YOGA

What is yoga? The origin of the word comes from the ancient Sanskrit 'yug ' which means to 'merge with' to 'be in union with'. This implies a relationship; the individual merging with the cosmos. It is a state of perfecting oneself on all levels to be in union with ultimate Truth. It is a spiritual practice that tames the body, the mind, the ego and the emotions in order to reach higher levels of consciousness. There are many kinds of yoga and many approaches to yoga, but the goal is essential and the same.

QI GONG

What is qi gong? It is a Chinese term that loosely translates as 'energy work', 'qi' being energy and 'gong' being 'skillfulness'. The term is relatively modern, emerging in the 20th century, but the practice stem back to early history, with references found in Daoist China in the 6th century BC.  It is a movement and attitude system for good health and strength by allowing the flow of energy through the body and around the body to be unobstructed. 

TRAUMA HEALING

What is trauma healing? Trauma is a normal part of life and healing from trauma can happen in many ways, or we can become defined by our traumas. That a healthy mind is cultivated when a healthy body is cultivated too, is an ancient wisdom found in across all cultures. Old ways of speaking often reveal the interconnected of body and mind. That traumatic experiences disrupt our sense of health and wellbeing was also long recognized and dealt with in ancient healing practices and shamanic rituals. Cultural heritage of art, music, theatre and dance can be seen through the lens of collective trauma healing. In modern times, psychotherapists are recognizing the importance of engaging the body as part of achieving good therapeutic results for mental health. Eugene T. Gendlin's book Focusing (1978) was one of the first to describe how to elicit body awareness as a source of self-knowing and self-healing.  Dr. Peter Levine's approach, Somatic Experiencing, first described in his book, Waking the Tiger  (1997), addresses specifically the importance of the body in resolving traumatic imprints and regaining resilience. More recently, trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk shows, in The Body Keeps The Score (2014), the wide range of therapeutic approaches that bring in body awareness for healing trauma.