Slow Flow vs. Restorative Yoga: Which One Is Right For me?
Slow Flow Yoga; Restorative Yoga; Trauma-Informed Yoga - which is which and which one is right for me?
Polyvagal Theory 101
Polyvagal Theory (originally outlined by Dr. Stephen Porges and studied by Deb Dana) provides a map of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), defining how this system shapes experiences of safety and impacts our ability for connection. The stories you tell about yourself about who you are and how the world works begin in the ANS.
Feeling the Pain of the Earth
I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling overwhelmed by the climate crisis recently.
Understanding Trauma, Part 4: Healing
Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., one of the leading voices in the field of trauma and the author of The Body Keeps the Score, writes, ““Trauma, by definition, is unbearable and intolerable.” However, his research also shows that healing is possible. Specifically, van der Kolk describes three avenues for “help[ing] survivors feel fully alive in the present and move on with their lives.”
Understanding Trauma, Part 3: The Effects of Trauma
As we’ve been exploring, trauma has a significant and distinct impact on the body, mind, and emotions. Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., one of the leading voices in the field of trauma and the author of The Body Keeps the Score, writes that “Trauma…almost always makes it difficult to engage in intimate relationships…affects the imagination…It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.” Trauma can impact our ability to make decisions, access rational thought, create, play, and feel fully alive.
Understanding Trauma, Part 2: Stress and Trauma
Trauma is defined not by the event(s) that happen to us, but by the response our nervous system has to those events (if you missed Part 1, check it out to learn more about the function of the nervous system). By this definition, what is experienced as traumatic for one person may not be experienced that way by another. To understand this, let’s break down the difference between stress and trauma.
Understanding Trauma, Part 1: The Mind-Body Connection
“Some people’s lives seem to flow in a narrative; mine had many stops and starts. That’s what trauma does. It interrupts the plot…It just happens, and then life goes on. No one prepares you for it.”
Jessica Stern, Denial: A Memoir of Terror