Our world today is riddled with information and stimulation which makes it difficult for the human brain to fully process and for our autonomic nervous system to skilfully adapt. This can leave us feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious.
Yoga is a safe and powerful way to support our mental health and create a sense of holistic wellbeing. Yoga has been shown in studies to help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
This four-week course with Nicole Veith will help you slow down, relax and return to your natural state of equilibrium by:
Using yoga postures, breathwork and guided meditation to positively impact your body, mind and breath leaving you feeling calmer, lighter and more resilient.
Deepening your understanding of the workings of your own mind, diving into yogic wisdom paired with research about the autonomic nervous system and polyvagal theory.
Allocating time to yourself to move, breathe and learn about your body and mind.
You will be courageously moving towards taking more ownership of your mental wellbeing and you might be able to self regulate more easily outside the yoga room as a result.
Please find more detail on what Nicole will cover each week:
Session 1: Why mindfulness
In our first session we will explore what research can teach us about mindfulness and how to use a simple breathing technique to activate our vagus nerve which will calm our nervous system. This will be followed by a grounding practice of yoga postures and completed by guided nourishing relaxation (Savasana).
Session 2: Negativity bias paired with gratitude
We will repeat the simple breathing technique and learn about our negativity bias and all the benefits of a gratitude study. Our yoga practice will include the same grounding postures as during our first class, so that we can practice with more mindfulness. You will leave this class after a soothing body scan in Savasana.
Session 3: The autonomic nervous system (from a polyvagal theory point of view)
You will learn about the autonomic nervous system from a polyvagal theory point of view. This may sound very theoretical, but it is so helpful in understanding the different states our body moves into unconsciously. We will then transition to a guided meditation, focus on releasing tension in our hips and shoulders and round it off with a relaxing body scan in Savasana.
Session 4: Why self-compassion
In our final class together we’ll look at the benefits of a self-compassion practice and why it is essential for our wellbeing. We will practice the same guided meditation and the same yoga postures, so that you can feel more deeply into your body and mind. We will complete the session with a self soothing body scan during Savasana.
When: Saturday 14 November – Saturday 5 December, 9.30-11am
Where: Mahi Meditation Room
Investment: $149 (four sessions)
Places: 5 people maximum
