditation or loving kindness meditation using phrases to help you recognise and repeat positive thoughts and emotions,
The practice of loving kindness helps you to manage your stress and even panic attacks, as you are shown ways to be happier in the ups and downs that you endure in life.
It enhances attention and optimises positive thoughts and emotions, so we can cultivate empathy and compassion towards yourself and others.
If we are in a state of suppressing feelings and not expressing them, then we cannot find peace. Allow emotions to surface and gain a sense of optimism again.
Your mental health symptoms will become less intense as the parasympathetic system will be activated due to the induced calmness. The repetition of this practice will mean you are less reactive and less stressed more frequently.
Allow also self-efficacy, listen to doubts that may arise and use them to your advantage.
References:
The Vagus nerve, Howland, R. H. (2014). Vagus nerve stimulation. Current behavioural neuroscience reports, 1(2), 64-73.
The Polyvagal theory, Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation (Norton series on interpersonal neurobiology). WW Norton & Company.
Kapalbhati breath, Stancak Jr, A., Kuna, M., Vishnudevananda, S., & Dostálek, C. (1991). Kapalabhati--yogic cleansing exercise. I. Cardiovascular and respiratory changes. Homeostasis in health and disease: international journal devoted to integrative brain functions and homeostatic systems, 33(3), 126-134.
Sympathetic system, Kemp, A. H., & Quintana, D. S. (2013). The relationship between mental and physical health: insights from the study of heart rate variability. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 89(3), 288-296
Chakras, Shums
ky, S. G. (2005). Exploring Chakras: Awaken Your Untapped Energy. Motilal Banarsidass.
Energy points, Johari, H. (2000). Chakras: Energy centers of transformation. Simon and Schuster.
Yoga nidra, Parker, S., Bharati, S. V., & Fernandez, M. (2013). Defining yoga-nidra: traditional accounts, physiological research, and future directions. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 23(1), 11-16.
Regular mindfulness, Kerr, C. E., Sacchet, M. D., Lazar, S. W., Moore, C. I., & Jones, S. R. (2013). Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 7, 12.
Body Scan, Kerr, C. E., Sacchet, M. D., Lazar, S. W., Moore, C. I., & Jones, S. R. (2013). Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 7, 12.
Neurobiology, Damasio, A. R. (1999). How the brain creates the mind. Scientific American, 281(6), 112-117.
Walking Meditation, Silananda, S. U. (1995). The benefits of walking meditation. Bodhi Leaves, 2-21.
Present Moment, Farb, N. A., Anderson, A. K., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., & Segal, Z. V. (2010). Minding one’s emotions: mindfulness training alters the neural expression of sadness. Emotion, 10(1), 25.
Seated meditation,Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on psychological science, 6(6), 537-559.
Self-evaluate, Hariprasad, V. R., Varambally, S., Varambally, P. T., Thirthalli, J., Basavaraddi, I. V., & Gangadhar, B. N. (2013). Designing, validation and feasibility of a yoga-based intervention for elderly. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(Suppl 3), S344.
Metta meditation, Hewage, L. G. Benefits of Metta. Colombo, Ceylon: Middle Path International,[nd].
Compassion, Freshman, C. (2018). Judging and mindfulness: How to use mindfulness to improve judging and reduce bias. The Judges' Book, 2(1), 14.
