Meditation
and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
by Michael Lee, M.A. - Founder, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
The June 2001
issue of Psychology Today contains a feature article entitled "The
Science of Meditation". In the article the practice of meditation
is quoted as "an absolutely marvelous destressor", as
a "valid complement to more traditional therapies", as
"facilitative of mental health because it brings about a higher
level of self-acceptance and insight about oneself", able to
"ward off stress related conditions such as heart disease,
digestive problems, and infertility", and ultimately helping
us in "recognizing that the true nature of all individuals
is empathetically nonindividual, neither lasting nor separate."
The article
also explores what meditation is and why many people find it difficult.
It even asks the question that given meditation is so effective,
"why aren't more people taking up the practice?" Much
of the article explains how meditation works by stilling the chatter
of the mind and by allowing one "to be present for the moment,
open and non-defensive".
In terms of
the difficulties involved for practitioners of meditation two key
issues are raised. Firstly, many people find it is difficult to
practice and even harder to know if one is in fact practicing meditation
or not. One of the people interviewed for the article suggests that
the only way of knowing if you are practicing effectively or not
is by how you feel when you are done. If you feel better you must
be practicing properly.
Reading this
article prompted me to examine Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy as a
practice akin to meditation to achieve the same end. And without
taking anything away from meditation as a practice, I believe PRYT
offers many advantages over meditation in terms of working with
clients who do not have a background in yoga, meditation, or spiritual
practice.
Firstly, PRYT
involves the body as the focus - a much more substantive and easier
object of focus than watching the breath and watching the mind'.
In a PRYT session using assisted asanas the client has the support
of a trained practitioner who guides her in focusing on what is
happening in the moment - physical sensation, thoughts, feelings,
breath, or whatever. This focus creates in a short time a profound
level of self presence or "witness consciousness". Through
the dialogue process there is unconditional loving acceptance of
all that is witnessed coming from the therapist. The therapists
unconditional loving acceptance is then transferred to the client
so that he also is able to be present to the moment, open and non-defensive".
Secondly, during
the PRYT session, the client will almost always enter a "different"
state of being that is very similar if not identical to the state
often attained by meditators. It is a state of inner surrender to
the moment - to all that is at that moment. IT is a state of "being"
and "non-doing". I believe that in that state, one connects
with spirit and is open to receive from it. A lot of what seems
to be important on the surface of life no longer carries the same
importance - it is a relatively stress free state and a reminder
to the body-mind "recognizing that the true nature of all individuals
is empathetically nonindividual, neither lasting nor separate."
I also think
that in the course of a ninety minute PRYT session, most clients
will experience a noticeable shift in their experience of themselves
by the end of the session, that could easily be compared with what
one might expect following a deep state of prolonged meditation.
The meditation
article also sites two interesting studies. The first published
in the journal Stroke showed that a group of mediators
"showed a marked decrease in the thickness of their artery
walls' and that the practice of meditation could reduce the risk
of heart attack by 115 and stroke by 8% to 15%. Another study was
published in Psychosomatic Medicine. A randomized group
of 90 cancer patients were taught and practiced mindfulness meditation
(very similar to the PRYT focusing and reporting technique). After
seven weeks of practice "those who had meditated reported that
they were significantly less depressed, angry, and confused than
the control group who hadn't practiced meditation".
Although we
don't yet have studies to support it, I have no doubt from both
my own practice with clients over many years and case material that
other PRYT practitioners have reported, that very similar results
would be obtained from clients who receive a regular PRYT session
over a similar time period. The reason for this, I believe, is that
what happens during meditation is very similar to what happens for
the client during a PRYT session and therefore it is understandable
that the results would be similar.
With the PRYT
session there is also the added advantage of a trained practitioner
being present to the clients experience, coaching, supporting, and
offering an unconditional loving presence. This can be most helpful
when the client experiences doubts, fears or uncertainty. This issue
of "am I doing this right?" becomes a non-issue. There
is also the integration phase of the PRYT session that helps the
client connect their "inner" experience to their "life"
experience. This has the effect of immediately putting into practice
in daily life all the innate wisdom that was brought to awareness
during the session. For someone diagnosed with a condition such
as cancer, this can often lead to an awareness of the spiritual
resonance underlying the disease. E.g. I once worked with a person
who during the PRYT session became aware of her high need for control
in practically every life situation. In letting go of this need
just briefly during the session, there came a profound sense of
bliss. She identified this state as something needed in her life.
Thought the dialogue and integration part of the session she became
aware of the process she had entered to create this blissful state
during the session. It had involved trust, letting go, and being
present to the discomfort of doing so. From that experience and
the awareness it generated she was able to re-create a similar experience
at will in her day to day life. This in turn helped her to heal.
Rather than
offering PRYT sessions as an alternative to meditation, I think
what could be more powerful would be to offer weekly PRYT sessions
in addition to a daily meditation practice. One would reinforce
the other and there would be two different forms of practice supporting
the same ends.
