Somatic Practice in Yoga Therapy

Book excerpt: One value of yoga therapy is its ability to bring us to our senses-figuratively and literally. Inner body sensing and the knowing it evokes is a large part of how we become aware of what we need to attend to and work on in our growth as individuals. In Spanda (R) Yoga Movement Therapy-the yoga therapy method from which this work arises-embodiment practices are as vital to the process of self-understanding as they are to understanding anatomy, anatomical concepts, and physiological processes. This book shares a host of somatic practices that can readily be used in teaching, therapy, yoga practice and other avenues of personal exploration at the physical, energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. A wealth of illustrated step-by-step directions are given for somatic practice at each koshic level. The practices shared have been in use in clinical yoga therapy, in workshops and in classes for the past thirty years. They've resulted in greater knowledge, insight, and awareness of the body and the wisdom it can reveal.