On Why Calm Isn’t Always the Place to Start with Dr Lauren Tober
Have you ever been told to relax, and found you just couldn’t?
Or taught a yoga class for nervous system regulation, only to find your students struggling to stay still and looking unsettled or bored?
The first time I tried yoga nidrā, I spent forty minutes twitching and wriggling, waiting for it to be over, while my boyfriend (now husband) slept happily beside me.
In this solo episode, I share what that taught me about why calming practices don’t always calm us, and why nervous system regulation is about so much more than slowing down and long exhalations.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why calming practices can sometimes make it harder to calm down
- My first, very wriggly experience of yoga nidrā, and what it taught me about meeting yourself where you are
- What can help when you’re feeling wired: moving first, then gradually slowing down
- Hyperarousal and hypoarousal, rajas and tamas, in plain language
- Why nervous system regulation isn’t only about slowing down, and how to gently build energy when you’re feeling flat
- When feeling flat calls for rest instead, and how yoga nidrā got me through having two kids under three
- The three guṇas, and why we need a little rajas and tamas too
- Why you don’t need to be calm all the time
- A simple check-in: do you need to move, or to rest?
- For yoga teachers: what to do when students arrive wired, flat, or somewhere in between
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Dr Lauren Tober (she/her) is a Clinical Psychologist, Yoga Teacher, founder of the Yoga Psychology Institute, host of the A Grateful Life podcast and author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers.
Lauren developed the Mental Health Aware Yoga training to help yoga teachers make their classes safe, nourishing and transformative for all.
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The information provided on this blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice.
Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance or come and join one of our programs for professional training.
Any statements, claims or endorsements expressed by our guest authors, speakers and podcast sponsors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Mental Health Aware Yoga and the Yoga Psychology Institute.
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Hi, I'm Dr Lauren Tober!
As a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Teacher of nearly two decades and the author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers, I'm passionate about integrating yoga and psychology on the mat, in the counselling room and in the world.
With the growing interest in mental health and yoga, yoga students are attending yoga classes for the mental health benefits in unprecedented numbers.
In fact, 79.4% of yoga students report practicing yoga for the mental health benefits.
It's important that Yoga Teachers know how to support them.
I'm glad you're here.
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