Maximizing your Change Potential

Gestalt therapy and yoga fit together quite nicely despite their very different origins. Both focus on here and now experience, both value awareness, and both seek to increase joy and happiness by integrating mind and body. When I work with someone in a therapy session, I am interested in all of experience, i.e. sensations, thoughts, feelings, associations and memories. Students in yoga are taught to pay attention to their own experience and to be gentle and kind to the self by eating a wholesome diet, getting enough rest, cultivating loving, supportive relationships with family and friends and having a spiritual interest and attitude. Having a balanced life, adhering to the yamas and niyamas (observances and practices) and being kind to the self in this way paves the way for exploring the self further doing postures, breath work and meditation. In Gestalt therapy change happens in the present moment and therapy that promotes contact is seen as healing. Doing yoga postures without strain or injury requires relaxed breath awareness and a steady focus on the movement and alignment required to do the posture. A flexible body allows one to sit and do breath practices and meditation cultivating a calm, one pointed mind. So a combination of yoga practice, Gestalt therapy and psycho-education (books, CD’s, DVD’s and internet resources) can be a very powerful combination to help people reach their potential.