I’ve heard of Yoga but not Yoga Therapy? What is it?
Meet Kate, she’s a Yoga Therapist working at Ebb&Flow Yoga in Farnham. Initially a Yoga Practitioner for 20 years. In 2009 she studied for her first British Wheel of Yoga Foundation course and through this discovered Krishnamacharya (the grandfather of Yoga) and Desikachar, his son
In 2015 she began her Yoga Therapy course. The first 2 years enabled her to become an Advanced Level Yoga Teacher and after a further 4 years a Yoga Therapist. It’s not for the feint hearted, Kate has studied for many years with over 1000 hours of training under her belt.
The main emphasis of Yoga Therapy is to take an individual approach with each person and to apply the tools in a unique combination. This can be done in a group environment as well as a one to one session. It focusses on re-establishing the balance necessary for health and wellbeing. A Yoga Therapist has a deep understanding of how the tools of Yoga can affect and help a person in a holistic way. By using Asana (yoga postures), breathing, mantra, visualisation and meditation so we can create a positive effect.
Kate helps people to become more aware of their patterns of behaviour, initially through self-study, aiming to improve their quality of life. Yoga teaches a lot about how the mind works and the breath is key in understanding and effecting our own minds – we all breathe automatically but when used with thought and direction it can be a highly useful tool.
Kate is currently running workshops and various courses on how Yoga can help Anxiety and Panic Attacks at Ebb&Flow, the yoga studio in Farnham. The workshops, courses and one to one sessions will be helpful for many conditions: Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Phobia and Stress. In order to calm the nervous system and reduce the symptoms of anxiety we need to trigger the Para-Sympathetic Nervous System.
By using postures and movement that aide the exhale, we can move in this direction. When we work with contracting the abdomen and lengthening the exhale we start to create calm within the system. If a person is feeling stressed, a more active practice at first may be appropriate, aiding them to eventually come to a calmer mindset. We can also add mantra, sound and visualisation to increase this effect. One tool used on the workshop will be to internally count the exhale and simply increase its natural length in small countable steps…
‘If you can breathe, you can do yoga.’ Professor T. Krishnamacharya
In recent years, increasing numbers of studies have emerged suggesting that yoga is a very effective therapy for people experiencing anxiety disorders. At some point, everyone experiences feelings of anxiety. From mild nerves to sheer panic, anxiety is a natural response to stressful situations, and one that can help us react appropriately when we are in danger. But for those living with an anxiety disorder, feelings of fear or worry aren’t a rational response to external circumstances – they are a disruptive and dominating influence. Let Kate help you conquer these feelings and beat the dominating emotional reactions.
When is Kate’s Workshop? Yoga for Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Kate’s workshop is at 2.00pm until 4.00pm on the 27th March at Ebb&Flow studio, Farnham.