Before a deep reset, I’ve just put together a couple events for my clients to help us transition into a new year. At times, I will facilitate a group therapy series for some of my folx, but this time was feeling called to create two separate, very special offerings! I’ll be collaborating with two friends and colleagues. Stefanie Smith is a local sound healer, using crystal singing bowls and Beth Horowitz is a trauma-informed yoga instructor.
Yoga is so much more than a workout. Yoga was the first meditation practice. Trauma-informed yoga focuses even more deeply on building mindfulness strategies to notice physical sensations, thoughts and emotions surfacing throughout the practice. The pace is meant to be slow, intentional and very accessible. Props are used to assist the body in achieving the full benefits of each pose, allowing the participant to practice both accepting the nature of their body’s needs and caring for it in a way that produces release and relaxation. There is also an important, challenging opportunity to notice judgmental thoughts that arise when we work to meet ourselves in the present moment despite temptation to compare our experience to others, how it “should” be, perhaps how it “used” to be, etc. The best thing about yoga is that you are always welcome to simply lay down on your mat and take a much-deserved rest too!
What is sound healing? Sound therapy, music therapy, and sound healing are becoming more mainstream. Music has been acknowledged as a resource for healing since ancient times. In our own era, pioneering neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Daniel Levitin has collaborated with academic researcher Mona Lisa Chanda to evaluate the evidence that music improves health and well-being. They have determined that music improves the body’s immune response, reduces stress decreases pain, and enhances personal growth. The vibrations of crystalline singing bowls are specifically helpful for people struggling with anxiety, grief, and post-traumatic stress. The music meditation facilitates deep relaxation as well as a pathway for cathartic release.
May your holiday season and new year be full of rest, restoration and inspiration.