Have you ever been in a yoga class and the teacher says something like 'listen to your body', and you just think 'what. the fuck. does that mean??'

Whether you have or haven't, let's talk a bit about it.

Our bodies and our brains are really smart, and are often working the best they can to protect us & keep us safe. When someone experiences trauma the way the brain keeps us safe often, is to disconnect brain from body. This is generally because it doesn't feel safe to feel aware of the body and the feelings within it all the time.

This isn't the only reason we may disconnect from our body and feel unaware of how we are feeling. For most of us connecting to our bodies and knowing how we are feeling takes a little slowing down, and introspection. Sometimes we aren't taught that, and sometimes our lives are so busy trying to make ends meet, and meet all the needs of those around us that we just haven't slowed down to notice.

The beginnings of connecting to your body and learning what you need can be a really vulnerable and raw feeling. Whether you have a background of trauma, or just have been running on the wheel so long you haven't connected in years. So sometimes when we are asked what we need, or to listen to our bodies we just come up blank and confused, and other times we are flooded with years of signals within a few seconds time span.

I'm not just speaking as someone who has studied this, and works with this, I'm speaking as someone who has been through this first hand. I'm going to give a few tips for starting this process, with a giant disclaimer that if you do have a history of trauma, this process should be coupled with lots of extra support. Therapy, journaling, meditating, whatever your emotional self-care looks like. I'll also going to give some pointers for fellow movement teachers, and resources for how to work on this with me 1:1.

Students:
-start really small! short little check ins with how your muscles are feeling, what parts of your body are touching the floor and asking things like 'am I hungry?' 'am I thirsty?' Things like that will feel like a much safer place to start

-from there try asking yourself in your final resting pose, or any kind of shape you're relaxing and watching tv in "how can I feel 5% better in my body?" Maybe that means you grab an extra blanket, or a foot stool

-start opening the last two check ins to include some emotional things too, or other sensations in your body. Are you feeling tension? Are you feeling sore? Are you feeling heavy in your chest?

-when/if it feels safe play around with this style of check ins when you're having some feelings come up, or physical discomfort. Check in with sensations and try to describe them as much as you can like you were trying to describe them to an alien. So rather than 'cramps' you might say 'a stabbing, sharp pain that moves in waves and is hot, and I feel them from my belly button to my knee'. Or whatever

I'll leave it there, because that is plenty to start with, but please feel free to reach out if you want to chat about this more.

Teachers:
-instead of phrasing things really vaguely like 'listen to your body' be more specific. Prompt your students to check in with their feet, their leg muscles, their breath etc as it relates to the shapes.

-keep in mind that this work is incredibly vulnerable for a lot of folx!

-meditation or long still holds are not going to be restful for everyone, let your students know that they can adjust or move in and out of practice as much as they need to.

-work with a mentor who can teach you more about teaching more inclusively, or take inclusivity and trauma informed trainings.

How to work with me:
Click here to book a free 30 minute consult, whether you're a student or a teacher wanting to learn more. Click here to book a 1:1, check out pricing, or sliding scale rates.