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Jeanne Wolfe

Feedback on: Accessible & Trauma Aware Workshop with Beth Spindler

By Jeanne Wolfe


FYTA hosted this workshop which was held on September 6 – 8, 2019 at the Garden Club of St. Petersburg.
The workshop was led by Beth Spindler, C-IAYT, ERYT. Beth is a practicing yoga therapist in the Greater New York Area. She writes and teaches for Yoga International Publications and offers workshops, training and seminars worldwide.

Florida Yoga Teachers Association is greatly appreciative of Beth’s invaluable insights. We’ll certainly want her to return! She has over four decades experience in utilizing yoga as a healing modality, plus the highest certification in the field. Her book, Yoga Therapy for Fear: Treating Anxiety, Depression and Rage with the Vagus Nerve and Other Techniques is recognized in the Yoga Therapy community as essential text for those studying in the field. She is a frequently featured writer and presenter for Yoga International. Beth leads retreats worldwide.


Beth is first and foremost a kind, generous human being with concern for students, teachers and the many folks affected by trauma. Beth knows that many suffer from PTSD, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, anxiety, depression and fear.

I didn’t know what to expect from Beth’s workshop beyond breathing techniques and tension-releasing asanas. (Now I’ve been watching Beth Spindler videos on YouTube.) Beth’s workshop opened my eyes to how observant and educated we yoga teachers need to be, focusing on not only safe asana practice, but also being keenly aware of how trauma effects people. Many, many people.

It’s estimated that over 50% of our students have suffered the trauma of physical, sexual or emotional, abuse. Yoga classes can raise our vulnerabilities. Facing and overcoming our sense of vulnerability is healing, but for many, pain and fear may be overwhelming, leading to avoidance of the practice.

Beth has taught for over 40 years. As a yoga therapist, she is focused on triggers that may cause fear and avoidance in people.

Common Triggers may be:

  1. Words and phrases: 
“May I touch you?” “Relax” “Calm down”

    Stillness at the beginning of class (can be a challenge to slow and quiet the unsettled mind)
  2. Certain poses: 

    Balasana (Child pose) 

    Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose)
    
Makarasana (Crocodile pose)
    
Bharmanasana (Table Top pose)
  3. Position in class. Beth has learned that traumatized students prefer to be at the back of the room. One approach is to have students line the room around the instructor, back to the wall if possible. In other words, no one feels stressed by being in front of other students.

  4. Straps: One student told Beth, “That was my tourniquet.”
  5. Music: Veterans may be triggered by music from locations they’ve experienced. Likewise, victims of any trauma may be reminded of an intense experience when hearing certain sounds.

We are not just teaching poses. We are creating safe places. To quote the introduction of Beth’s book, Yoga Therapy for Fear: 


It offers asana, pranayama and dhyana exercises that help to eliminate ‘worry chatter’ directly affecting the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fearful thoughts. Addressing many components of fear, the book explains when fear is useful and when it is not, and teaches how to reprogram responses to uncertain circumstances so that they can be dealt with in a healthy way.

Real yoga for everyone. Learn to teach everyone in your class.

Filed Under: News

There is a new FYTA YouTube Channel now featuring Roger Cole!

By Jeanne Wolfe

Board member and creative director Jeanne Wolfe created a beautiful YouTube Channel for FYTA- starting with the videos that she created during the Roger Cole weekend workshop this past March.

About Roger Cole

This was the fourth time that we hosted Roger and as always he offered us valuable information that we can pass on to our students. Roger Cole, PhD is an internationally recognized yoga teacher who was trained at the Iyengar Yoga Institutes in India and San Francisco. He is also a scientist educated at Stanford and the University of California. This combination of skills allowed him to conduct yoga research studies and author dozens of articles on yoga anatomy, physiology, teaching and practice. Roger has trained thousands worldwide and it was an honor to have him teach for FYTA.

Roger Cole Workshop in March 2019

On March 15-17th, Roger presented a weekend workshop on Yoga Injuries: Causes, Prevention and Adaptation. He taught us about the most common yoga injuries, how to avoid them and how to work with students who have them. The weekend topics covered injuries to the low back, knees, hamstrings, sacroiliac joint, shoulders, wrists and neck. This invaluable workshop is a must for all teachers, and we are fortunate that he allowed us to record excerpts of these teachings for our new YouTube Channel.

Roger Cole Workshop on new FYTA YouTube Channel

Please enjoy these Roger Cole Workshop videos and look for more from future FYTA semi-annual weekend workshops:
Explore our YouTube Channel

Filed Under: News

Celebrating the Life of April Farrell-Hasty

By Jeanne Wolfe

The family, friends, and members of The Florida Community of Mindfulness, Tampa, FL celebrated the life of April Farrell-Hasty on Saturday, November 17, 2018. April was a member of FYTA as a Yoga Alliance registered teacher. April also was an advocate and mentor for those with Sickle Cell Disease. She was born with the inherited illness that eventually causes blood cell death, lowers the healthy blood cell count and blocks the flow of that blood. This brings pain and frequent infections. Through her Sickle Cell outreach program, April mentored kids and their parents, helping them understand medical jargon and their lab results. She believed in the power of knowledge.

April loved yoga. She studied and practiced it for many years. April owned Peaceful Lotus, was a blogger and world traveler. She authored three books: “Yoga for Everyone”, “Your Yoga Journal” and “Your Yoga Journal for Teachers.”

April married her high school sweetheart, Ronald Hasty and had two children, Brytanni Hasty, and Ronald Hasty II. Her disease never kept her from being a wife, mother, daughter, and sister.

Those of us who knew April were fortunate. She shone with a bright spirit and a lot of grit. April loved life. She lived her 56 years fully and has left many friends, family members, students, and her loving dog, Dharma. Her Memorial service was profound, peaceful and uplifting. We’ll miss you very much, April. Your strength, wisdom, and courage touched those of us who knew you. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Peace.

Filed Under: News

Annie Okerlin presents Wounded Warrior adaptations

By Jeanne Wolfe

Watch some video as Annie Okerlin presents Wounded Warrior adaptations to Florida Yoga Teachers Association on October 12-14, 2018 at the Garden Club of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Filed Under: News

Updated Music-Free Highlights of Annie Overkin’s Workshop

By Jeanne Wolfe

This version contains highlights of our three days with Annie’s wonderful guidance and sharing. You’ll actually hear the voices of participants of Annie’s Exalted Warrior Foundation three day workshop. Annie taught us how we can adapt our yogic teaching for all students using clear communication, physical props, and sharing a sense of safety for all participants. To enjoy this video music free, click here.

Filed Under: Florida Yoga Teachers Association Tagged With: Annie Okerlin, trauma adaptations, yoga for stress

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