Yoga and Recovery

I’m in the middle of reading a fascinating book—The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist who specializes in treating people who have experienced all sorts of trauma. Using recent scientific advances, van der Kolk explores how trauma can literally reshape body and brain and how various embodied activities (meditation, sports, drama, and yoga) can offer paths to recovery. When I was setting up the schedule for this week, it jumped out at me that we’d be practicing on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. I’m sure all of us can remember that traumatic day and how deeply we were (and in some ways, continue to be) affected by it. As you all know, yoga, at its most fundamental level, is about bringing together body, breath, and mind. Even though I’ve been practicing for over 18 years, I am continually reminded of how that union can help us to be fully present with our selves and to engage in the world around us with focus, honesty, and a sense of being fully alive. In that way, yoga not only energizes us, but can provide a pathway for recovery and healing as well. I can’t think of a better way to commemorate a terrible day than with practicing yoga together.

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Yoga Re-Opening

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Something Old/Something New