Embodying Meditation, A Trauma-Informed Workshop Series on Befriending the Mud and Returning Home


Sign Up

Dates
Saturday 12/09/2023 10:30 am - 12:45 pm
Pricing
$60.00 Embodying Meditation, A Trauma-Informed Workshop Series on Befriending the Mud and Returning Home


Commitment and Investment 

We will meet for 2 hours once a month for 3 months, attendance to all three workshops is strongly encouraged as the sessions build on each other. There will also be optional 30-minute weekly drop-in sessions that provide space for troubleshooting and practicing what was learned in the workshop.

One time payment for all three workshops: $180.00  (payment plans available on case by case basis).

Weekly 30min drop in: $10 per session (attendance to workshops is mandatory for attending weekly drop in)

*If paying with accepted insurance plan, copay is due at time of session/workshop

About the workshop

Drawing from Western psychology and Buddhist teachings, this series peels back the layers of what makes meditating difficult in our busy, stressful lives and how to overcome a variety of barriers that prevent us from having balanced and happy lives.

When we get stressed or uncomfortable we may notice a build up of blockages in our ability to get into a state of flow, like a kink in a hose or a dam in a river. This may show up as difficulty in our relationship to ourselves or others, challenges at work/school, tightness in our body, holding our breath, over-thinking, chronic pain/fatigue, general stuckness, depression, anxiety, or dependence on something outside of ourselves to find momentary soothing such as substances, social media, shopping, food and so forth. 

It is clear that we do not resonate with these limiting experiences, otherwise we would not consider the possibility that life could be different, and we would not search for something more, something better.

Using a variety of theories, practices and experiential activities, by the end of the series we will have started to develop a toolbox together, equipping you to have more integration and union between your body, mind and spirit.


What does it mean that this workshop is "trauma-informed''?

It simply means the facilitator and content take into account the complex ways traumatic experiences impact life. You do not need to have experienced trauma to attend.


Overall Structure of Each Workshop

Asana: 45-60min:

  • Fluid yoga, all levels Vinyasa.
  • Hands-on assists will be offered with consent. Recognizing the healing and repairing power of touch when offered in a safe environment. If a student prefers to practice without assists, their space will absolutely be respected.
  • Why are we doing asana? Because it is a tool to working with our mind, additionally it can help settle our mind and body to better sit with the content of the workshop.

*In the last session of the series there will be a shorter asana practice followed by guided yoga nidra.

Discussion 20-30min:

  • The science behind the impact of stress on the mind, brain, body and spirit.
  • Insight into stress and breath, why sometimes breath-work helps and other times it could trigger something or “not work” in traditional ways.
  • What are emotional and physiological sensations?
  • The difference between stress and trauma, who defines it and how.
  • How to begin to lead an embodied and mindful life, where you start to find pause in the moments between rest/neutrality and charged activation. Following the wise words of Viktor Frankl: "Between the stimulus and response, there is a space. And in that space lies our freedom and power to choose our responses. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”
  • We will define meditation, what it is, what it is not and why it is practiced.
  • Explore the art of meditation, especially when big feelings, stuck patterns or agitation make it hard to “sit.”
  • What is the “mud” of our life, what makes more mud and what makes for a clearing in order to make more room to access the love and compassion that naturally resides inside each of us.

Application - Resource Development/Activities 30min-40min:

Develop mastery over a variety of tools to be able to:

  • Build present moment awareness from the inside out
  • Allow whatever arises in moment to moment experiences without spiraling or getting stuck, be it emotion, pain, parenting/work/school/general stress, a narrative you’ve told yourself your whole life etc.
  • Soothe challenging emotions through nervous system calming (somatic, body-based techniques)
  • Develop anchors to train the mind and stay present, including somatics, meditation tools, breath-work, sound and sound healing, maybe kirtan with ukulele.
  • Practice with small group break out sessions
  • Practice self-compassion
  • Build community


Alyssa Gorel