Yoga Therapy for Stress Management and Resilience – Virtual Course

Schedule – Tuesday, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30 from 9 am – 10:30 pm
*If you are unable to attend live a video recording will be provided.

Cost – $135 if registered by 2/9 (or $150 thereafter). Includes six 90-minute sessions, class recordings, and optional weekly practices to practices to deepen knowledge and experience.

Stress is inevitable. This course will explore simple practices to make it manageable. Resiliency is our ability to adapt and bounce back in the face of stress. Since stress is at the root of many chronic health conditions, understanding personal techniques for stress management is essential for long-term health and wellbeing. Research shows that yoga-based practices offer a powerful tool to promote self-regulation, stress management, and ultimately improve resiliency. Throughout this 6-week course, we will work together to explore a variety of practices including simple and mindful physical postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and relevant philosophy to identify what works for you. Each week you will receive suggestions for a home practice that can be done in between classes. This will include detailed instructions (e.g. videos, audio recordings, etc.) to empower you to identify specific practices and techniques that can be incorporated into your daily life to manage stress and build resiliency.

Week 1: Stress and the Body – Explore the ways in which stress affects our physical body and health. Learn to identify where you hold tension due to stress and discover how physical postures can be used to reduce tension and manage stress.

Week 2: Stress and the Breath – Often, due to stress, individuals develop dysregulated breathing patterns which in turn exacerbate feelings of stress and anxiety. Learn how to evaluate your own breathing pattern and discover how breathing exercises are used as a powerful stress management tool.

Week 3: Stress and the Mind – We all have habitual thought patterns and storylines about ourselves. These negatively programmed messages tend to rise to the surface in times of stress further hindering our ability to cope. Learn how simple mindfulness-based meditation techniques can be used to identify and unravel these patterns.

Week 4: Recognizing Personal Stress Patterns and Triggers – Stress is often situation dependent. Explore the circumstances in your life that lead to stress and find ways to manage this in the moment. Also, discuss positive lifestyle changes that can be made to minimize stress overall.

Week 5: Enhancing Self-Regulation and Discernment – Building on the information and practices of the previous weeks continue to strengthen your self-regulatory capacity as you learn how to better observe yourself and your reactions to stressful life events.

Week 6: Cultivating Joy and Wellbeing – Identifying activities, people, and places that connect you to joy and wellbeing are a critical stress management tool. Discuss ways that you can cultivate more joy and connection into your daily life.