If Knowing Your Right Answer Isn't Enough

What happens if knowing your right answer isn't enough?  You may be asking yourself, "If I have all of my answers, why is it that I have such a hard time following through on commitments that I make to myself - about healthy eating, losing weight, exercising more, or making time to relax? What good is it to have answers when I struggle to follow through on them?" If you have ever faced this dilemma, then you and I are in the same boat.

The underlying problem is that your physical body has been an active participant in every event, emotion, behavior, and experience that has ever happened to you. Believe me, my own rational, educated, analytical mind had a tough time accepting that reality.

Let me share a personal example. When I was about 5 years old, I lost my mother in a crowded mall. Even now, over three decades later, as I describe to someone the emotions, what I saw or couldn't see, desperately looking up and down the aisles for her, all of the details of that experience ... I can feel a growing constriction in my chest and my throat tightening and my heart beat starting to speed up - the usual physical reactions fear. My body was an active participant in that experience. More importantly, my body still is an active participant in remembering that experience. As an adult I don't get frightened if I lose my husband in the mall because I can simply call his cell phone. And yet, to this day, I cannot put my head underwater because I remember the struggle to reach the surface after being pushed into the deep end of the pool. Experiences reside in our bodies and emerge in different ways and under different circumstances.

The exact same experience in your own life may have resulted in a completely different and equally valid reaction. That is to be expected because we are each unique individuals, a product of our history, perceptions and physiology. And yet for each one of us, it brings up the questions, "In what other ways are reactions to old experiences influencing me now? Is it possible that I have unknowingly conditioned myself to react a certain way in certain situations?" The answer to the second question is "yes". The answer to the first resides within you.

Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT) private sessions and introductory workshops are based on the belief that memories and behaviors do not reside exclusively in the brain - rather they are fully integrated throughout the physical body. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy blends Eastern and Western healing techniques into a uniquely individualized experience that fosters deep mental relaxation, in an environment of safety and acceptance. In contrast to workshops, private sessions contain the added elements of customization and deep physical relaxation, as demonstrated by the neck stretch in the photo to the right. It is the combination of deep relaxation and acceptance that empowers the client to follow through on a personal commitment made at the end of each session.

Please check the calendar to find out when and where the next introductory workshop will be held. 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.