Yoga Therapy

In this excerpt from Shira's Yoga Teacher's class, a journey through the five elements, the basis of Ayurvedic principles, and the Koshas, a pillar of Yoga therapy, she explains the functions of the mind and which major contributor causes mental health imbalance. We look at how the left and right brain hemispheres, respectively Ida and Pingala nadi, each has needs, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities which we can affect through the 8 limbs of yoga. Learn why it's so important to check our input and understand how we affect output effectively with a comprhensive practice using mudra, mantra, movement, Pranayama, Pratyahara, mindfulness concentration and meditation. Join the next Yoga Teachers class starting in January

Montserrat G. Mukherjee, C-IAYT yoga therapist and founder of The Yoga Therapy Institute share with Shira, how an injury in a yoga class started her road to yoga therapy. We discuss the importance of the client's story and how we need to adapt and change the practices to evolve our choices according to the person and present reality, how the state of our world reflects our hormonal state, and that following our evolution we will find the solutions. Montserrat shares the wonderful work she, her amazing team and students, do through the Yoga Therapy Institute, and the results of completely adaptive work; if one way doesn't work then we find another way. Leading to life transformative changes, sometimes. The essence of yoga therapy is the person and finding they way for the individual, never giving up, including the environment, and all relationships; food, family, money, work, sleep, and is often the path of the desperado.  Montserrat eludes to an often overlooked link between health and dis-ease as our social connection; love, physical touch and the emotions relationships invite regulating hormonal homeostasis as an important aspect of healing. We talk about the incredible importance of stories and how they connect connect us, the importance of critical thinking when a student to prevent power dynamics. Study with Montserrat Mukherjee at the Yoga Therapy Institute Work with Shira Cohen Uma Dinsmore-Tuli's amazing book - Yoni Shakti Dr. Vasant Lad's book The Yoga of Herbs Blue Zones, Live Longer, Better

Berenice Miles is a certified yoga teacher and therapist, shares her story of, and passion for, yoga, and how helped her overcome PTSD and her eating disorder and sent her on her Yoga therapy quest, with Shira.  Bernice explains meditation is a big part of the healing from eating disorders because living our minds most of the time, we realise we are not our thoughts. How yoga enables a new relationships with others and ourselves; through self-compassion and coming home in the body. We talk about writing books and self-publishing, Berenice's book about busting yoga myths for the beginner so people feel more confident coming to a class. Enabling clients to deal with stress with simple tools and teaching them how to regulate their autonomic nervous system, Berenice, like any good Yoga therapist, empowers the individual. Shifting mind states, self-confidence and esteem, emotions and accepting the good the bad and the ugly of self and life, through specific yoga practices. Work with Shira  FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShiraCohenYoga      YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKSzPo-SCftKExzMp6g0n_w Work with Berenice   FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenseekingcalm   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEAfjOvHTnoYlkJ8C9PoI1g Heather Mason at The Minded Institute Montserret Mukherjee at the Yoga Therapy Institute Yoga Campus Manuela Heider de Jahnsen at Society of Friends

Leila Stuart, certified clinical massage and yoga therapist, passionate pioneer of movement education, and author of the book Pathways to a Centred Body, shares with Shira how an injury led her to yoga as therapy back in the 70s, on a daily basis to keep the pain at bay. Liela reveals how prana is conscious bio-electromagnetic energy, and needs to move through us to affect the quality of our emotions, energetic charge and how that effects physiology. She explains how yoga therapy is a specialised training ensuring client safety and wellbeing through more education and understanding of the body, physiology and psyche, because many different causes can contribute to a specific issue. A guided experiental anatomy practice that empowers. So self-knowledge leads to better habits, relationships and moods. And self-awareness, essential to lead us from unconscious incompetence, through conscious incompetence to conscious competence. The importance of the multidimensional psoas; accessing our interic nervous system, connecting the entire upper body with lower body, enabling us to go deep within both viscerally and emotionally and mentally. And how experience is knowledge and why being present and feeling what we experience leads to self-knowledge and empowered to change their health and wellbeing. We talk about the importance of community and mentorship instead of yoga as commodity. Work with Leila: www.leilastuart.com https://www.yogacampus.com/courses/events-and-continuing-professional-development/pelvic-balance-yoga-therapy-for-pelvic-realignment Work with Shira: https://shiracohen.yoga Mentioned during conversation: Tom Myers Handspring Press

Joanne Spence, a certified Yoga therapist and slow movement maven, M.A. and author of Trauma Informed Yoga- A Toolbox for Therapists, shares with Shira her yoga story. How chronic pain from a car accident, lack of sleep and associated depression led her to yoga classes and becoming a yoga therapist. This podcast is about teaching only what we know, feel and intuitively experienced, how yoga increases our awareness to our inherent strength, power, complexity and adaptable system of our body as the hormonal changes during pregnancy and motherhood raising many issues and energy changes, asking us to be radically accepting of ourselves. Yoga therapy is a specific way to apply yogic practice to our conditions to increase, decrease and change our energy and affecting mental health. Yoga therapists see these as intertwined and can create a customised practice according to individuals needs. Joanne touches on why and how such a small but vital aspect such as movement co-ordinated with breath, changes our physiology, even just standing up! How breathing is a direct access to the nervous system, pathway into releasing tension, reinvigorating our physiological resources , and how yoga trains us to be more tolerant, resilient and be adaptable to different situations. Joanne explains why physiological understanding and scientific language is important, such as; phenomenological reflection- first person experience. We need to know that the practices and results are duplicatable and measurable. These practicalities provide evidence to get programs funded. More of Joanne’s writings and resources are available at www.joannespence.com.

In this beautiful conversation, Evan Soroka, certified yoga therapist and author of Yoga Therapy for Diabetes, shares her broad and deep knowledge and experience of diabetes with Shira and her story of living with it. We talk about the challenges diabetes management entails, how yoga helps self-regulate, promotes autonomy and well-being, and why emotional fitness is vital for diabetes health. Evan explains why glycemic control isn't sufficient to ensure positive outcomes and how yoga is a missing link in the standard of diabetes care. You'll learn about the different types of diabetes, how the doshas are related to the dis-ease process, and practices for supporting blood glucose regulation and energetic balance.  Finally, we end with the essence of yoga and how it can translate into all these different yoga therapies to provide health and essential prerequisite to the actual practice of Yoga. Work with Evan Soroka Work with Shira Cohen

Beth Spindler, a teacher since 1976, has the highest certification in yoga therapy, and shares some of her wonderful wisdom and fun, muttley and varied tools for fear relief with Shira. She's also written Yoga Therapy for Fear, Treating Anxiety, Depression and Rage. We talk about the benefits of integrating different yoga traditions, such as Iyengar, flow, viniyoga and power yoga. Finding the right teacher or teaching that resonates with us as we grow, and finding our own voice as a teacher, and adding things out that are off the beaten path into our toolbox. How taking yoga therapy into the home is real because you can use what's in the home, instead of buying more expensive stuff. Beth gives us buckets of practices, first starting with something she learned from the Sri Vidya Tantra, which works directly on the vagus nerve, calming the mind through physiology, instead of wresting with the indominable mind. She decribes how the vagal nerve cradles our organs and working with it is the easiest way to access relief from fear quickly. We discuss how the doshas, Vata, Kapha and Pitta, correspond to anxiety, depression and rage. And fear underlies all these as traumatic responses to stressors. Here are a few of her interesting articles; - A Short Practice to Help During a Panic Attacks - Screen Apnea What it is and How Breath Work can Help  Work with Beth Spindler Work with Shira Cohen

This week a quick announcement; Due to professionnal changes I'm changing weekly podcasts to bimonthly for the next few months, until more certainty and time manifests. Posture is affected by muscular imbalances due to sedentary lifestyle, compounding our already compromised bodies and nervous systems. This practice improves posture, activates and strengthens core stabilizers to lift up the pelvic floor, massage internal organs, relieving our spine and supporting our central nervous system; beloved Uddiyana Bandha. Work with Shira

Dijan, certified yoga teacher, therapist and classical Tantra teacher, and Shira talk about how getting ill and finding the tools of yoga therapy, Ayurveda and the East, are sometimes the only means to heal from deep rooted imbalances and issues. We discuss the importance of the mentor/therapist and deep connection fostered to plant the seeds for healing to occur, even if the fruits come months, years and decades after the meeting. How the intake is vital to understand which layers of being need softening, clearing, strengthening or bolstering, how many, or all aspects of life need to be looked at, and specifically addressed with a programme of tools and teachings that creates structure and healthy life habits. Creating self-awareness and adapting to cater to the individuals needs, yoga therapy creates programmes easy do to, so changes are seen within the first few sessions to begin with. And the importance to self-care and self-love through. Dijan also shares her extensive knowledge and experiences of the teachings of the Great Ten Goddeses, Dasa MahaVidya. And learning to work with our shadows, emotions and our darkside. Tantric Shivoham School

Niya Bajaj, trauma sensitive yoga therapist, and Shira talk about eating issues, body dysmorhpia and the underlying causes being very deep rooted in patriarchal socities. Niya shares her story of growing up with Ayurveda and Vedic studies at home with her family, how her undiagnosed hyper mobility led to chronic pain, anxiety and eating issues.How taking up space, social anxiety and eating conditions are often connected to wanting to be unseen. We talk about how knowing more about anatomy, fascia and biomechanics makes us better teachers as well as making safety and accessibility priorities and possible as teachers. Trained in trauma informed yoga and yoga therapy for deliberate tools and practice; more body awareness, self-agency and a sense of power and control, leading to a better relationship to self. We discuss the importance of food habits and sensual awareness of enjoying food.  Niya explains the different kinds of trauma, the levels of intensity of our trauma and therefore our disassociation or reactivity. We talk about the importance of relationship, connection and association by reconnecting individuals to our interconnection, instead of individualism and separation. And seeing our oneness as the essence of ourselves and life as a means to healing. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holisticyogatherapist/ Website: http://www.nblife.ca/ Email (for sessions): niya.bajaj@gmail.com

Jennifer Spofford, yoga therapist specialising in trauma, chronic pain and embodied awareness coach, and Shira Cohen talk about shifting mindsets and energetic states through yoga therapy, embodied awareness and gentle breath and movement work. We talk about grounding, why it's important and how it facilitates feeling centred even when the ups and downs in life seem overwhelming, and finding more moments of connection and calm, or even joy. Jennifer talks about her different trauma informed work to self-regulate by noticing when things are off, and create homeostasis with the tools of shaking, dancing and releasing tension.  To work with Jennifer or Shira Trainings  The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma with Bessel Van Der Kolk

Deniz Aydoslu, author, certified yoga teacher and therapist, and Shira Cohen, talk about how purpose and our story is essential to finding meaning and helps us build a bridge out of old patterns of stuckness. Deniz loves thinking outside of the box and redefining the constructs of health and dis-ease, and how learning the tools of self-care and support as an art can be woven into our culture and education systems. We look at how yoga therapy and bodymind work is crucial for moving out of depression through emotional wellbeing and mental health, and how moving with the body and senses has deep effects on both our thoughts and feelings. Deniz shares how depression is an invitation to re-examine our lives and is a transformational process. We discuss how emotions are energy in motion that need to move through us as emotional expression. And the root cause of our depression epidemic is emotional illiteracy and suppression affecting our physiology. Books mentioned in the show; Messages From the Deep - Deniz Aydoslu It's Not Always Depression - Hilary Jacobs Hendel Do Less - Kate Northrup

Sharon Greenspan, international speaker and health coach, certified yoga therapist, and board certified holistic health practitioner, shares her story and powerful work with Shira to empower people to move out of dependency. Sharon takes us through a practice to show how to move out of discomfort, and the fastest way to move out of acute anxiety attack is engaging the five senses to get back into our body when we dissassociate.  We talk about energy, breath, physiology, neuroenergetics,  the water in our body as a conduit for electricity and energy. How coaching and talking through to challenege beliefs, mindsets and patterns of self-perception. Sharon's Website: www.sharongreenspan.com Book: https://www.amazon.com/Eating-Your-Way-Health-Workbook/dp/0983008701 An article about PTSD (it's not just for veteran's): https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/ Folks can join my FB group: Sharon's School for Healthy Living https://www.facebook.com/groups/SSFHL or just friend me  https://www.facebook.com/wildsuccess   - be warned there might be pictures of the amazing sunsets we get in Tucson!

Susi Wrenshaw, Yoga therapist specializing in mental health, trauma and attachment, shares with Shira her story, work and passion to use various tools and techniques supporting people to heal from trauma naturally through knowledge, experience and methods that help the mindboy recover. Susi explains why the body is important in healing trauma, how breath influences body, nervous system and mind, and why understanding and using vagal tone shifts our patterns. Shedding light on how and why people with trauma find it hard to feel, recognise and verbalise their emotions, and how safety is the essence for healing. Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory - 'Safety is the absence of the threat, but the presence of connection.' Susi's Website: https://www.traumatherapymanchester.com/ Recent article in Yoga Therapy Today (the IAYT magazine) https://www.traumatherapymanchester.com/yoga-therapy-in-the-nhs Training courses: https://www.traumatherapymanchester.com/train-with-us YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFaldRma_Jl1fg2AZGPb7sg?view_as=subscriber Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traumatherapymanchester Twitter: https://twitter.com/TherapyMcr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traumatherapymanchester/

Rosemary Holbrook joins Shira to talk about yoga therapy for trauma, resilience, addictions and unhealthy relationships. The importance of emotional and body awareness as the way to heal unresolved trauma by dealing with underlying feelings, fears, beleiefs and memories. Rosemary passionately shares her evidence based knowledge and research, blending science and eastern philsophy seamlessly. She's transparent about her story and what led her to yoga therapy, her investigative mind searching for answers to prove what most yoga teachers and therapist experientially know and feel.  Explaining what trauma informed yoga is, and what essential basics we can apply in any space to facilitate a sense of safety and self-agency for students and clients. Last but not least, this young woman explains how Vedic astrology can help us when we seek  meaning in our lives and stories. Books mentioned- * Waking the Tiger, Peter Levine * The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk   Article on the difference between yoga therapy and general yoga.

Karen Klenner, registered Yoga therapist and author of Healing from Divorce, and Shira are happy to connect after being partners in yoga therapy training at the Enlighten Events. Karen shares her story of divorce and how there wasn't any resources to help her heal, so she wrote her own. We discuss how yoga therapy is different from yoga classes, effective and individualised by 'bridging', a vital part for connecting with clients and facilitating their inclination to accept therapy, and initiate their own process to living well. Karen's new passion for Sound Showers, alleviating stress, anxiety, high BP, immune function and calms the nervous system. Learning with Avishai Barntan, Karen ends with a short sound shower practice to clear the mind and enter a state of no-mind, Unmani. Enjoy! And be with you in August!

Shira and Jeanette Sealy talk about the many ways Yoga therapy facilitates all the liminal spaces and phases of our life, such as death, birth and sex. Resolving the unresolved as a way to heal and surrender to relief suffering. We talk about being a single mother and our guilt, women's journeys to self-love, self-compassion and the rise of the feminine, care-taking, attending to our tender moments, to raise better children, and creating a better world. "Healing is an experience of awareness, which doesn't mean there isn't suffering, it means we live in a conscious way with it." Documentary about the magic of music for mental health- Alive Inside Jeanette Sealy's Yoga Teacher Mentorship Jeanette's Yoga Family Retreat Article on Dementia

Carol Krucoff, Yoga therapist and author of Relax into Yoga for Seniors offers trainings for Yoga teachers wanting to wark safely with seniors, talks with Shira about how yoga can help us age well, prevent falls, become more aware and enhance proprioception. Carol shares some of the most common postures leading to injuries when teaching yoga to older bodies, the effects of aging on the spine, tissues and heart, and what precautions are essential to make yoga safe and aid functionality and enhance quality of life. Teaching Yoga to Seniors Online Training: https://www.teachingyogatoseniors.com Yoga for Seniors:  www.yoga4seniors.com YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6v3gr18ItFfg-bagQC-eQ Chair Stand Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_BNJiL5ZoE&t=108s

Today Shira talks about what yoga therapy is, which tools are used, relationships, support network, life meaning, work, lifestyle and occupational effects are all taken into consideration. We look at how a session starts with a broad, as well as deep, in-take, taking time to get to know the person makes it different from other modalities, and therefore effective. We also look at how a training integrates many important aspects of being human, and how all these layers need consideration to effectively help each individual.

Managing my depression and anxiety since age 15 with Yoga, meditation and breathing, postnatal depression involved Ayurvedic guidance to accommodate new lifestyle patterns. Working with our layers of biology, physiology, mind, emotions and psychology, Yoga therapy can help shift depression, anxiety and trauma. We can do many things to alleviate our biological responses to the adversities of our current life. Reducing physical, physiological, emotional, mental and psychosocial stress.  Included is a short practice to shift biological health and energetic stance. The article Depression, Anxiety and Biological Health has more tools and tips how to manage, self-regulate and eventually shift our state.