Last weekend I was in London for Module 7 of the Diploma in Yoga Therapy with the Minded Institute. We looked at PTSD, Yoga Nidra, and bone health including osteopenia, osteoporosis, and both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. We also had a chair yoga practice led by Liz Oppedijk which was so much fun and really enlightening.
As the course continues, we’re building on knowledge learned in previous modules, and reinforcing our understanding of the links between stress, inflammation, and many of the chronic diseases found in society. We’re also learning more about how to choose and use specific yoga practices for specific populations in safe and beneficial ways. We’re learning about what some of the practices do to the body and the brain- why do we send the awareness into the feet? Why do we match the movement to the breath? Why do we take savasana and why do I cue you to come to seated from savasana with your eyes closed or chin tucked in? No prizes available, but stick an answer in the comments if you like 🙂
It’s mind blowing in a way how the simple and ancient practices of yoga can help in so many ways; but almost more mind blowing is the fact that we in our society KNOW that we live unsustainably and yet we carry on. Governments and organisations KNOW that the way to increase productivity in the workplace is to increase holidays, decrease hours, and make employees feel less stressed and more valued, but they don’t do it. It’s enough to make me get my tinfoil hat out because it seems wilfully damaging at this point that changes aren’t being made from the top down, to improve the health and wellbeing of our society. Doing so would reduce the burden on health and social care services, increase productivity, improve health outcomes, mortality, morbidity, educational outcomes… the list goes on and on. Everyone would benefit. Why don’t we do it?
