 We have explored the first four limbs of yoga... 1. Yamas (outer ethical codes) 2. Niyamas (the the inner, personal ethical practices) 3. Asana (postures) 4. Pranayama (breath control) & today we move to the 5th limb...
♥️Pratyahara♥️ (Focus & Withdrawal of Senses) Freeing the mind from the nervous system by shifting from our outer senses (seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, & smelling) to our inner landscape of being. Confusing? Yep... This limb is far less tangible than other yoga practices like pranayama & asana. Let's make it tangible! Savasana (final resting pose)! Often savasana is the most challenging posture as it invites us to lay flat, still & to just be. When we give into this posture, our muscles relax, breath slows... supporting connection to deeper layers of ourselves. Yoga Nidra can support this deeply restorative experience too! We are conditioned to do-do-do and think-think-think. Pratyahara is an essential yoga practice. If you are following the @thenapministry you know they are preaching the good stuff... rest as radical resistance! Let's rest. My intention is to unplug as often as possible and honour when it feels right to log-on. Social media can spark joy and keep us connected! That said, it also can lead to stimulation & information overload. I probably have a library worth of saved posts I want to return to, reflect on, with concepts & ideas I want to research... and for now, I will turn inward. May we sit in candle light, watch the snow, be still & practice being. How will you practice pratyahara? ♥️ Dr. Melissa Jay
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About this Blog:I’m Dr. Melissa Jay, a registered psychologist, yoga therapist, and educator. Archives
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Canmore Counselling & Trauma-Informed Yoga Psychology School is an Indigenous and Black-owned family business, co-created by Melissa Jay and Michael Yudcovitch.
Our team lives across Turtle Island, and we honour the Nations who continue to nurture these lands. Our primary office is located in Châ Ûpchîchîyen Kudebi (translated from Îyârhe Nakoda as “shooting at the willows”), colonially known as Canmore, on Treaty 7 territory and the current and ancestral lands of the Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda), Tsuut’ina First Nation, and Blackfoot Confederacy. These lands are also home to the Rocky View Métis District 4 within the Battle River Territory.
We are grateful to be students, practitioners, and guides of yoga, an Indigenous wisdom tradition with roots in India and across South Asia and parts of Africa. We are committed to learning from and amplifying South Asian teachers and practitioners while continuing to learn alongside our own students, faculty, and alumni. We believe trauma-informed care requires an active commitment to community, social justice, decolonization, anti-oppression, anti-racism, reciprocity, and meaningful care for people and communities who have been intentionally and historically marginalized.
As a team, we are committed to uplifting Truth, language, culture, and relationship as essential to right relations and to our ongoing work of reconciliation and decolonization. Thank you for being here :)
Our team lives across Turtle Island, and we honour the Nations who continue to nurture these lands. Our primary office is located in Châ Ûpchîchîyen Kudebi (translated from Îyârhe Nakoda as “shooting at the willows”), colonially known as Canmore, on Treaty 7 territory and the current and ancestral lands of the Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda), Tsuut’ina First Nation, and Blackfoot Confederacy. These lands are also home to the Rocky View Métis District 4 within the Battle River Territory.
We are grateful to be students, practitioners, and guides of yoga, an Indigenous wisdom tradition with roots in India and across South Asia and parts of Africa. We are committed to learning from and amplifying South Asian teachers and practitioners while continuing to learn alongside our own students, faculty, and alumni. We believe trauma-informed care requires an active commitment to community, social justice, decolonization, anti-oppression, anti-racism, reciprocity, and meaningful care for people and communities who have been intentionally and historically marginalized.
As a team, we are committed to uplifting Truth, language, culture, and relationship as essential to right relations and to our ongoing work of reconciliation and decolonization. Thank you for being here :)