More and more there is a growing awareness of the mind-body connection. We are beginning to understand that what we think and feel shapes how our body responds, and how our body feels influences our emotional world. Traditional talk therapy is powerful, but healing on a deeper level can require more than conversation alone.
When we experience a traumatic, overwhelming, frightening, or distressing experience, the body shifts into survival mode. The body is an instinctive system designed to protect us. Sometimes when the threat or traumatic experience passes, the body doesn’t fully release or process what happened. The energy, the memory, or the response can remain within us, shaping the way we move, feel, and connect to ourselves and others. So many times I asked myself, “Why do I still feel the way that I do” despite all the therapeutic work I had been doing. After experiencing childhood trauma and sexual abuse, it wasn’t until I realised that my body and nervous system were holding on to these experiences, constantly placing me in survival mode, that I began to understand why I felt the way that I did. Yoga became a turning point where it gave me a way to notice what was happening inside – my heartbeat, my breath, the tightness in my muscles – and provided me a space to respond with care rather than fear. Over time, I started to feel present. Yoga supported me to release what my body was holding and learn to cultivate safety within.
Therapeutic yoga is a gentle, trauma-informed approach that bridges psychology and embodied movement. Yoga is not only about holding postures but embodies a deeper wisdom that teaches us about self-awareness, listening to the body and processing held or stuck emotions. Through practices such as breathwork (pranayama), meditation (dhyana) and movement (Asana), we are able to deepen the mind-body connection to help us cultivate inner peace, and harmony, and restore equilibrium to the nervous system.
WYSEbymonique offers personalised online 1:1 therapeutic yoga sessions designed to support your psychological wellbeing and journey toward healing. These sessions are suitable for individuals navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, stress, or emotional challenges, or even those looking to form a deeper connection with themselves. Therapeutic yoga can support you to:
- Navigate the challenges of trauma, Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or chronic stress
- Deepen understanding of physiological and physical symptoms that may be connected to deeper psychological challenges
- Reconnect with the body in a safe and supportive environment
- Restore nervous system regulation
- Seek tools for emotional regulation, resilience and self-awareness
- Enhance your capacity to respond to destabilising situations
What does a therapeutic yoga session look like? We begin by exploring your presentation; the thoughts, feelings, sensations, and emotions you are experiencing. And you might be thinking “how do I do that” or “I am unsure how to notice these things”, this is okay and a really normal response to have! A lot of us, myself included, have become so accustomed to how we experience the world around us that noticing and naming our internal experience can be really difficult. By learning to slow down, and engage stillness we begin to strengthen the mind-body connection. Through breathwork, light movement, stillness in postures and mindful practice the doorway opens to start listening to the conversation within your body. This becomes our guide to dive deeper into what may be happening beneath the surface.
A therapeutic yoga session runs for 75 minutes. The setup of the session varies from person to person depending on your specific needs and experiences. The session allows time for discussion, checking in with you and your experience, active movement and/or stillness, breath-work and guided meditation. It is important to note that therapeutic yoga is an active session targeted at implementing techniques, so the check in is brief and centred on discussing the impact of your practice. If throughout your sessions you feel you require more support, there is option to explore the integration of both therapeutic yoga and psychological therapy.
Our bodies, our minds and our Souls are all so unique meaning we require different needs. For example, if you are learning to manage issues with anxiety, your session may focus more on breath-work and yogic postures that activate your parasympathetic nervous system supporting you to feel more grounded and safe within your body. At this time, sessions are completed online providing you the safety and comfort of your own space. You will be provided a preparation sheet, supporting you with what is needed for your session.
I truly believe in a client-centred approach where your story, symptoms, needs and experiences deserve to be fully heard. My goal is to move in flow with you and what you need, together building a practice that best supports what your body, mind and Soul are needing.