What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy?

What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy? This is a question that I am constantly asked and my answer is always changing. Not intentionally ... not in avoidance of the question ... rather because this modality heals in so many different ways that each session for a given individual is different. So how can words encapsulate something that is ever changing? Suffice it to say that words don't do justice to the experience of either a private session or A Taste of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Workshop. I'll give you my answer, but I'll also offer the perspective of other practitioners.

In case you're wondering about the photos, they depict some of the supported stretches that are done in a private session. Given the group nature of a workshop, they are rarely included in that forum. From the top of the page to the bottom, the photos demonstrate a gentle back bend, a lower back release and a shoulder stretch.

What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy? – Meenal Kelkar, Certified Practitioner, owner Integrative InSight

• An effective means to "Clear Your Mind of Clutter ... Create Room for InSight."
  
• A facilitated moving meditation, that requires absolutely no prior knowledge of either yoga or meditation, where you are encouraged to deeply relax, both physically and mentally, in order to focus inward and gain your own insights into current life situations.
• A holistic session that seamlessly blends Eastern yogic and meditation principles with modern psychotherapy in a healing experience that is the catalyst for personal growth and transformation.
  

What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy? – Michael Lee, Founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (excerpts from Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy website)

• Shortest definition of yoga therapy: a practice or method that produces a "change from one state of being to another state of being that is enhancing."
• "Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is an holistic healing art. It invites presence and awareness, rather than prescribe treatments. Using age-old yogic approaches to deeper presence and awareness we are able to know ourselves more fully. Out of this knowing, we are more easily moved to embrace the opportunity for change, growth and enhanced well being in body, feelings, thought, and spirit."
• "As we struggle to keep up with the hectic pace of our busy lives, we may find ourselves longing for simplicity, inner peace, and deeper meaning, for a way to heal our bodies, our spirits, and our lives. Though at times we look for outside sources to guide us, somewhere deep inside we know that we must slow down, reconnect with ourselves, and listen to our own inner voice. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, through a combination of classical yoga techniques and elements of contemporary body-mind psychology, encourages this deeper connection with self."

What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy? – Wade Morissette, Certified Practitioner (excerpts from 2005 article on www.shared-vision.com)

"Phoenix rising yoga therapy (PRYT) is a body-oriented, non-diagnostic healing modality used to enhance awareness, release emotions, and allow one's body to provide insight into one's life," Phoenix rising yoga therapy was started in 1986, and gets its name from the sacred bird in Greek mythology that symbolizes renewal and rebirth. "The phoenix flies into the flame, through the fire where it transforms, and then rises from its ashes into something stronger, more empowered," says Morissette. "By being courageous with being present in the fire, one can rise and live from a new place of vitality, inner strength, and joy."

• "This type of yoga therapy is unique because it combines elements of yoga and ancient eastern teachings with modern psychotherapy," says Morissette. "Although this work is not a substitute for deeper psychological work with a psychologist, it's usually good for people doing some form of inner work and healing and wanting a more body-centered approach." He says that Phoenix rising yoga offers no diagnosis, no remedy, and no advice. "PRYT offers a loving reflection and safety into one's own being on all levels."
• Morissette says that PRYT is not meant as a yoga class or as technical training for a hatha yoga practice. "In fact, one may not have any yoga experience at all and still participate fully." He says that this yoga therapy is not meant to treat illness, injury, or disease, but is a way for people to listen to their body. Morissette also points out that "sometimes increasing awareness can bring up pain as well as joy, but once this awareness is accepted, that is when action and change can occur."
  

What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy? – Elissa Cobb, Certified Practitioner and Co-Director of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, author of The Forgotten Body: A Way of Knowing and Understanding Self (excerpt below is from "Defining Yoga Therapy?" article)

• "Phoenix Rising is unique in the world of Yoga Therapy for several reasons, two of which seem the most noticeable. While other Yoga therapies are more physically therapeutic, PRYT is more psychologically therapeutic, while still being a body-oriented practice. And while other methods are prescriptive in nature, PRYT relies on empowering individuals to recognize and identify their own abilities to create and enact positive life change from the inside out."
  

What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy? – Soleil Hepner, Certified Practitioner, Group Facilitator & Faculty Member

• "Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT) is based on the belief that, contrary to how so many of us lead our lives, body and mind are not separate, and thus physical and emotional issues are profoundly connected. PRYT combines classical yoga techniques with elements of contemporary psychotherapy to enable you to connect with your body's deep wisdom and to bring insights gained from this experience into action."
• "Whether working with pain that stems from major trauma such as an accident or unexpected illness, or from the recognized strain of chronic stress or self-neglect, yoga therapy offers a powerful, safe and natural path to well-being."