A Test Page - Donna Farhi

Support Circle #4 - Replay

Time Stamp	Topics, Questions & Discussion
0:00 Q- A-	Fiona: I have a question relating to this topic of “trauma sensitive” work - what is your experience of working with deep tissue trauma related to surgery, eg. Breast and uterine cancer? I am working with some clients who have been through traumatic cancer treatments and surgeries, which leaves deep scar tissue, not only physically but also emotionally. I am observing “positive” changes in their ability to move in a softer and smoother way, having improved range of motion and feeling calmer/more balanced and empowered, however, it seems not easy for the body to hold this “new” form. - How do you work with the mental-emotional level of your clients? Do you have a specific inquiry process which you follow in the shared inquiry?
Q- A-	Erin: How does surgery and fascia and nerve damage through the midline of the body affect such movement patterns like navel radiation and what (if anything) do we know is possible to help regain the movement pattern if lost?
Q- A-	Elizabeth Feedback on Pain " Much can be said about pain and management. Though the research and science of pain has immense value, your words remind me of what I have felt throughout my studies - that, as chronic pain is a lived experience, always unique, with rippling effects on all aspects of a persons' life, and often the lives of their significant others as well, when it comes to management only so much can be learned in books and papers. It really demands engagement in the presence of individuals' lived experiences. This appears to me to be similar to how I consider teaching yoga in a shared inquiry approach. There's knowledge, principles and concepts to take in and these lay the foundation for the exploration in the dialectic relationship with students, where the combination of their inner experience and the teacher's expertise or insights, guide a journey towards a more functional /stable or supportive way of being in the body and practicing yoga. This is in part where I hope I will be able to take this approach. In time, with experience. For now I am just happily exploring the class material and homeplay in my own body."

Homeplay for Support Circle #06:

Pick an asana from the following list: Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II), Side Rolling 2, Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana), Triangle Pose (Trikonasana), Lord of the Fishes Pose (Matsyendrasana).

Teach the asana without referencing the support of the heart and lungs for the arms and hands.

Create a somatic inquiry that explores the image, idea or sensation of the heart and lungs supporting the arms and hands. You could use imagery, visualisation, touch, breath, movement or anything else that feels appropriate.

Then teach the same pose incorporating this new information.

Write down any personal observations or feedback from your student. You will have a chance to explore your learning with others at Support Circle 7.