Tag: growth

Pheonix Rising Yoga

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Are you looking for a yoga practice for increasing your awareness and empowering yourself to live more fully? Phoenix Rising Yoga, a process-based therapeutic yoga experience, may be a good fit for you. The practice is done either one-on-one or in a class with a certified practitioner. Through this process, clients have the opportunity to release old traumas, personal beliefs and out-of-date habits and patterns to then move more fully into life with a new perspective.

Young Woman Meditating on the FloorDuring one-on-one sessions, practitioner-assisted yoga postures and open-ended, non-directive dialogue is used to touch upon things that may not come up in normal talk therapy. The client is guided thru a physical experience in the present moment and whatever happens in that moment, be it physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual, is then discussed and processed. The connection between what showed up on the mat and how that intertwines with your daily life, thru work, play, family and relationships is explored.

In a class setting, the practitioner guides clients thru a sequence of postures and experiences with individual body and breath. Clients are encouraged, through language, to find their own expression of a posture, not an ideal expression of it. It’s about individual interpretation, not perfection. Eyes are closed to maximize the internal experience. The class typically has a theme and the postures and language support that theme. Connections between daily life and life on the mat are explored during the class.

Many clients that have tried Pheonix Rising Yoga report gaining a new perspective, a powerful experience, and being able to feel deeper into themselves, to feel places and emotions they normally wouldn’t. Classes are taught at Mandala Yoga in Amagansett. Michelle Beebee is a psychotherapist and Phoenix Rising Yoga Teacher in Sag Harbor. (If you are interested in contacting her, email kiley@onehealthyhamptons.com for contact information.)

One Healthy Breakdown: As a social worker turned fitness junkie, I can totally appreciate the power of integrating yoga into therapy. This is BIG, Pheonix Rising is here to stay.

My Challenge for You: Challenge Yourself

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Challenging ourselves is what makes us grow, physically and emotionally.  Pushing ourselves, setting goals, expanding horizons, trying new things, and accomplishing objectives make us more confident and make the world a better place.  When I started One Healthy Hamptons, I made a promise to myself that I would try more things outside of my comfort zone and take advantage of more opportunities that come my way, even if it’s something I can’t see myself doing.  I’m going to challenge you to challenge yourself this month because the outcome is amazing.

Although it’s much easier to go about our daily routines, stay within our comfort zone, and rely on the things we already know and love, it’s also pretty boring.  Yes, we should all have ongoing goals in life that we’re confident we can achieve, but what about when we’re not sure we can do it?  What about goals that may not be achievable?  Goals we may think are out of our realm of capability, goals we may ultimately fail to reach.

Why am I asking you to set a goal you may not be able to achieve?  Because the growth that you’ll experience during the process, the time spent reaching for that goal, will be priceless, trust me.  Pushing ourselves to reach a goal we may not think we can achieve takes an immense amount of work, effort, focus, planning, and, most of all, support.

This past weekend, I spent 20 hours in a small room with a few other girls for a Les Mills Body Flow training.  Seven girls with seven different lifestyles, strengths, and weaknesses, came together to push ourselves and each other.  From fitness professionals to librarian or teacher, these women all brought their own skills and personalities to the table and I honestly don’t think we could have done it without each other, at least I know I couldn’t have.

I haven’t met a more supportive group of people in a long, long time.  Most of the girls were there to go through the mandatory steps to eventually teach Body Flow, of course, but that wasn’t necessarily my goal.  I committed myself to attend the training, soak up the information, learn about myself, and do my best.  To be honest, I had little confidence that I would actually pass the course and move on to become a Body Flow instructor, but for me that wasn’t the point.  The ultimate goal was simply to take advantage of the opportunity as much as possible.  And that I did.

Turns out, I actually passed the training, but the reward for me was the experience: developing my physical skills, finding my ability to coach, gaining knowledge, and most of all, giving and receiving unbelievable support and connection with others in the room.  There’s nothing like undergoing an immense challenge, a long weekend, and a learning experience with a group of people to prove to yourself you can do something you may think you can’t.

This goal of mine really had an unexpected ending; however, the act of committing to something out of my comfort zone, fulfilling this commitment, and giving it my all gave me more satisfaction than I can even explain and I want you to experience that for yourself!

So, how do you choose a goal outside of your comfort zone?  Imagine you are completely unstoppable, that nothing is impossible. In this case, your superhuman version of yourself, what would be one thing you would take on?  Now, do it.  Commit yourself to try, to experience the journey, and to do your best, regardless of the outcome.  Whether it’s a physical goal, an emotional commitment, or a combination of the two, identify a goal and embrace the experience!

One Healthy Breakdown: our passion and commitment, in combination with support and connection with others, is an unbelievably powerful force not to be reckoned with.