Breathe Away the Pain

Damon called me on a Friday night with a heavy sadness in his voice, “I give up.”  He broke down and told me about his recent series of traumatic events. Within the last month, he was hit by a car on his way to work.  Then his traffic tickets mounted to over $1000. The nail in the coffin hit when his drug test for work came back positive for marijuana use.

 

Damon told me his sad story because he’d heard that yoga would help him relieve stress.

He was frustrated and embarrassed. But he was also brave.

I took him on as a client for private yoga sessions. He had never considered traditional therapy. Could my background in counseling, trauma and yoga help, or further hurt his emotional pain?

During our first session, I just listened. I wanted to learn more about his patterns of behavior and how they affected his body. He complained of back spasms, sleeplessness nights and lack of focus. I learned about his dietary habits- fast food and alcohol. Then I wanted to know more about his workout routine. He lifts weights but doesn’t do much cardio to get the endorphins circulating throughout his body.

Damon needed yoga.  He also needed counseling.

Luckily, I could offer both. I often think about all the other men and women dealing with stress that don’t know where to get help. Can yoga be the missing link for people looking for the physical, mental and spiritual healing? Clinical settings are often sterile and don’t offer the community-based feel that many of us need to heal.

Our therapy-phobic culture tells to pray away the pain and overlook the patterns. Yoga is different.

Yoga tells you to dig deep and peel back the layers.

Yoga is an easy and accessible way for people to start their journey toward self-healing.  A good yoga session will help you feel warm, empowered and capable. Yoga combined with counseling is a great way to recognize the connections between your thoughts and the events that happen in life.  It is time for more of us to take that first step. Set up a yoga session and set yourself free from stress.

Email sari@anacostiayogi.com for more info

Learn more about Private Yoga Sessions with me.

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