Serge Prengel has interviewed Dr. Lynn Somerstein, PhD, RYT, on his radio program, Somatic Perspectives. http://lnkd.in/KXnmZB She talks about yoga and psychotherapy.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Teacher Training, Yoga for Arthritis
Last weekend I was a member of the advanced
yoga teacher training, Yoga for Arthritis, presented by Steffany Moonaz and
Nancy O’Brien. I mentioned this training previously and several people told me
they would like to hear more about it. One reader decided to take the class.
The training was a 30 hour Intensive
Training for RYT level teachers, held at the Integral Yoga Institute on 13th
Street, in NYC. This is where I did my teacher training, as did many other
members of the class, but people who had trained elsewhere were also welcome.
Integral Yoga is my home institute- the first yoga classes I ever took were
with Swami Satchidananda’s students, who had a small ashram in an apartment
building on West End Avenue, which is where Integral Yoga began.
Several years ago Yoga Journal did a review
of the main schools of yoga, and Integral Yoga was found to be the safest. It
is renowned for its authenticity, quality, and dedication to service. Dean
Ornish trained at Integral Yoga, and in consultation with Swami Satchidananda
created the famous Dean Ornish Program, the first lifestyle program proven to
reverse heart disease. Mala Cunningham, another student of IYI, created the
medical cardiac yoga program. Steffany Moonaz and Nancy O’Brien hope to make
similar contributions in the care of people with arthritis; Steffany is
connected with the Arthritis Foundation, and may make a film with them about
yoga.
Many people probably don’t believe you
can do yoga movements if you have arthritis; the myth is only really flexible
people can do yoga. This is backwards. People get more flexible if they do
yoga. Beginner yoga classes build strength, balance and flexibility- just what
people who have arthritis really need. Over 75 scientific trials examining the
benefits of yoga have been published in medical journals; these studies show
that yoga provides safe exercise and has important psychological benefits as
well; yoga reduces bodily aches and pains, depression, anxiety and aggression; it
increases muscle strength, flexibility, respiratory capacity, balance,
alertness and enthusiasm. I have arthritis myself- so I know first-hand how a
yoga practice helps. All I have to do is remember what my mother looked like,
and how frozen she became as she aged.
I thought yoga’s benefits applied only
to osteoarthritis, and not rheumatoid arthritis, but I was wrong. People with
RA benefit from yoga too, as do people with fibromyalgia and those who are
dealing with the Lyme disease.
On Friday morning we started the
training with a Hatha Yoga Class which included references to arthritic
students and ways to help them. Steffany led the class; she has an arthritic
wrist, cannot bend her hand in a right angle to her wrist, and so often rests
on her fists, rather than on her palms, in cat/cow, for example. A few years
ago I took a yoga workshop with Tao Porchon Lynch, who was still demonstrating peacock
pose at the age of 92. She told me to tent my fingers rather than rest on my
flat palms, another alternative hand position.
We used different props- chairs,
wedges, straps, bolsters, rolled up blankets- all familiar to me except for the
wedge, made of cork, which can be used under the hands or the heels. For
several years I’ve suffered from extremely painful Achilles tendons, which
after a lot of work have improved considerably, but my life would have been a
lot easier if I had known about that cork wedge. I tried rolled up blankets and
yoga blocks when my pain was at its worst, but nothing felt as comfortable as
this wedge, made by Huggermugger. Resting my heels on the wedge provided a less
acute angle which was more comfortable, and also supported my heels so that my
ankles were able to relax.
Steffany has created a 16 session syllabus
of hatha classes of progressing difficulty. These twice weekly yoga classes and
one homework class encourage people to establish a home yoga practice for when
the classes end. She includes in her Teacher’s and in her Student manuals clear
illustrations and explanations of poses and their modifications.
We practiced the positions and their
modifications ourselves- yoga is always a body learning experience- taking
turns as teachers and students. The atmosphere was collegial, warm, and
supportive. I was tired the first night, but as the weekend continued I became
more energized, so I was ready to go back to work on Monday, my toughest day of
the week.
Thanks for asking to hear more. I hope
I’ve answered your questions and piqued your curiosity. And I would like to
know your reactions.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Yoga Therapy | LinkedIn
BALANCING ON THE HEART:
A THREE SESSION WEB BASED TRAINING FOR THERAPISTS ON THE USE OF
MEDITATION IN TREATMENT.
APRIL 19, 26, AND MAY 3, 8:00 TO 9:30 pm EST.
OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF GOODTHERAPY.ORG.
DR.LYNNSOMERSTEIN@GMAIL.COM FOR DETAILS
Monday, April 2, 2012
Yoga for Arthritis
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Yoga for Arthritis
On Friday I begin an intensive teacher training to help people with arthritis. The course is offered by Integral Yoga Institute, my alma mater. People are often surprised to learn that I have arthritis myself because I'm very flexible--but that's because I've been doing yoga for 50 years, and, believe me, yoga helps.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Starting Therapy—And Ending It, Too
Lynn Somerstein, PhD, RYT - There are good reasons to seek out a therapist rather than just talking to friends and family about problems, and it's important to ...
www.goodtherapy.org/.../
Lynn Somerstein, PhD, RYT - There are good reasons to seek out a therapist rather than just talking to friends and family about problems, and it's important to ...
www.goodtherapy.org/.../
Monday, March 12, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Bent out of Shape
I've been practicing yoga for over 50 years and I'm a graduate of the Integral Yoga Institute, which, according to a survey run by "Yoga Journal" holds the record for the safest yoga school in the U.S.
I have accrued untold mind/body benefits, but a few sore spots too- like my Achilles tendons- so I baby them and take care of my 67 year old body by paying attention and giving myself what I need.
I know how to protect myself; but often the people who need yoga the most are also the least knowledgeable and most liable to injury. They are likely to take "open classes" which are billed as OK for everybody. They are not. If you're new to yoga take a class for beginners, or study privately with a competent teacher.
What everyone needs to remember is that yoga is not only exercise. Yoga is a philosophy and a psychology that stresses mindfulness and compassion to oneself and to others.
This means:
1. Pay attention.
2. Be open to learn.
3. Don't force yourself or let yourself be forced into anything.There is no place for coercion in yoga.
4. There isn't any room for competition, either.
5. Follow your breath. If you're breathing is ragged, take a rest.
6. Bring a refillable bottle of water with you. A small sip of water might be helpful at times.
7. If something hurts, don't do it.
8. Leave your ego outside the yoga room.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)