Somatic Psychology of Yoga

For thousands of years, yoga has offered tools to master our deeply conditioned minds; describing how we can become content, compassionate, and resilient. Now neuroscience helps us understand how and why the practice of yoga is so powerful and necessary in our search for worldly and spiritual fulfillment. 

In this course we approach the mind from the modern point of view—neurology, biology, and psychology; and from the yogic point of view—the intuitive understanding refined by innumerable yogis down through the millennia. Both views help us understand how to best use yoga to recognize and address our obstacles and unfold the delightful potentials of the embodied mind.

Drawing from modern neuroscience and psychology, the hatha yoga tradition, the Yoga Sutra, and decades of immersion in the oral tradition, Sandy and Dr. Carrie share yoga’s wisdom and practices in a modern frame to help you find the most effective approaches to well-being.   

In the first week, we’ll explore the autonomic nervous system and polyvagal theory along with the yogic models of the mind. Self-preservation instincts built into the nervous systems of all living creatures are the foundation of protection and nourishment, but those same instincts predispose us to physiological and psychological distress. Yogic models of the mind describe how deeply ingrained mental conditioning and distorted self-identity are the source of our limitations and disempowerment. Understanding the mind and its functions from both points of view builds confidence in our capacity to improve every aspect of life and find true happiness.

In week 2, we’ll see that how we show up in our daily lives are opportunities to decondition and empower our minds. How do we clear the mind of its calcified tendencies and a badly programmed auto-pilot which dulls our response to the world, robs us of freshness and delight, and creates a cycle of pain? Cultivating self-awareness in embodiment, positive intentions, and patiently revising wayward tendencies, we can move forward with conviction and intelligence.

The secret to clearing the mind lies in working with all its aspects—the autopilot instinctive urges, the  higher decision making functions, the building of self-identity, and the interaction of these aspects of mind that result in emotions, behaviors, and actions. Embracing embodiment is yoga’s super power, and the key to equanimity and fulfillment.

Schedule