About Shanti Yoga Therapy
shanti: /SHän(t)ē/ ; peace, inner calm
The essence of Shanti Yoga Therapy unites the science of yogic methodology and yogic philosophy with our ability to override our survival responses in times of stress. Individuals gain clear understanding of the subtleties of the nervous system and how that expresses as wellness or illness within all layers of being. We then use yogic methodologies to gain insight into and shift long-held patterns of chronic stressful states within individuals’ nervous systems.
Whether we know it or not, everything we experience in life—inner and outer experiences—is processed through the nervous system. Knowing ourselves deeply through our unique system and how we manage or don’t manage stressors is crucial to our well-being. When we understand the operating system within us, we see how our mind-body connections have the potential to manifest as physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual tension, chronic pain, chronic illnesses, overall inner discord, separation and dissatisfaction.
At Shanti Yoga Therapy, we start where you are. We begin with experiential practices that strengthen the connection to witness consciousness of how your unique system is wired. We delve into specific ancient and transformative methodologies of yoga catered to your specific health concerns and goals, while shifting the nervous system back into harmony, one practice at a time. This harmony then creates the fertile ground for the seeds of your natural state of wellness to blossom.
The nervous system is at the heart of how we live. Isn’t it time you got to know your heart?
How the nervous system works
When the nervous system perceives a threat, it relies on shifting its states for survival. It fights, leaves, or shuts down for protection. It naturally retreats from socialization to preservation. This fear response ensures our survival. Once the threat has dissipated, the nervous system returns back to a state of safety instead of danger. But what if life is full of chronic threats? What if we are in continuously overwhelming experiences and haven’t yet released the previous experience that challenged our evolutionary response to perceived danger? What if our baseline continues to return back to a defensive or shut down state instead of our natural state of relaxation?
How yoga therapy helps a chronically stressed nervous system
Viewing life through a long-term perception of danger fuels a chronically stressed state of the nervous system and changes our biology over time. This is often the space where chronic conditions, persistent unexplained health issues and pain flourish. Thankfully, we are not powerless. We are far more powerful than we know. Change is possible.
Through regular practice, we cultivate awareness of how our nervous system responds to each moment, how we personally constrict and how to alter those habitual patterns. We deepen our ability to compassionately witness our states and free ourselves from the protective patterning. Over time, we return our baseline back to relief. We respond to stressors with mindfulness instead of reactivity from past hurts.
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to change its conditioned response to stressors. Yoga therapy is a proven, mindful, full mind-body integrative approach to this reorganization. We work with stress on a variety of levels including but not limited to internal mental-emotional stressors, external stressors, personal perception of stress, biological stress, acute stress and chronic stress.
When we befriend our nervous system, we encourage wellness.
How do I work with a yoga therapist?
Add a regular yoga therapy practice to your overall healthcare regimen. Custom yoga therapy techniques designed for your specific goals and wellness needs, when practiced regularly, expand your awareness of the multi-dimensional being that you are. If you are looking to reduce the held stress response patterning of the nervous system and make lasting change toward wellness and are eager to unlock the full potentiality of who you are, yoga therapy is an asset to your unique unfolding process.
Like complementary work with other healthcare practitioners, yoga therapy is not a quick fix, but a sustained commitment to an increased level of health and wellness.