http://www.huffingtonpost.com/omega-institute-for-...

Minded Yoga for PTSD training coming up in both Edinburgh (1st-5th Oct) and London (9th-14th Nov). Contact us for further info or to secure your place; email@themindedinstitute.com

This is a very inspiring interview with Hala Khouri, a yoga teacher trained in Somatic Experiencing, a body-based psychotherapy that specifically addresses trauma and its symptoms, and cofounder of Off the Mat, Into the World, a training organization that combines yoga and activism within a social justice framework.

Hala describes how the yogic practice of finding presence with our sensations is the key to self-regulation, which is the goal of dealing with trauma. She explains, "trauma symptoms are an attempt of the body to self-regulate unsuccessfully. I might try to self-regulate by doing drugs or overeating because I’m afraid of the sensations. Or my body might try to self-regulate by shaking uncontrollably. Yoga can help us be in the body with whatever is happening so we can eventually move beyond it and not need to run away anymore".

Our Minded Training in yoga for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder delves deeply into these facets and addresses how yoga can offer gentle and safe movement with practices that integrate controlled breathing and self-awareness. Yoga helps individuals reconnect with their bodies and cultivate peace by balancing the autonomic nervous system. It also supports an improved capacity to be with difficult feelings in a compassionate way—a fundamental part of reclaiming wellbeing.