Are You Ready To Experience Less Stress And Enjoy More Freedom?
If you are over 40, you are most likely busy, busy, busy. Juggling family—both your kids and perhaps aging parents—alongside a full or part-time job can take a toll on your ability to stay calm under pressure. You may struggle to remember things and stay focused and present with the challenges of daily living. Perhaps looping thoughts and juggling too many tasks at once are keeping you from being present with loved ones and causing you to miss out on what is right in front of you. Maybe heightened stress is taking its toll physically, causing sleeping, eating and digestion problems and/or creating or contributing to a stress-related chronic health condition. Over 40, we often begin to see problems emerge in our health due to lack of self care. You’ve likely heard about yoga, but might not be not sure if it’s right for you. However, you may be experiencing symptoms from physical neglect—stiff sore muscles, insomnia, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, perhaps anxiety and depression—and you’ve heard that yoga can help? Are you looking for a gentle mind-body-spirit practice that can help calm your mind, both relax and strengthen your body and build a life that supports your health goals and ideal lifestyle?
Yoga Therapy Over 40 helps What Ails Us
If you are suffering from heightened stress, fatigue or simply feeling overwhelmed, you are far from alone. With eight of out 10 American adults reporting feeling stress either sometimes or frequently every day, chronic stress (stress that interferes with one’s ability to function normally over an extended period of time) is rapidly becoming a public health crisis.
Yoga can help—even if you’ve never practiced yoga before. Yoga over 40 can begin to undo the impact that stress causes to the body, mood and behavior. The ancient practice of yoga is an effective and scientifically validated way to manage and mitigate stress. As a highly trained and experienced Certified Yoga Instructor, psychotherapist, dietician, nutritionist and mindfulness specialist, I can help you build an effective Yoga Therapy Over 40 program to integrate self-care into your daily life.
Yoga Therapy Over 40 Helps You Cultivate Health, Happiness And Long-Term Relief
There is no one form of yoga or yoga therapy that works for everyone, regardless of what many corporate studios tout. The truth is that there are many forms of yoga that reduce stress and promote optimal living. Whether through relaxation techniques, breathing exercise, gentle poses, effective postures, mindfulness exercises, meditation, mindful movement or another relaxation approach, we’ll work together to develop a holistic and realistic yoga therapy routine that helps you feel better in mind, body and spirit.
In my small group, safe and supportive Saturday yoga class, we’ll begin by orienting you to the experience of yoga through simply being present in the moment and in your body. As you notice your breath, how your body feels and the nature of your thoughts, I’ll thoughtfully and gently guide you in getting grounded. You can learn how your body feels when it is under stress and how to release that tension, much like how you flex and then release a muscle. While the practice isn’t that difficult and can be done any time, any where, it takes an experienced guide at first to help you understand what it actually feels like to relax a bit, expand that capacity to relax and learn to recognize and eventually initiate the shift on your own.
It is actually incredibly easy to be injured in a yoga class, and those who want to practice Yoga Over 40 must take care to choose the right instructor and the right type of class. If stress is causing you difficulties in your life, heated yoga is a No-No! Overstimulation of the nervous system by harsh, punishing regimes or routines can make you worse off then if you didn’t practice yoga at all.
Yoga has long been known for its ability to aid in relaxation and weight loss. The ancient practice of yoga has its roots in a philosophical life approach, with an essential tenant of AHIMSA—meaning no self-harming. In modern applications, yoga in the west is known as a more athletic modality, with physical and mental health benefits similar to other forms of exercise. An experienced yoga educator, however, focuses on holistic integration and can teach you how to use yoga as a way to alter the habitual patterns of the mind, which have been proven to help alleviate anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns, as well as both relax and strengthen the body.
I combine the ancient wisdom of yoga with modern knowledge of nutrition and mindfulness approaches to encourage weight loss, freedom from anxiety and depression, and relief from other health conditions including functional gastrointestinal disorders (IBS), chronic pain, stress and insomnia. With close to 30 years as a yoga practitioner and extensive training and certification as a yoga instructor, I combine my knowledge of mental health conditions with training in yoga and mindfulness. Anatomically based, my instruction is rooted in body knowledge, with unhelpful movement patterns identified and addressed in class.
Regardless of your current stress level, it is possible to feel more calm, present and better overall. You can experience relief from the physical, mental and emotional symptoms of stress and live with more ease, flow, self-compassion and curiosity. As you shift into a more calm and collected way of being, you can make more skillful choices, stop sweating the small stuff and allow yourself the personal time and care that will not only improve your life, but also have a positive effect on those around you.
You still might wonder if yoga therapy is right for you…
I respect that everyone has their own path toward healing; however, if you’re looking to take a pill in an attempt to mitigate stress, I’m likely not the right practitioner for you. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a holistic, sustainable approach, there are so many ways to alleviate stress that do not include the use of medication. Rather than apply bandages, we’ll address the root causes of your stress and design solutions that work specifically for you. I’ve effectively worked with thousands of people all over the country, and if you’re truly ready to forgive yourself for imperfections, gradually and gently get curious about your inner self-critic and feel increasingly more awake, aware and alive, I can help.
In The Center for Mindful Benefits Saturday small group yoga class, you’ll enjoy expert instruction, safety, and care in a quiet private space. In a little over 60 minutes and with a minimal financial investment, you’ll emerge rejuvenated, uplifted, and with hope. Students routinely share how meaningful the Saturday yoga class is for them, and we invite you to visit.
With so much to do and people to care for taking time for myself feels selfish.
Again, I can’t stress the importance of self-care and how vital it is to your current and long-term wellbeing that you give yourself permission to take care of you. Even just dedicating an hour a week to yourself for stress counseling can have a profound impact on how you feel and relate to others. You can learn how to stay calm, regulated and strong even when in the midst of an oftentimes chaotic world, which is the best gift you can give not only to yourself, but also to the people in your life.
You Can Live With More Ease And Flow
If you’re in Scottsdale, AZ or the surrounding area and are interested in stress management treatment for yourself, your teen or another loved one, I can help. I invite you to contact me through the website or at 480-675-4568 to schedule a no-obligation call or meeting to discuss your needs and goals and determine if we’re a good fit. Due to the mind-heart-body-spirit quality of this work, I’m not the right fit for everyone; however, I truly love working with clients who seek practical, holistic healing and are ready to increase self-awareness, cultivate self-compassion and make the changes needed to enjoy long-term relief.