What Can I Expect In A PRYT Session?

A Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT) session is a private, individualized, customized one-on-one experience designed to help you quiet your mind and look inward. Sessions blend Eastern and Western healing techniques into a unique experience that fosters deep mental and physical relaxation, in an environment of safety and acceptance. It is the combination of deep relaxation and acceptance that encourages your right answer to surface. But often, simply knowing is not enough to act on that answer. Again, it is the combination of deep relaxation and acceptance that physiologically, psychologically, emotionally, and intellectually empower you to follow through on the personal commitment made at the end of each session. Your right answer and commitment come from deep within your integrated self.

The photos on this page are examples of stretches that may be done in a session. Sessions are customized to support what your unique needs are at the time of each session. Sessions always start with preliminaries and centering and then end with integration ... everything in-between simply unfolds as you explore without expectations.

Sessions with new clients last for one-and-a-half hours. Clients who have had multiple sessions can make prior arrangements with me for a one-hour session. Rates will be scaled according to the length of the session.

Clients are encouraged to wear loose, comfortable exercise clothing and to refrain from eating a heavy meal for about an hour before a session. Sessions are generally conducted on-site, but can be done at the client's location of choice for an additional fee.

All sessions follow a prescribed structure:

Preliminaries - Your opportunity to share with me what caused you to pursue having a session. During this time, we will agree on some guidelines for the session that ensure a collaborative, meaningful experience. I will also use this time to review and discuss your Client History Form to make sure I am aware of any conditions that I need to consider during the session. This entire step is significantly condensed with repeat clients.

Guided Centering - I will guide you through a process that allows you to observe what is present in your life and body at the time of the session. At the end of the process, I will ask you to share with me what you noticed.

Problem Definition - Based on what shows up during your Guided Centering, I will ask you to define how the session can best support you. Answers can range from the specific to the more general, as outlined in these examples:

• "I find myself in this frustrating pattern with my girlfriend. I want to explore if there are other ways to approach this issue that I have not considered. "
• "I have two career options on the table right now and want to explore which one to pick. "
• "My husband has to decide whether to get surgery or not. Every little thing I say seems to set him off. I want to know what else I can do to support him in making his decision. "
• "I just want to relax, let go and feel more connected. "

PRYT sessions are most effective when the defined problem relates to something observed during the Guided Centering, rather than something that was bothering you when you called to schedule the session, but is no longer as urgent at the time of the session.

Body of the Session - There are three elements that I use in tandem to facilitate a deeply relaxing, inward focus for the client:

• Supported Stretches - During the session, I will ask you to either lie on your stomach or back, or find a comfortable kneeling, seated or standing position. From there, I will use my body to move and support you through a series of stretches. Stretches are customized to support exploration of your defined problem, and are individualized to support your unique range of motion. This is not a "no pain, no gain" situation! All stretches can be adapted to avoid discomfort, especially if you have difficulty being on the floor. It is critical to stay within your range of motion because your muscles will not completely relax if they are under any strain. I use my own body, along with blankets and pillows, to fully support your body where it wants to be. During the course of a session, clients often find that a stretch will deepen as the muscles slowly relax.
• Breath Focus - You do not need to do anything special with your breath, other than to relax and focus on it, without trying to change it in any way. In conjunction with the supported stretches, all of the clutter that routinely fills your mind begins to fade away, and an inward focus is established, seemingly effortlessly.
• Dialogue - I will encourage you to explore verbally what you are experiencing in the moment, in an atmosphere of safety and acceptance. At no point will I offer you advice or criticism or try to steer you one way versus another. The beauty of the dialogue is that it reflects what is present within you and flows in completely unexpected directions. Clients often comment that the process of verbalizing the most obvious thing noticed (i.e. "That stretch feels good") allows them to notice other, more subtle things that are happening.

From this place of deep mental and physical relaxation, wide-ranging experiences can occur for a client during the session. Experiences can include physical sensations in parts of the body not being stretched, seeing colors and images, sensing temperature changes, release of emotions and having old memories surface. It is the unconditional acceptance of the experience that often leads to personal insights.

I'll provide a personal example from my own sessions of how the techniques work in tandem - I frequently have difficulty physically relaxing enough to allow my practitioner to move my body without trying to help her, even though I know what to expect in the session. Through the dialogue and the breath focus, I became aware of my tendency to do that. My personal insight or observation is "Where else in my life does this tendency show up? What would I need to let go, to fully allow someone to do something for me? How could my life change?" In the absence of those techniques, I would have simply focused on the physical sensation, similar to what happens to me during a massage.

Integration - Each session ends with a process that helps you to focus on which personal insight you want to take home from the session and to create a customized action step designed to bring your insight forward into your life. Action steps need not be complicated nor repetitive in order to be effective.

Please refer to Yoga Therapy Frequently Asked Questions for more clarification. While I've tried to be comprehensive in the FAQ, it is quite possible that I have missed something. Please contact me if any questions arise which are not answered here.

I schedule private sessions during the "Available for Private Yoga Therapy Sessions" slots noted on the calendar. Be aware that the calendar reflects my general availability on a weekly basis, but does not reflect sessions I have already booked. Please contact me if you would like to schedule a session.