5 Energy Medicine Myths (DEBUNKED) > starting a yoga practice:
Energy medicine is a type of alternative medicine that involves practices and techniques designed to balance the energetic systems of the body. It is based on the concept that there are various forms of energy in the body and that the flow of this energy can be influenced with practices such as acupuncture, Reiki, meditation, and yoga.
It is important to know and learn about energy medicine because it can promote overall health and wellbeing, as well as offer relief from various physical, emotional, and mental health issues. Energy medicine can also be used as a complement to traditional medicine, helping to boost the efficacy of existing treatments for various health problems. Additionally, energy medicine techniques can be used to reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, boost the immune system, and enhance spiritual growth and awareness.
Four Energy Healing Lineages that I have based majority of my work on include:
Pranic healing is the ancient Hindu system of energy healing. Prana means life energy, and the premise of this type of healing is to unkink the hose of the energy systems in the body. (i love to use the system of yoga, coupled with aroma acupoint therapy to do this)
Reiki Healing originated in Japan and is relatively younger than Hindu Pranic healings. The word Reiki translates to universal energy, an energy brought forth by higher intelligence. Students of Reiki are taught how to tap this energy to heal physical, emotional, and mental illnesses. (we learn all about reiki energy healing in Lessons in TRUTH, and students walk away from the mentorship with a Integrative Reiki Level 2 certification)
With its roots in traditional Chinese culture, Chi (also spelled qi) refers to the vital life force or energy that runs through all living beings. It is the essence of existence that flows through each of us, uniting the body, mind and spirit.
Yoga - Ah Yoga, where would I be without the philosophy of yoga. I don't see yoga as a practice anymore than I see it as a lifestyle. I try my best to live by the yamas and niyamas and find myself clarifying their meanings more and more with each year that passes. At the moment, I'm very interested in using yoga in a therapeutic setting. I have been doing this for myself for a few years now and have found the results to be incredible.
Some of the salient similarities in these healing methods include:
The concepts of the connectedness of mind, body, and spirit;
The connection of individuals to all living and nonliving things around them and to the universe;
The understanding of how energy impacts physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being
Resetting your nervous system is vital to good health and wellbeing.
Restorative yoga, nutrition coaching, and mentoring are all great ways to reconnect with your true nature.
Restorative yoga poses help activate the higher power within us to find homeostasis and get back into a state of balance. Through nutrition coaching, one can become nourished by understanding which foods best optimize mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Mentoring sessions provide an opportunity to feel heard and heal through consistent self-regulation techniques in a safe space. All of these tools work together in harmony to set you on the path towards health and fulfillment.
Lets explore some myths relative to you starting a yoga practice:
You Need To Be Flexible: You don’t need to be flexible to begin practicing yoga – instead, yoga itself is a great way to improve your flexibility. Take two yoga classes a week for 10 weeks, and you’ll not only boost your hamstring and lower-back mobility, but you’ll also increase ankle, knee, hip and shoulder joint flexibility.
Doing more advanced yoga means you’re ‘better’ at yoga: After 20-plus years of practicing and teaching, I’ve come to realise that less is definitely more in yoga.
Yoga Is A Religious Practice: From the outside, yoga might seem almost religious to some and while it is, indeed, an ancient practice with a deep spiritual philosophy behind it, many styles and teachers deliver classes focused solely on physicality, and with no elements of spirituality. It’s also true that some yoga styles and teachers do incorporate spiritual elements, but it is by no means the case for all classes, and there are no required belief systems necessary to step onto a yoga mat. So be sure to keep exploring until you find a teacher and style that works for you.
Yoga Is Just Stretching: With an experienced teacher, yoga is incredibly functional and therapeutic because it can be very corrective when it comes to muscle dysfunction. It doesn't replace medical care, but it's highly effective for addressing imbalances. You'll gain strength, decrease tension and increase range of motion, so not only can it help restore optimal alignment, but it can also prevent injury.
You Have be young to practice yoga: Yoga really is beneficial for all ages. While it might seem like you need to be a spring chicken who is able to bend yourself into a pretzel, it’s simply not the case. In fact, yoga is suitable, and even highly beneficial, for the elderly.
Given the shift in focus (almost globally now) toward illness prevention, it is not surprising that the use of complementary health approaches has increased in the past several years among medical treatments. Yoga is among the most prominent complementary health approaches.
Psychotherapeutic Yoga focuses on traditional yoga poses and neurobiology science, bringing a calming, energizing or balancing effect in your body and mind. It is a brain-body approach, working on the regulation of your nervous system, positively affecting your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, significantly reducing anxiety, insomnia, stress, emotional and mental fatigue.
Practicing this type / style of yoga is suitable for any type of practitioner, from beginner to advanced. Each practice is unique and is designed according to your own need, infusing neurobiology, specific traditional yoga poses, pranayamas, Ayurveda and meditation.
If you’d like to have a yoga practise designed and created especially for you, please fill out this contact form, and i’ll be in touch to organise a time for us to meet via zoom.
Two x 90 minute sessions (plus a video of your personal practice) for you to use when practicing on your own are an investment of $300AUD.