6/29/23 Live Session Recording

Hello Jen and fellow participants,

I was able to watch the 2nd recording of this training, the live session for 6/29.  I do not have any suggestions for edits or additions to the group agreement.  I do appreciate however, that the thoughts of non-stealing to me have now transcended far beyond my initial perception of the literal "non-stealing" of material possessions.  I learned how to begin stepping out of my comfort zone to communicate and connect with other people.  To view non-stealing in a sort of way as honoring space for everyone to contribute with patience and curiosity, gives me a better insight on what non-stealing can involve and how I can practice this virtue to serve as a huge benefit to me and others.  I recognize also that how the agreement explains, we approach differences of opinion with curiosity and seek opportunities to learn, teach, and collaborate.  It can help me enjoy and see how the value of conversing in a curious manner can be viewed as an opportunity to grow and build community with one another. 

I do have a question that may be explained later in this training course.  I'm a little curious on the timing of trauma-informed sequencing, I understand that the following question can be answered in diverse ways depending on the situation and the individual.  What is the amount of time that a single session of a trauma-informed sequencing practice be that would provide optimal healing benefits for an average daily or bi/weekly practice?  I understand we will be getting into this later and maybe divided into sections, but typically how long would a single session be? 

Thank you for the demonstration on anatomical positioning and directional planes.  It was helpful to see it visually and be explained verbally.  I will be sure to keep mindful considerations to my posture and breath for this coming week.  I will be paying particular attention to my more elevated emotional times, how that looks like, and to observe myself being this human being that I am.

Take care all!

@lcoulombe86gmail-com 

Hello Lisa!

Thank you for taking the time to post this reflection! I appreciate your views on non-stealing and certainly look forward to hearing more of your thoughts as we dive deeper into this yoga principle in a few weeks!

To answer a bit of your questions about sequencing and timing, first, we will be discussing this quite a bit throughout our time together, but second, often as facilitators, we are subject to the schedule of the facility we offer classes in. Many locations may have 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes available for a class, and this often includes the time it takes for participants to arrive, set up, and also clean up after. 

We focus on looking at sequencing from the point of view of offering space for the guided stimulation & self soothing to occur as well as enough time to fully integrate (relaxation) toward the close of class. So we will break down, let's say in a 45 minute practice, how much time in each area of sequencing might be best. Sometimes the duration of time spent in each area of sequencing also depends on the needs and energy levels of participants. Some classes may benefit from more time releasing excess energy and strength/mobility building while others may benefit from more time centering and finding relaxation.

I hope this helps for now but please know we will explore this in greater detail in the months to come!

All the best,

Jen

Hello Jen I did watch the second recording and practice session. 

I have no particular questions about it everything was clear. 

Thanks a lot

Hello Everyone,

I was able to view the recording and here are my responses/reflections and answers to the prompts:

Contribute any suggested edits, additions, or questions you have related to the Group Agreement draft discussed. 

I want to note in full transparency that there was a moment in which I noticed myself have a response to the discussion of group agreements, but feel it comes from a place of my own trauma. This reaction was in response to a conversation regarding participants to be able to independently speak to harm brought or discomfort. When I look at this from a trauma informed lens, I recognize that if feeling activated by something that occurs in the group, one may not have awareness of why or what activated them until they are out of a trauma response place. They also may not be able to verbally engage and I know my own trauma can make confrontation and conflict difficult. Rather than having this as an expectation to be able to verbally engage in these times, I would suggest the wording to be different recognizing that we bring our whole self to this space which includes our trauma, experiences, stressors, and others. Some things I was brainstorming were along the lines of empowering each other to share and making it a welcoming space to have courageous conversations. To be able to ask for support when needed or desired in group if feeling activated by material. To welcome uncomfortable discussion as growth does not occur if our comfort is not challenged at times. And to notice our own contributions to conflict and difficult conversation that may occur in group. 

While discussing the group agreements, I thought about roles that are assigned in my Dialectical Behavioral Therapy consultation group. In our weekly supervision, we have a role of a person in our consultation of the "observer". This person is to notice any tension occurring, to notice judgments, and to observe if anything is going unsaid and bring it to the group. This is not generally in a "calling out" way, but just bringing awareness. I would love to see how we could integrate this into our agreements in being our own observers and recognizing tension we feel, judgments that arise, and empower participants to verbalize this if safe and comfortable. 

I appreciated the conversation on neurodiversity in the group. I feel this is an area in which I feel shame frequently as I know as an individual with ADHD I engage differently. I will move, rock, stim, and engage in other activities to try to keep my focus. As said above, we all come to group bringing our whole self including areas of identity in which we are marginalized or where we hold power. I think the focus on social justice in this training is something that drew me to the training and that I am becoming more and more grateful for as we progress in our studies. I appreciate the safety focus in the agreements as well as compassion and curiosity focus in the current group agreements.

Share your thoughts on the discussion of healing-centered/trauma-informed yoga methodology:

I am a person who comes to this work with trauma from movement practices, has done some work, and now uses movement as a way of healing for myself and to bring to others. Knowing how traumatizing and uninviting movement and yoga environments have and still are, I greatly appreciate the shift to a healing-centered and trauma-informed yoga methodology.

I greatly appreciated the visual aid of the arch and trauma-informed sequencing and how they differ. When speaking of the trauma informed sequencing I loved the conversation on how participants in these groups are not always able to come into a group and immediately center and ground. I think about my patients and how this is many times the case. Allowing for an energetic release really brings a different way to be in the group as well as bring focus to the space. At my jobs there is always the possibility of alarms occurring, physical and verbal aggression, or interpersonal conflict at any time. I frequently also see the need for an energetic release with my patients, but a punitive nature that occurs when this is attempted. Allowing space for this energetic release in a safe and contained environment is extremely important in my opinion and I see why it is integrated into healing centered sequencing. 

Offer any thoughts/questions you may have about anatomical positioning and directional planes:

I come to this training with some experience studying anatomy, STOTT Pilates, and the Kestenberg Movement Profile for movement analysis in dance/movement therapy. It has been some time that I have studied the planes and anatomy and viewing these modules was a great refresher and reminder. I still find myself confusing the directional planes, but feel with more conscious awareness to this and integration of this knowledge into my practice it will become solidified.

@kaliskodack 

Thank you for your thoughtful contributions to the discussion of creating the group agreements. I will work with these suggestions and offer an optional draft to the working copy.

While I do not have any suggested edits, additions or questions for our Agreement, I do appreciate our ever evolving Group Agreement that supports our work to create a shared, collaborative space. After watching this recording, I can really feel the intentionality that goes into every step of this training as well as sharing Healing Centered Yoga and I am reminded that being intentional in how I hold space, offer space, and offer space are very important as a facilitator and really as a human being.

Jen, I resonated very deeply when you shared that "you carry knowledge that as a facilitator that you don't have a free pass everywhere we go," because similar thoughts circle through my mind too. The discussion about communities being stronger when individuals are honored feels supportive to the ways in which I can show up, hold space, and evolve in a way that is supportive and not harmful for myself and others. This work is very dynamic and it will be helpful to breakdown the various ways to empower individuals to do what is best for them. Hearing that "trauma already can take away an individuals ability to communicate within community," almost felt like an aha for me. I feel this in my own experience with grief after losing my dad this year and I am curious how my own work with this might shape my relationships in the context of this training and this community. 

I am curious exactly how we can continue to honor the history of yoga with an objective lens within the Post Lineage Yoga because that can feel challenging given the layers and history of this practice. I am excited to dive deeper into the ways in which we as individuals can guide and be guided to understand our own breathe movement through some of the tools discussed such as "intentional cueing", and demoing most accessible variations. It feels very important to focus on how the practice looks in TODAY's body, hearing this discussion felt like giving myself permission to also honor today's body in the moment which can be hard to do! In completed trainings that model the traditional arch and the wave of guided stimulation / guided self soothing feels like a tool to support honoring how we show up in each moment.

As discussed, our bodies really ARE EXTRAORDINARY and while anatomy can be daunting, I do best with embodied anatomical lessons! I found it helpful to think about there being a range in what the various directions of movement really are when thinking about accessibility.

Honored to be learning in community with this cohort!