Trauma Informed Mind Body Yoga: TIMBo Training- Foundations

Trauma Informed Mind Body Yoga:

TIMBo Training- Foundations

I just finished the Foundations section of the TIMBo Training. http://yogahope.org/timbo-program/

What is TIMBo?

This is what is says on their web page:

“The Trauma Informed Mind Body (TIMBo) program is designed to help women understand how and why their bodies feel the way they do, notice their emotion sensations non-judgmentally, and helps them take effective action in regulating the difficult sensations, making them less likely to turn to drugs, alcohol and destructive behaviors to cope.

The TIMBo program addresses three primary objectives:

1. Give women simple, effective and accessible tools to utilize as active coping strategies for self-regulation. These tools can be used anywhere, anytime and take just minutes to utilize.

2. Help women gain awareness of their bodies and their body sensations. Emotional traumatic memory becomes lodged in the body and is triggered in an endless feedback loop that becomes chronic and debilitating in many.

3. The long-term objective is to help women renegotiate their self-belief through an awareness of their inner experience, and begin the process of transformation.

Women begin using self-regulation and mindfulness tools after the very first class and their sense of empowerment is felt right away. Each session builds on the previous one, giving women the opportunity to notice the effectiveness of these tools on the spot. Group sharing allows women to share their discoveries and validate one another in making empowering choices.

TIMBo has been designed with the specific needs of women in mind and more strategically addresses the effect that early childhood stress and trauma have on the body and the mind. The TIMBo program provides teachers with a structured curriculum of 16 sessions that leaves students with tools to address their habituated patterns and symptoms that lead to recidivism, relapse, and entrapment in the cycle of trauma, addiction, incarceration and other health risk behaviors.”

This is what it meant for me-

The Process:

"Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our

power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and our

freedom."

Viktor Frankl

That- is my favorite quote. Why? Because I lived in the existence between stimulus and response for ages. No. let me say that clearly. I was only stimulus response. It has taken me years to cultivate the space between the two-- and yoga has been a huge part of that shift.

On my mat, I have been able to construct the space between what was going on in two places: (a) my head, and (b) my body--- and then the critical space between those two places and my choices. Both my mind and body were experienced as stressful and bad. There was little positive input- unless there was a substance, self-destructive behavior, or avoidance involved and then- well then- things were fine- 

-and they were not fine, they were not okay and I was not okay.

Yeah, if you asked me I would say, “I am fine, good really, yeah good. Its just that……” What followed-- it is just that … [fill in the blank- with what everyone else was doing to make me miserable].  And IF ONLY, if only, if only THEY would…. “Yeah, I am fine.”

Enter yoga. And I start to get it. I start to get it that there are more options. There is something else, something more than stimulus and reaction. Something more than stimulus- substance/symptoms- reaction.

What was it?

Presence. Beautiful, huge, fragile, strong, crazy presence.

I practiced yoga. I practiced presence.

Nan Herron, a dear friend and pursuer of all that is good and world changing, told me about TIMBo. She said, “This stuff is great. You will love it. This is the thing. You need…. NO, REALLY.. YOU NEED TO DO THIS.” So, I did.

And, so I did.

I am sitting here in the airport. Raw, renewed, deconstructed, and reconstructed, and wiped clear, from four days of pure, distilled presence.

Potent shit. Raw with truth and abundant with unconditional positive regard. A crucible for change- a human crucible for change.

I don’t want to share too much, so much that I dilute it.

Know that if you choose to go there- to your true self- you will leave transformed. Transformed into you as you were intended to be- no cookie cutter, no pretense, no expectations-

-just you and your true nature.

Zuri’s Story (See this blog for more about Zuri and who she is)

Zuri is sitting on her bed. It’s June. School is practically over.

This is bad.

Summer is bad. No structure. No teachers. Just Jasmine’s cancer and Zuri’s mom- and for her mom- drinking is worse in the summer- way worse. And for Zuri’s brother- Eric- risks, real risks, are worse in the summer- way worse.

When the sun starts shining, Zuri’s worries escalate. Her shoulders move toward her ears. Her jaw clenches. Her breath gets shallow. Her back tightens. For as long as she can remember, she curls into her defensive self because you never really know what will happen.

She is also sad because there won’t be any yoga. Miss Amanda takes the summer off and goes to yoga training and sees her family. Zuri will miss her horribly. Miss Amanda and Yoga have taught her these three things that no one seems to know in her family (see http://yogahope.org/timbo-program/ for more on these three things):

1.  Active coping tools for self-regulation.

2. Awareness of her body and body sensations.

3. A belief in herself as a strong and competent young woman-- a self-belief through an awareness of her inner experience.

When Zuri goes to yoga, she is reminded to be present and breathe. She practices connections with Miss Amanda and the other kids who are practicing. When Zuri goes to yoga she feels what she is feeling- the physical, the emotional, and the longing- pure and clear for what it is—and then she breathes into it- not meeting it with drugs, clinging to boys, or drinking—she meets her longing with breath and acceptance. And the miracle of that- is a growing belief in herself as someone who can handle stuff- she can handle her fears about her mom’s drinking and driving, her brother’s drug use and scary behavior- she can handle missing Miss Amanda- she doesn’t like it- no. Shit no. But she is strong enough.

Laying on her bed with her journal- she starts to sketch out some plans for the summer. She was thinking that maybe she might ask the minister at the church if she could teach a little yoga at the church to the kids in day camp. Miss Amanda has been telling her that she would be an inspiring teacher, maybe it would be okay if she shared what she knows with some of the little ones at camp?

She suddenly felt safe. It was the strangest thing. When she started thinking about summer, about yoga, and Miss Amanda- and not being connected all summer, she was scared. As she thought about teaching yoga, it felt like Miss Amanda’s sureness and support moved from outside of her heart, right into her chest. The yoga shifted too. It felt like it wasn’t something at school, or after school, but something in her body- something that was part of her that she could share. Ah- this feels good!

Image from http://nataliefishwick.co.uk/some-faqs/ 

And so it would be. Zuri’s summer job was to teach yoga to the beautiful little souls at summer school. And with a heart full of yoga and hope she will share these three things

(see http://yogahope.org/timbo-program/ for more on these three things):

1.  Active coping tools for self-regulation.

2. Awareness of body and body sensations.

3. A belief in the self as a strong and competent being-- a self-belief through an awareness of inner experience.

There are going to be some happy kids at camp this summer….

Namaste,

Catherine Cook-Cottone

http://www.catherinecookcottone.com

If you want to learn more about TIMBo, YogaHope, and the founder- Sue Jones click here: http://yogahope.org/about/yogahopes-creation/

* Note* It has been a while since I posted. It will be this way for some time (Until early Fall, 2014). I have an approaching deadline for my embodied self-regulation book. It is my plan to post once a month or so, until the book is submitted. OR If feel really compelled to post- which is the case today. Send me lots of book writing energy!

Three Ways to Show your Power, your Shakti, on Mother's Day

Three Ways to Show your Power, your Shakti, on Mother's Day

A long time ago, maybe years ago now, I asked my mom why she did not often tell me that she loved me or was proud of me. We were in the car, she was driving. Her hands were on the steering wheel and her eyes on the road. I turned down the radio to hear her.

She said, “I didn’t think it mattered what I thought. You do so many big, important things. I didn’t think it mattered what I thought of them.”

Pause.

Mom kept driving. Hands on the steering wheel. Eyes on the road, radio too quiet to hear. The sounds of cars on the road, the sound of our car cutting through the air, tires on the road, engine moving under the hood. Our breath and silence.

“It matters mom. It matters a lot.”

And so went the car and mom said, “Okay.”

I was preparing for Yoga class tomorrow, Mother’s Day. I searched the terms mother, yoga, and deity, searching for the yogic incarnation of motherhood within the traditional of yoga.

Shakti emerged.

It is said that Shakti is the feminine spirit, the embodiment of mother. It means power, or empower. This is just part of it. There is much to Shakti and to the understanding of Shakti. There are many variations across traditions.

It was those two words that struck me, power and empower.

That is what Mother’s Day is. It is a day to remember your power. To remember those that need you to say, “I love you,” and  “I see you.”

You, me, us, we are much more powerful than we think we are. In this blog, I write of Zuri, a little girl whose mother does not know her power. With this lack, Zuri is lost.

When we do not embrace our power, it does not fade, it does not go away. I believe it is misdirected, processed in a way it was not intended. My mother did not know her power and in her not saying, I was hurting. It was more than an absence of power. It left a vacuum. I knew, in my heart, she loved me. Still, the effect was there.

It is a responsibility that none of us asked for- but it is ours none-the-less, with children or not- we have our roles as the holder of Shakti-- to use it, to form it, to manifest it for the growth and development of others. It is a responsibility that comes with birth.

Think about people in your life. The people you touch. Do you see your power? Do you see the possibility of empowerment? And have you manifested, brought forth, given, seen, and expressed this power? Or is there a vacuum? Unspoken truths?

Do these three things- in honor of Mother’s Day, of Shakti, of your power-- do these three things:

1.     Step back, breathe, and see, really see, the people in your life. Acknowledge that these beings need you to show your love to them.

2.     Give voice to what you see. Tell them that you see their trying. Tell them that you see their kindness. Tell them that you see their heartache. Tell them.

3.     Nurture and Love. Do this a lot. There are many ways to do this.  One of my favorites is to kiss the ones you love on the forehead and whisper, “I love you.” Yeah, do that.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you powerful people. Know your power and use it well!

Namaste,

Catherine Cook-Cottone

theyogabag

Astavakra and Zuri: At Any Given Moment You Can Change Your Story

Astavakra and Zuri:

At Any Given Moment You Can Change Your Story

The Yoga Bag

Cook-Cottone

http://www.catherinecookcottone.com

What it Takes:

In order to be in embodied self-regulation- (i.e., (a) a state of being true to your longer term goals and (b) in creation of a life that you want to be present in) you need to do these FIVE things- over and over and over again:

1.     Be here (or never leave yourself)

2.     Notice when you have gotten off track

3.     As soon as you know better, do better

4.     Re-state your long-term goals and the qualities of the life that you want to be present in.

5.     Begin again….

Zuri’s Story

Zuri has been making the best of things. She has always been good at that, maybe due to necessity. She had volunteered to help tutor some of the younger kids at school. It helps her to give back. So far, she has been assigned first grade kids that are having a little trouble reading. None of them have officially had disabilities or anything like that. They seem to be mostly regular kids who needed a little extra help. The reading coach, Mrs. Rocco, told Zuri that she has been doing so well that she thought she was ready for a challenge.

Zuri headed over to the elementary school to do her tutoring. When she walked into  the reading room to help, Mrs. Rocco introduced Zuri to Sammy. Sammy was a 6 year old, little boy who had Down syndrome.

What is Down Syndrome?

“In every cell in the human body there is a nucleus, where genetic material is stored in genes.  Genes carry the codes responsible for all of our inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes.  Typically, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent. Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21.

This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome. A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm - although each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all.

-       See more at: http://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/What-Is-Down-Syndrome/#sthash.iemZMqw5.dpuf; http://www.ndss.org

Zuri was happy to help. Two kids in her grade have Down syndrome. She has seen them at lunch and in the hallways. She felt like this was going to be okay. When Mrs. Rocco introduced Zuri to Sammy he ran over and threw his arms around her. Feeling overwhelmed, she pulled back, fast. Sammy was startled by her actions and stumbled, lost his balance and fell. He started to cry, pulled himself to stand, and ran to Mrs. Rocco. Zuri sat, surprised by her own actions. She sat for a few moments, sort of frozen, not able to do anything. Mrs. Rocco brought Sammy back over and asked Zuri if everything was okay.

Zuri rallied, “Yes, Miss Rocco, sorry I was surprised when Sammy hugged me. Sorry, I hope I did not scare him.”

Mrs. Rocco said, “Oh, I see, yes, we are working on that. Sammy likes to hug everyone. He is working on saying ‘hello’ and offering to shake hands. Still, when he gets excited he forgets. He has been looking forward to meeting you since I told him about it on Friday.”

Zuri smiled, she told Mrs. Rocco that it was totally fine. She reached out her hand and shook Sammy’s hand and introduced herself. Sammy shook her hand with a big smile and told her that his name is Sammy. They sat down to practice reading.

That night Zuri was feeling horrible about herself. She could not believe her reaction to Sammy. She felt ashamed. She wondered if it meant that she was a bad person. She thought that she would immediately accept and help anyone. She didn’t understand her reaction.

She remembered a story she read in The Yoga Bag. She pulled the bag out from her closet and found the notebook with the story about Astavakra. He is the sage that the 8-angle pose is named after.

Photo of the 8-angle pose from  http://yogalifejourney.com/yoga-poses/eight-angle-pose/

She read my notes that told the sage’s story. Astavakra was born with 8 angles, or bends throughout his body. He struggled to walk and often people reacted to his appearance, not accepting him, even laughing at him because of his disability.

Photo of Astavakra from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashtavakra

Zuri remembered reading the story of how Astavakra walked far, despite his disability, to be able to take hear the great philosophical discussions in the court. She read about how wise and kind Astavakra was. Zuri remembered that when she read about how the court greeted Astavakra, she thought she would never do such a thing. She knew she would never judge anyone for his or her appearance. You see, the people at Kind Janaka’s court laughed at Astavakra’s appearance.

Zuri knows that people have judged her because of her mother, her skin color, and because of her brother Eric’s troubles. She has sworn on all that is good that she would never do that to anyone.

How come she pulled away from Sammy?

Zuri decided to ask Miss Amanda, her yoga teacher about what she thinks. If you try to be good, want to be good, why then do you do bad things? Does this mean Zuri is bad, like her mom? Zuri was scared.

The next day, she helped Sammy read. She was distracted the whole time because she could hardly wait to talk to Miss Amanda about Astavakra and her own missteps.

In afterschool, Zuri told Miss Amanda about what she did to Sammy. Miss Amanda smiled and pulled Zuri into her arms and gave her a big hug.

“Ah Zuri, we are all a bit afraid of anything that is different from us. It is sort of an ego thing. We define ourselves by who we are, what we look like, and all that-- and it helps is feel safe, knowing who we are. Ego, however, can lead us to fear what is not like us. Zuri, your soul is deeper than your ego. You told me you’ve read about all that in your Yoga Bag, in your books your Aunt gave you. Didn’t you honey?”

Ugh! Zuri cringed. She was bad. She forgot that she told Miss Amanda that her Aunt Jasmine gave her The Yoga Bag. She was afraid what Miss Amanda would think of her if she knew that Eric and his friends had stolen The Yoga Bag out of a truck by the church. It was time to come clean.

“Miss Amanda, my aunt didn’t give me the yoga bag. Eric, Eric and his friend broke into a truck by the church. They took a bunch of stuff. The Yoga Bag was with all of the stuff. They didn’t care about it and left it on the floor. I found it and started reading it. I can’t figure out whose bag it is. She didn’t write her name anywhere. She wrote lots of notes, and journal entries, and yoga classes. She had books in there and wrote noted in the books. I know is sounds strange, but somehow I feel like she is glad I have the bag.”

Miss Amanda did not know what to say at first. She asked Zuri if she was sure there were no names in the books or on the bag. Zuri assured her there was not.

Zuri told Miss Amanda that she did remember reading about the ego and the soul. She remembered that the ego was driven by fear and a need for safety and that the soul was driven by love and a passion for experience.

“Yes, Miss Amanda said. When Sammy hugged you your ego reacted and once you got a hold of your self, your soul kicked in and you worked with Sammy with a big open heart. Don’t you worry Zuri, so long as you stay present and stick with your soul, you will be up to big and beautiful things.”

Later that night, Zuri read the rest of the story of Astavakra. Turns out, King Janaka saw  more than Astavakra’s disability. King Janaka saw the atma, the soul in Astavakra. King Janaka bowed down to Astavakra and became his student. And Astavakra then gave King Janaka lessons in the science of the soul (i.e., Astavakra Gita). To read more about Astavakra and other sages read The Myths of the Asanas: The Stories at the Heart of the Yoga Tradition by Kaivayla and ven der Kooij (see link below).

Zuri thought that maybe Miss Amanda was like King Janaka is this way. Miss Amanda was able to see beyond Zuri’s ego-reactions and see her real, true self-- her soul.

Zuri remembered something else she remembered reading in The Yoga Bag, “At any given moment you can change your story.” Zuri wanted to be the author of her own story She wanted to let go of her fear of being linked to her mom’s mistakes, and Eric’s mistakes. She wanted to stop worrying about what everyone else thought of her. She knew that people were like her. We can all be afraid of things that don’t feel familiar. If we get beyond all that and see beyond our first impressions, our reactions, we can connect, our soul sees the soul of there other, our common humanity. Zuri has a sense that it was in that connection that powerful things could happen- like when she helps Sammy.

The Process

You can write your own story. You won’t always show up exactly like you want to. You won’t always get it right. You will make mistakes and you will be afraid just like I have, do, and will. Like Zuri with Sammy, I had a similar response to a little girl with Down syndrome the summer before my brother Stephen was born. I wish now I had a Miss Amanda or The Yoga Bag to help me see the bigger picture. I felt ashamed and embarrassed about my reactions to the beautiful little girl who wanted to touch my hair. I have thought of her many times, said prayers for her, and even written about her.

We head out into this life the authors of our own story. I know that you, like Zuri, and me, want yours to be a good one filled with moments in which you have done the right thing.

What it Takes:

In order to be in embodied self-regulation- (i.e., (a) a state of being true to your longer term goals and (b) in creation of a life that you want to be present in) you need to do these FIVE things- over and over and over again:

1.     Be here (or never leave yourself)

2.     Notice when you have gotten off track

3.     As soon as you know better, do better

4.     Re-state your long term goals and the qualities of the life that you want to be present in.

5.     Begin again….

As soon as you can, as soon as you get it, make it right, and step back in the right direction. Life, the universe, is full of challenges.  At any given moment, within any given challenge, you can anchor down into your soul and create your story.

Namaste!

Catherine

http://www.catherinecookcottone.com

DREEM or DREAM? Honoring Your So-called Failures

DREEM or DREAM?

Honoring Your So-called Failures

This post is about honoring YOU, even when YOU get it wrong. It is about finding the right in your wrong, the beauty in your trying.

Zuri’s Story

Aunt Jasmine and Zuri were sitting at the kitchen table. Jasmine was in one of her nostalgic moods, Zuri could tell. Jasmine told an old story about Sherece, Zuri’s mom and her (Jamsine) when they were teenagers. As Jasmine talked, she just laughed-- her eyes a bit distant as if they could see some far off place or time. Zuri loved to watch Jasmine when she talked like this. She knew that Jasmine and her mom had a hard time growing up. Still, she also knew that her mom and her aunt had lots of good, really good times.

Aunt Jasmine looked at Zuri pensively. She said, “Zuri, you’ve always been such a serious little girl, always trying to get everything right, always trying to make everything perfect.”

Shy to be seen like this, Zuri cast her eyes down and shook her head “No.”

“Yes little one,” Jasmine said. “I remember a time, years ago, Lord-- you must have been three or four years old. You wanted me to help you write a story. I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think kids at your age even knew the alphabet, let alone writing, and a writing a story at that. Still, I told you I’d help you write. So, you sat there coloring and writing. Do you remember that?”

Zuri shook her head, “No Auntie, no I don’t. I wish I did.”

Jasmine explained, “Well, there you were sitting there working so hard. You stopped and asked me, ‘Auntie Jazz, how do you spell dream?’ I told you really slowly, ‘D-R-E-A-M, dream.’ You looked up at me, your eyes wide open like you had done something wrong…. do you remember that?”

Zuri shook her head again, “No, I can’t remember.”

“Well, there you were-- sad, sad because you wrote it wrong. I couldn’t see your paper. You started to scribble all over the word you wrote as hard as you could. I grabbed your hand and said, ‘Wait, what are you doing to your little story?’ You told me you got it wrong. You told me you spelled it, ‘D-R-E-E-M.’ You said it was ruined-- the whole thing.”

“I stopped you right there and took a sheet of paper and showed you DREAM and DREEM. I showed you both. I told you about what I learned in school, “When two vowels go walking the first one does the talking. /e/ first then the two vowels together make the long /e/ sound.’ I showed you how the Ds, the Rs, the Es, and the Ms were all the same. I showed you how you had the word almost all right.”

Zuri had a feeling she remembered that day.

Jasmine said, “You sad to me ‘From here’ and you pointed to the DREEM, ‘getting to DREAM will be easy.’”

Jasmine and Zuri smiled an I-love-you smile at each other.

Jasmine said, “That’s right. Your mistakes are just ladders to the stars honey. You keep your heart open and do your work and you will get to that dream—no matter how you spell it.” They both laughed.

Right then it came to her. Zuri remembered the story she was writing. It was a story of a little girl whose dream it was to build a giant ladder to a wishing star. When she got there, she was going to wish her mom the best job in the world, a fancy new car, a really nice man to take her out, and all of the groceries they could ever eat.

Zuri thought about it. DREEM or DREAM it didn’t matter. It was little girl trying to make it right and Jasmine was able to see.

Zuri remembered something she read in one of my journals in The Yoga Bag. She remembered the Four Immeasurables: Loving-kindness, Joy, Compassion, and Equanimity. As she thought of her little self and her Aunt Jasmine, she thought of compassion.

According to Wallace (2010- link below), compassion “implies caring tremendously about the suffering of others, as if it were one’s own (p.127). Zuri knew that Aunt Jasmine felt deep compassion for her.

She remembered something else in The Yoga Bag- Self-Compassion http://www.self-compassion.org

“Self-compassion involves acting the same way towards yourself when you are having a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself. Instead of just ignoring your pain with a “stiff upper lip” mentality, you stop to tell yourself “this is really difficult right now,” how can I comfort and care for myself in this moment? Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?

You may try to change in ways that allow you to be more healthy and happy, but this is done because you care about yourself, not because you are worthless or unacceptable as you are. Perhaps most importantly, having compassion for yourself means that you honor and accept your humanness.

Things will not always go the way you want them to. You will encounter frustrations, losses will occur, you will make mistakes, bump up against your limitations, fall short of your ideals. This is the human condition, a reality shared by all of us. The more you open your heart to this reality instead of constantly fighting against it, the more you will be able to feel compassion for yourself and all your fellow humans in the experience of life. http://www.self-compassion.org/what-is-self-compassion/definition-of-self-compassion.html”

Zuri realized that by showing compassion for her, Aunt Jasmine was actually teaching Zuri self-compassion. She was learning how to love herself even when she wasn’t perfect, even when she couldn’t build a ladder to the stars and save her mom—even then.

As she left her thoughts and came back to her time with Jasmine, she said, “I love you Auntie Jasmine.”

Jasmine said, “I love you too.”

The Process

This story actually happened years ago only the little girl was Chloe, my 16-year-old daughter and Jasmine was me. Chloe tried to obliterate her attempt at writing DREAM when she was only one letter off. As Jasmine told Zuri, I told Chloe how close she was to getting it right.

When we obliterate our so-called failures, we lose a chance to learn from them. We lose the chance to allow the effort to get us closer to where we are headed. In this case, Chloe and Zuri need only replace one letter to get it right. Why obliterate and start new?

Look your so-called failures deep in the eye. Straight on. See where you got it right. With compassion, acknowledge your slips in judgments, lapses in knowledge, quirks in the process, and then honor all you got right. From that place right there, try again.

Those mistakes, they are your ladders to the stars. Climb on and with a big huge bundle of self-compassion—try again.

Here is to informed do-overs and next tries!

Namaste,

Catherine

The Yoga Bag

Catherine Cook-Cottone's Web Page

Recovery and Yoga: Create a Physical Foundation for the Pose and Be Up to Something Bigger than Yourself

Recovery and Yoga:

Create a Physical Foundation for the Pose and

Be Up to Something Bigger than Yourself

I am in the work of recovery.

That is a loaded sentence. Just look at it- “I am in the work of recovery.”

Yes. I research it. I help others find it. Perhaps most importantly, I am in it (see blog post: http://theyogabag.blogspot.com/2014/01/when-you-are-born-broken-my-eight-stage.html).

I have found that to be recovered you must follow one of the central tenants of Baptiste Yoga:

Create a Physical Foundation for the Pose and

Be Up to Something Bigger than Yourself

Yoga is a big, giant metaphor for life. Who you are on the mat-- is who you are off the mat. Perhaps there is a small group of individuals that can keep the two distinct. Still, for most of us-- the metaphor works and works well.

Within the Baptiste Yoga tradition, teaching is centered on the principles of True North Alignment. In its essence, it is the neurological and psychological integration of the self, our center line. Read more to see the parallels with the latest neuropsychological research and theory (see Dan Siegel http://www.drdansiegel.com/home/ for example).

As we become neurologically integrated and work from the center, from our True North, we feel better and do better. According to Dr. Siegel, we manifest FACES. We become more: F = Flexible, A = Adaptive, C= Coherent, E = Energized, and S = Stable.

In Baron Baptiste’s words (see https://www.baronbaptiste.com/), the first element of True North Alignment (our new code word for neurological integration) is:

Create a Physical Foundation for the Pose and

Be Up to Something Bigger than Yourself

Follow this two step process below to use this tenant to help you maintain your recovery. Better yet, use this to prevent struggle in the first place.

STEP ONE: Create a Physical Foundation for The Pose

In my recent book, Healthy Eating in Schools (Cook-Cottone, Tribole, & Tylka, 2013), I constructed a model for understanding the “create a physical foundation of the pose” for our off-the-mat-world. To be in recovery, mental health, and solid emotional regulation, you need to be in practice of the pillars of emotional regulation:

1.     Nutrition

2.     Hydration

3.     Exercise

4.     Self-Soothing

5.     Rest

6.     If needed and then prescribed--  medications

See Chart Below:

That translates in lived-experience like this:

1. Eat nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day.
2. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day and vary as needed for weather and exercise.
3. Exercise for 60 minutes a day- yes- 60 minutes.
4. Do one thing a day that calms you (no substances, all action). Think of cuddling with your dog or cat, taking a bath, going in the hot tub, sharing a foot massage, etc…
5. Get the sleep you need so that you wake up rested and restored (no substances for this either).
6. If you need to or have been prescribed medication—take it, like it is prescribed. Please note, that if you do numbers 1 through 5, your need for 6 might be considerably less.

STEP TWO: Be Up to Something Bigger than Yourself

This life you have been given, it is a gift. You are here for a reason. Your heart beat and precious, beautiful body are here to contribute. As you create a physical foundation for the pose (i.e., your life), you will create space for being up to something bigger than YOU!

As you practice STEP ONE, you will be fed, hydrated, physically prepared, centered, and rested. You will notice that it is time for you to re-organize your thinking to what is possible beyond YOU.

We all have stories, true and sometimes horrible stories, of what has happened and what is happening to us. Life is a challenge that way. But these things that have happened to us do not define us.

That place between stimuli and response- between what has happened to us and what we choose-

THAT IS WHERE OUR POWER LIVES.

Dig in deep there (between stimulus and response) and grab onto what you want for this one precious life of yours.

Yes- be up to something bigger than you.

Adherence to STEP ONE makes STEP TWO possible. Interestingly, STEP TWO makes STEP ONE manageable. You see, we take care of ourselves when we get it—when we get that we are of value, we are needed and important. We realize that just maybe- there is something that won't happen if we drop the ball. AH- then we realize that in order to do what we were meant to do in this world, what the world needs us to do in this world, we need STEP ONE. Yeah- YOU are that important, we need you, and for you to be you- you need to take care of you. So, it works together like that.

Zuri’s Story

Today- Zuri looked up at Miss Amanda during yoga class. Miss Amanda was asking the students as they stood in Warrior I, “What would you do, if you could do anything?”

Without pause, Zuri thought, “I want to become a yoga teacher.”

And so it will be. Our little Zuri has started her path of embodiment. She will eat, drink water, practice yoga, cuddle with Rashan, and get her rest (STEP ONE). She will study and work in school. And she will be up to something bigger than herself (STEP TWO). She wants to give these gifts she has received to other children who have it hard like she does. Yes- Zuri is up to something bigger than herself. It feels like fire in her belly. At this moment, she digs her feet into her mat, lights up her legs, draws her naval into her spine, and extends through each and every finger on her two hands- and Zuri- she feels amazing. You go Zuri.

The Process

Now it is your turn reader.  Today, begin STEP ONE- Create a Physical Foundation for The Pose (your life). It is funny. In Western culture, we say, “When I feel better, I will start taking care of myself.” Turns out, when you start taking care of yourself, YOU WILL FEEL BETTER- go figure.

After STEP ONE has been in place for 24 hours--  in a quiet moment--  ask yourself, “If I could do anything, what would I do?”

It is here, where you will find the stirrings of being up to something bigger than yourself. You will be on your way to finding your True North Alignment- your integration- your best version of YOUR SELF. You go. And as you do-- the struggles-- well, we shed them like old clothes that just don’t feel right anymore.

Namaste,

Catherine