HEALTHFUL PRACTICES FOR YOUR WHOLE SELF

Evidence-Based Yoga Practices to Manage Your Mood

REMEMBER YOUR WHOLENESS

My beloved teacher and Yogini, Amy Weintraub, who developed LifeForce Yoga™, began a daily yoga practice in 1989 that helped her heal from a debilitating depression. Afterwards, she became passionate about sharing the practices that changed her life, and joined with researchers to explore how yoga breathing, posture practice, and meditation can heal. Her evidence-based yoga protocol for managing mood is used in health care settings globally, I found her in 2005, following a tragic and traumatic loss, and these practices have been life-changing.

As Amy explains in Yoga for Depression, a book that changed my life, “If you are considering the beginning of a Yoga practice as a means to lessen your anguish and change yourself in some way, you would be on the right track.” A daily Yoga practice will bring your physical and emotional bodies into balance, and restore a sense of well-being and energy. You will feel more energy, love yourself more and have a happier life. There is another layer to the practice, which Amy emphasized.

“But consider a somewhat different approach taken by the ancient yogis. Yoga teaches us to ask, why do we suffer when our natural state is sat chit ananda, the intelligent awareness of bliss? This is not some ‘blissed out’ high, but a fully mindful state of stable equanimity, informed by ‘intelligent awareness.’ Because beneath even the chaos of mania, the agony of depression, Yoga says, you are whole, or as yogi, psychotherapist and author Stephen Cope puts it, ‘We are vaguely aware that, at least in some parallel universe, we are unutterably fine just the way we are.’” 


Private LifeForce Yoga Plus Sessions with Marcela

The private package is a great introducción to LifeForce Yoga, an evidence-based approach to yoga designed to meet and manage mood. The practices support individuals in self-regulation, and many or the techniques can be done in a chair, in bed, and many don’t require a yoga mat.

Its tools include simple but impactful practices combining breath work, movement, imagery, meditations, and sound to ease the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. LifeForce Yoga is a practice of compassion that creates a big enough container to accept all of the dualities of moods. The practices are suitable for those with no yoga experience as well as experienced yoga students from any yoga lineage (without needing to change their basic practice).
The Plus includes a personalized recorded yoga nidra. It is a three-class package (total of four to five) hours of private instruction)  usually taught on three consecutive weeks. You walk away with a home practice and with specific recommendations designed just for your body and constitution. The individual packages are discounted to $ 325.00  from the usual $450.00. After the initial three sessions some clients stay with private sessions on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis, and others opt for an eight week group series. No prior yoga experience is necessary.

What to expect at a Private LifeForce Yoga™ Plus Session with Marcela:

  • Confidentiality

  • Sessions tailored to your emotional and energetic needs, to your goals and to your physical ability

  • Yoga-based tools to help you develop coping strategies for stress, depression, and anxiety.

  • A loving, compassionate presence to support your physical and emotional needs

  • Take home suggestions for the application of yoga to your lifestyle

  • Personalized recorded yoga nidra

  • A greater sense of calm and peace upon completing a session

Plan to spend 1.5 on your initial session which include a 10 to 20 minute check-in. Subsequent sessions typically last for 75 to 90 minutes. The first few minutes of each subsequent session will be spent assessing your current mood and physical needs. From there, typically expect a centering sequence with pranayama (specialized breath work), and bhavana (visualization) and then we help create a sankalpa, or intention for yourself. This intention can be specific for your session, or more generalized for your day, week, and so on. You will move into and out of asana (postures) with your intention, and spend time between each asana or sequence of asanas to watch and allow feeling to arise within you. You may also engage in a guided meditation, be guided to use a mudra (hand gestures), mantras (a phrase) or sound. The sounds most likely used correspond to different energy centers in the body and affect mood.

If you have questions about a private LFY Plus session or want to schedule a session reach out to me at mi@restandbewell.com and if you prefer we can schedule a phone call.


Once a week we meet for 75 minutes via Zoom (the first session is usually 90 minutes and includes setting goals based on your needs). Each private session is tailored to your needs and each session meets you where you are. You will be introduced to LifeForce Yoga™ protocols and yoga nidra and will be given a home practice. All you need is a yoga mat and a few blankets and/or pillows and your beautiful self. If you are familiar with Zoom - it is very easy to set up. If you need help setting up I can help. Email me for set-up info at mi@restandbewell.com


DEEP DIVE INTO REST AND DISCOVER THE POWER THERE