Yoga for Resilience with Gernot Huber

Resilience is often described as the ability to return to a state of equilibrium after a stressful episode. However, resilience also encompasses the ability to resist getting stressed out in the first place. In this workshop we will learn techniques to do both.

Most techniques for restoring equilibrium involve deliberate activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn inhibits the stress response. While this is an effective strategy, these techniques generally require a quiet environment and a fair amount of time.

Disrupting the stress response as it is triggered, on the other hand, can be done anywhere, at a moment’s notice. It addresses the problem before it can get out of hand. Having both sets of tools at your disposal will dramatically increase your ability to respond skillfully to whatever challenges life throws at you.

Session 1: Disrupting the Stress Response 

The stress response involves both mental and physical patterns. They reinforce each other in a self-perpetuating cycle that can easily lead to chronic stress. The good news is that it is quite straightforward to learn how to disrupt the physical components of the stress response. When we do, the stress response as a whole gets disrupted. The bad news is that all of us fall into these unhelpful physical patterns all the time. Even worse, many common yoga instructions explicitly reinforce these detrimental patterns. In session 1 we will learn to recognize these physical patterns of tension and will learn concrete techniques to disrupt them. These techniques can be incorporated into any yoga practice and any yoga style. You can continue practicing them without needing to add a separate practice to your routine.

Session 2: Restoring Balance 

Disrupting the stress response when it is triggered is quite challenging. Thus in session 2 we will also learn a number of techniques to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” mode. These techniques include restorative yoga postures, breathing techniques, and meditation techniques that can be used independently or in combination to return us to a place where we can thrive.

In this workshop you will learn simple but effective techniques to increase your resilience. You will:

• Learn exercises to reconnect your brain with your core and with your breath
• Practice moving from the inside out
• Replace your goal-oriented approach to life with a focus on savoring each movement
• Explore relevant concepts from physiology and neuroscience that help explain why we get stuck in movement and posture patterns that reinforce stress
• Learn simple techniques for activating the “rest and digest mode” that can be practiced individually or in combination for a more powerful effect
• Discover a “rest and digest” technique that can be practiced anywhere, anytime