What is Yoga Fusion Psychotherapy?

An article by one of Therapeutic Approach Health Center staff

Yoga Fusion Psychotherapy is a unique blend of yoga therapy and psychotherapy, uniting together to heal body, mind, and spirit. Like two sides of the same coin, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and Mind/Body Psychotherapy allows clients to view themselves and their lives from many different angles. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is a form of yoga therapy that combines gentle, assisted yoga postures with guided meditation, and body/mind psychology. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy acts a mirror, or more specifically, a magnifying glass, as what we experience on a yoga mat may reflect how we are in life. By using mindful dialogue, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy allows clients to explore and bear witness to their present moment experience in yoga postures, allowing awareness to deepen, insights to arise, and old emotions to release. Clients wear comfortable, loose clothing and work one on one with the therapist on a large yoga mat. No strength, flexibility, or yoga experience is necessary, as clients direct the session and are met wherever they are in the present moment. While Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is mirror for how clients relate with themselves, Mind/Body Psychotherapy provides a mirror for how clients relate with others. As well as using the healing power of the relationship between client and therapist, Mind/Body Psychotherapy encompasses several different approaches. Clients have the opportunity to explore feelings, learn new coping strategies, and problem-solve situations in a safe space that encourages mindfulness, creativity, and spirit. Strategies include mindfulness meditation, Logosynthesis, breathing/grounding exercises, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, journaling, Qigong, play, art, and humour. During the initial assessment, a physical/mental health history is obtained and the different modalities used in Yoga Fusion Psychotherapy are explained in more detail. In subsequent sessions, clients choose whether they want a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy session or a Mind/Body Psychotherapy session, depending on their needs at the time. Sessions are 60 minutes in length and are covered by most private insurance companies.

My Quest for the Real Yoga - by Jacqueline Grant

An article by one of TAYS dedicated students.

I enter the calm yellow studio with a sigh of relief. A few people have already arrived, some are sitting on their yoga mats stretching or chatting softly with their neighbours. Others are collecting props for their practice. I walk over to the shelves to get a block, a belt, and foam to assist me in my poses; the hardwood floor is smooth under my sock feet. For no particular reason I usually end up on the right side of the room, so I place my items close to the wall and roll out my dark blue mat. The end is still curled and I stomp lightly to flatten it out. I sit down, take off my socks, push myself into child’s pose and breathe. I stay here for a few minutes, concentrating on my breathing while the events of the day evaporate from my mind. This is the only time I allow myself to think about nothing. It is a place away from my friends, my family, my boyfriend, my school and my work – a comfortable place full of strangers. When I am ready, I sit up and wait for class to begin. Smiles are exchanged between students in the room as we sit side-by-side on our mats. Maxine, our instructor, walks lightly towards her faded black mat in the centre of the room. She is a petite woman with immaculate posture. Her frosty brown polished toes look like pieces of candy on her bare feet. Maxine’s kind blue eyes, sincere smile, and comforting voice create a relaxing energy in the room. “Welcome everyone. Let me introduce you to your neighbour. Joan this is Patrick, Patrick this is Angela, Angela this is Lauren, Lauren this Jackie…” We all smile and say hello to one another as she introduces the 20 or so people sitting around the room. After warm hellos and smiles are exchanged, class begins as Maxine invites us to stand with our big toes together and our hands at heart and center in prayer position.

Two years ago, my quest for the “real” yoga lead me here to Therapeutic Approach Yoga Studio (TAYS). Despite my previous expectations, being a student at TAYS has inspired me to continue with my practice. I took my first yoga class three years ago at my old gym. It was included in my membership, so I thought it might be fun to try something different than my regular workout routine; different only begins to describe it. The room was mostly used for aerobics classes. Stability balls, hula hoops, dumbbells, skipping ropes, and mats were piled against three of the walls. A large mirror took up the entire wall at the front of the room. The walls, if you could call them that, stopped about four feet below the ceiling, allowing the sounds of men grunting and weights clinking together to carry over into the space. Ten of us were crammed into this tiny make-shift workout room. The instructor was a short plump woman with dark hair and warm brown eyes. As a newcomer I didn’t have a mat so I practiced my poses on the lightly stained hardwood floor. This certainly made staying in position challenging as I was slipping and sliding all over the place. We started with a few sun salutations, a flow of poses that brought us from standing to the floor, then back to standing. I was enjoying myself until we were asked to be birds soaring high in the sky. When I had gone from a bird to a bug in a mere five minutes I knew this class wasn’t for me. I didn’t understand how acting like animals was going to teach me how to hold my body in the air like Madonna. So, I brushed yoga off as a ritual that had nothing to do with strengthening the body.

Although my first yoga experience was far from a success, my cousin Phil Doucette, who is a motivational speaker, encouraged me to try again. He told me it really helped him with his migraines. Having suffered from migraines since I was 10 years old, I was willing to try anything. I signed up for the unlimited student pass at TAYS. For seven months, I took about four classes a week alternating between three different gurus: Maxine, Mike, and Hillary. Each of them helped me find the correct positioning in the poses to relieve the tension in my neck which had been contributing to daily migraines. I could go to a class with a migraine and leave without one – it was magical.

“People think they need to be flexible to join yoga, if you can get someone in for a first class they discover it is fun and non-competitive. They don’t need convincing beyond their first class,” says instructor and owner of TAYS Maxine Munro. She began her first yoga class 10 years ago and it has turned into something very special. “I enjoy the thrill of teaching someone their first class, yoga gets at the physical and the emotional and I assist in bringing that all together.” Yoga is a 5,000 year old spiritual practice which provides moral, ethical, and practical guidelines to encourage a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Pantajali, the founder of yoga, discovered the eight limbs of yoga: Yama – attitudes towards other people and our world; Niyama - attitudes about ourselves, Asana – practice of using and improving the body; Pranayama - practice of using and controlling the breath; Pratyahara - use and self-control of our senses; Dharana - capability to direct the mind; Dhyana - capability to interact with the object of our concentration; and Samadhi - incorporation within the object of our concentration. Each limb approaches a different route to self-realization based on the understanding that human beings can reach this goal through their individual practice. This philosophy of individual practice is emphasized by all of the instructors at TAYS. Unlike many physical activities, yoga is not intended to be competitive. Students are encouraged to listen to their bodies as their teachers offer a variety of levels for each posture. Essentially, an instructor should only make suggestions and assist students in their poses; each student should decide what feels right for them.

Yoga is a difficult experience to describe, as its purpose varies from person to person. Although it can strengthen and tone muscles, reduce stress, control weight, increase flexibility, improve posture, and relieve tension, these are just a few reasons why people remain committed to their practice. Gail McCrea has been practicing yoga at TAYS for about six months and says she enjoys yoga in combination with strength training and cardio. “I like that yoga, in a gentle manner, allows me to both strengthen and stretch muscles. I see an improvement in muscle tone which I enjoy.”

Originally, I was happy to find a solution to my migraines and a form of exercise that toned my body; however I didn’t feel as though yoga was a part of my lifestyle. I wasn’t inspired to practice anywhere but the studio, I wasn’t interested in educating myself on the history, and I wasn’t following an abnormally healthy diet. I would go to bed late and sleep in late, I drank and partied till 5 a.m., and I still enjoyed the occasional barbecued hotdog. The new age world of yoga – magazines, clothing, diets, videos, and music left me cold. My life outside of class was far from what I thought a yogi (a person who practices yoga) should be. One year later, I am beginning to realize there is no right or wrong way to incorporate yoga into my life.

I spent a sunny Friday afternoon sitting with Guylaine Williams, an instructor at TAYS, at a Quinpool Street pub eating lunch and chatting. Fresh from our yoga class we talked about how and where yoga fits into our lives. “You don’t have to buy into every aspect of yoga to get the benefit of it,” Guylaine told me in her matter of fact way. For some people yoga becomes a large part of their lives as they read about it or meditate; for others it may be a class or two a week. The students at TAYS vary, some practice on their own at home while others prefer to practice at the studio during class. “There is no judgment at all; it should give you what you need,” says Guylaine. Not only does this apply to students, but instructors as well. This dark haired, fair skinned, smiley-eyed Northern New Brunswicker incorporates humour into her teaching. In a few short weeks as her student, my insecurities have disappeared. It is wonderful to share this intimate class experience with a room full of people I know little about. While there is potential for uncomfortable situations, Guylaine’s humour certainly puts me at ease among this room full of strangers sweating, detoxifying, breathing loudly, and making strange sounds.

My insecurities are also put at ease by the majority of my classmates being women, but I am continually surprised at the lack of male participation. Many of my male friends have been subject to countless hours of physiotherapy to mend whatever limb or muscle they have injured during their glory years as quarterbacks, defensemen, or point guards. Surely someone has told them how yoga can help their aches and pains? Originally designed for yogis in India, mostly men, who wanted to sit longer and meditate, the westernized version of yoga is dominated by women. “Most men think it is passive, they never think yoga can be physical,” says Guylaine. “Yoga is all about stability and lengthening the muscles, most athletic men are used to being tense and in unstable positions.” Exercising with weights creates shorter, denser muscles, where as yoga produces longer, leaner muscles. Repetitions of arm curls with a 25 lb weight has a very different effect on the body than straightening out the arm to hold yourself up in a plank position. The arm muscles lengthen while holding the weight of your body, therefore providing a challenging workout. In addition to relieving his migraines, my cousin Phil enjoys practicing yoga because, “Yoga challenges me to grow as a person. It encourages me to open my mind, heart and spirit. I can't get that from lifting weights or running. I know that a 'workout' will benefit my health, but it won't make me a better person. My yoga practice constantly pushes me to become a better and stronger person. My yoga practice elevates me.” Many men and women are unaware of the effects yoga has on their bodies and are content to label it as light stretching. This misperception may even keep them from trying a class. Guylaine says, “There is no grey area for men, either they love it or they hate it. If they hate it it’s because their ego gets in the way – same for women.” If you can get past your initial judgments then your practice will offer many positive outcomes. Paul Gorman, a student of Guylaine’s has been practicing yoga for four years “A team I was on had a yoga instructor lead a session as part of one of our practices,” he says. “That introduction made me aware that yoga would compliment and extend my active lifestyle.” Paul told me he wouldn’t just recommend it to his male friends, but to everyone. The non-competitive nature of the practice is even beneficial for children. Individual practice is encouraged; relieving them of the pressure their parents may put on them to “be the best.” It’s one of the few physical activities for kids that isn’t competitive. “[The kids] think it is gymnastics and that’s fine. They flop around and pretend to be trees, animals, and mountains – it is like a story book,” says Guylaine about her children’s class. If kids want to think they are animals to enjoy themselves that’s great – it just didn’t work for me.

Looking back, it has been interesting to see how my reasons for practicing have changed. What was a venture to cure migraines and maintain a toned body has grown into a journey to improve my attitude, my mind, my body, and my health. Maxine says she gets all of her instructors, at their teacher training, to write down why they practice yoga. “You can tell who has more experience. With time, their reasons go from physical to emotional.” Guylaine says her reasons for practicing are varied. “Initially, I began practicing because I needed an alternative to running that offered a cardiovascular workout.” Fifteen years later it has grown into something more, “I love the spiritual, emotional, physical aspects to the practice and what is residual like the feeling of groundedness, bliss, self-love, feminine power, calm, oneness - it goes on and on really.” Individuals begin their practice expecting one thing and as they continue, it turns into something else. It has taken me two years to get into the emotional side of yoga and by choice I wish to explore this area of the ancient practice. As far as the physical side goes, I continue to learn a variety of poses, how they should feel, which ones work for me and those which don’t. I have committed to two classes a week and have recently started practicing at home. Yoga has certainly become a part of my individual lifestyle – and I know this is just the beginning.

I lay on my mat and Maxine invites the class to do any final pose our body desires, “This may be a spinal twist, a bridge pose, or simply pulling your knees to your chest.” I turn my head to the right and let my knees fall to the left while I rest for three breaths, then I switch to the other side, my head turns to the left while my knees fall to the right, another three breaths. This is almost the best part of class, undoing any tension or strain my body may have absorbed during practice. “I would invite you to put on any warm layers you may need to prepare for Savasna,” says Maxine calmly as she circulates the room turning off the lights. Savasna, or corpse pose, is my favorite part of yoga practice. I put on my socks and my sweater, lay back with my arms at my sides, palms up, and let my feet flop away from one another. All I can hear is the faint sound of music and others breathing softly. When I first started coming to class, I used to lay on my mat thinking about what groceries I needed to pick up for dinner, but I now think about nothing as I fall into that comfortable moment before drifting off to sleep. After five minutes of bliss, Maxine says, “Breath a breath into your feet, ankles and toes, your shoulders, arms, and fingers, your chest, neck and ears, your face and scalp.” Following those few final breaths I wiggle my fingers and toes then roll over to my right side for two more. I push myself up and into a crossed-legged sitting position with my hands at my heart in prayer position. The entire class is in a haze as we sit in the darkness on our mats like silent silhouettes of statues. Maxine thanks us for joining her in class, looks at every one of us says, “Namaste” which means “I salute the divinity within you.” As we bow our heads, we all respond in unison – “Namaste.”

The Long Run: Making Your Routine Sustainable

by Mike Munro

Whatever type of program you are doing, making it part of a sustainable lifestyle will determine whether or not you are in it for the long run. If you exercise or practice yoga with too much aggression or ambition, your experience may be short lived, the activity curtailed by injury and/or frustration. We can certainly use goal setting to help plan our activity, but if we are not enjoying what we are doing, our body mind complex will catch on. We will start experiencing obstacles to continuing, and give into them.

There are many ways to making your routine sustainable. One idea to keep in mind is to practice or exercise in a way that makes you want to do it again the next time. In order to do this you may have to relax your ambition a little bit.

Let yourself be a C student: Understanding the Stress Strain Curve with Stretching

My yoga teacher training instructor, Don Stapleton Ph.D. said over and over again that it was ok to be a C student. This might sound suspicious to you but if you look into the physiology of stretching and also cardiac rehab, the percentages of effort here actually make sense. The score of “C” generally means about 60 to 69 % depending on the scale.

If you look at the flexibility of soft tissue, for example the hamstring muscle, there is a certain amount of stress that this tissue can absorb with its elasticity. You can stretch the hamstring muscle by bending forward at the hips with the knees straight. As you first move forward you are in the “tow” region of the stretch where the muscle is not taking any stress. As you bend further forward you start to get an elongation of the muscle and it will start to absorb stress due to its elasticity. Like rubber bands, at some point the muscle will start to tear and eventually break if pushed to far.

If you were to take a rough look at where the point of rupture is, you could say it is beyond 100 percent of the muscles length. So in this case to take a muscle to its maximum length 100 % would be very close to severe damage. In the stress strain curve even at 90 to 100 percent of the curve indicates a region where fibers are actually tearing. If you were try to find the place on the stress stain curve where the muscle is on a stretch but not at risk of injury, it would be around 60 to 70 %.

Stress Strain Curve

What does 60 -70 % of your muscle length feel like? I try to stretch until it feels like an enjoyable sensation in the muscle where you know you are stretching, but you are not experiencing any sharp pains in the muscle. Sometimes the stretch may feel “uncomfortable” in a general sense, like waking up on Monday morning, but there should be no acute pain when you stretch. If you breathe with the stretch you will have a better time with it. Holding your breath in a stretch will tend to make the muscles tighten against the movement, also making you more susceptible to injury.

So next time you are out for a run, doing some stretches or in a yoga class aim for being a C student range. Your body will stay healthier, your muscles will gain more benefit and you will be more likely to return to it in the future.

Michael Munro B.Sc.P.T. is the co-director of Therapeutic Approach Yoga Studio in Halifax est. 1997. He is a registered Physiotherapist and member of the Therapeutic Approach Health Centre which is located at 6156 Quinpool Road Suite 102. The Health Centre offers physiotherapy, massage therapy, naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, chiropractic care, psychotherapy, nutritional consulting and osteopathic techniques.

 

 

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