Even more details about our offerings….
Thank you for taking an interest in I Can Be Yoga LLC. The offerings of I Can Be Yoga include SomaYoga Private Sessions, as well as various workshops and group classes. SomaYoga is incredibly approachable for all ages and skill levels. The slow pace, simple movements, and guided meditations are easy to follow, yet can challenge any body to practice exactly where they are in the moment. We practice acknowledging the boundaries of the body in order to recognize honest edges and limitations, and to gain thorough progress without injury.
The components of SomaYoga include somatics, therapeutic yoga, classic asana (Hatha yoga postures), ayurveda, mind study, and restoring prana breathwork. The term “Soma” stands for the first person representation of the experience or senses within, on the surface of, and the surrounding areas of the body.
Somatics can enhance mobility, integrate the mind and the body through the sensory motor loop, and improve overall consciousness. Therapeutic yoga will help stabilize by creating tensegrity (tension + integrity) throughout the muscles and joint spaces, while developing functional movement patterns. Classic asana improves strength and stamina while gently lengthening connective tissue. These three parts combined provide a road map of re-education of the muscles, healing, and improved longevity of the body. Inflammation is reduced because one may learn to change their patterns to prevent it from occurring. Another way to inhibit inflammation and other suffering is by incorporating Ayurvedic practices in our daily, monthly, and seasonal routines.
Ayurveda practices help us regain homeostasis with the assistance of current seasonal and/or dosha balancing remedies. The body is always working towards rejuvenation, yet oftentimes our habits can stand in the way, thus resulting in suffering or illness. The six pillars: food, sleep, exercise, breathing & stress management, cleansing, and self-awareness make up the foundation of building a better life. Dinacharya, or daily Ayurvedic practices, bring wellness into the lives of those who maintain them.
Mind study and SomaYoga go hand in hand because each involves so much awareness! The amount of growth involved in studying our minds can lead to reduced suffering. Once a person can identify negative cycles, the kleshas, drama triangles, and confusion strategies the path away from suffering and toward their dharma becomes much more clear, or at least less hazy. As the observer of the mind and its functions: Manas, Bhuddi, Chitta, and Ahamkara, we can coordinate these functions to cultivate awareness and engage in a path towards wellbeing.
Restoring Prana is a core attribute of SomaYoga. Subtle breathing is one way to reduce suffering in oneself and the collective by promoting functional breath and not breathing in excess. We now know carbon dioxide is the key to oxygenation of the body. With improved carbon dioxide retention through the extension of a “comfortable pause” the delivery of oxygen to the tissues through the arterial system and hemoglobin is improved. Therefore low levels of CO2 in the blood, due to hyperventilation, result in an increased risk of disease. Diaphragmatic breathing offers many benefits including increased ventilation and perfusion, reduced tension in the core & digestive system, and neck & shoulders, as well as soothing the autonomic nervous system into parasympathetic activation.
SomaYoga has innumerable benefits to those who choose to incorporate it into their lives. It is an accessible lifestyle choice that can improve the longevity and quality of life for each individual it reaches. During each session we like to highlight some short and long term goals to work towards. This might look like increased range of motion of the shoulder as a short term goal, and chronic pain resolution in the shoulder as a long term goal. A typical session may include but is not limited to,15 minutes of breath practices, 45 minutes of physical movement, and 15 minutes of guided meditation, and 15 minutes of review, Q&A, and “homework.”
“Working ourselves out of the job” is the objective of Somatics and Chronic Pain Resolution. The client is given slow, guided movements specific to their needs, and the expectation is they will incorporate these rehabilitative movements into their daily life and acknowledge any movement patterns that may be aggravating. We will work together to structure their practices into a daily routine. With dedication, the movements, awareness practices, and overall yogic lens lead to changing habitualized patterns, whether mental or physical, thus abolishing chronic pain and increasing quality of life.
It is important to highlight, therapeutic yoga and somatics are not replacements for psychological therapy, but are meant to be complimentary applications. We are working to experience the sensation of release and let go of what no longer serves us. We don’t necessarily need to know the story behind the trauma laden tension pattern, we just need to hold space through the discomfort in order to let go and move forward. If the conversation aims toward a topic that would be better addressed in a therapy setting, a boundary will be set and a client will be redirected to a professional more suited to the needs of the situation.
April Stokes, owner of I Can Be Yoga, currently holds a 200 hour and 500 hour certification of Hatha Yoga Training in the Himalayan Tradition from Yoga North International Soma Yoga Institute: A level one and two Reiki Attunement; As well as a level one certification of the Y12SR program, and is currently pursuing completion of level two. April has been practicing yoga for seven years, has held a yoga teacher certification for four years, and has taught over 150 hours of class time and private sessions in the community.
