Therapist or Coach ?

Introduction

1:41 Practicing yoga for 10 years, started in sports medicine and then moved into feminine health. Balancing the masculine/feminine energies. Energy is along a spectrum; pull the type of energy needed for the context. May be more masculine/feminine depending on what’s needed.

6:24 How do we manifest our gender

First is genetics: all of us have at least one X (female chromosome), the genes will makes up more prone to certain tendencies but presence of genes does not mean they are expressing. So there is a spectrum of expression in  gender.

The genetics of being female mean there is more connection between the halves of the brain, have a cycle that affects the body and mind, often more intuitive.

11:22 Feminine has both feminine/masculine energies and can be explored through the koshas, chakras. The world gives permission for each gender to approach experiences differently. Recent research – polyvagal theory, neuroplasticity are really modern terms for what gurus have been saying – self-awareness, mind & body connection, disciplines of the mind, breathing.

14:30 Seeing turf wars among yoga lineages. Based on let’s see what you can do , not what you are. Brought to America in the 50’s, started as more mental work, but became physical. Point is to find your own balance in the practice. Cultivate self-awareness, own our own power, then projecting to the world but not being bogged down by outside labels (title, money, gender, etc.)

16:47 Yoga will continue to become more powerful, especially as yoga therapy expands. With yoga, Lisa can work with  the whole family of a pregnant woman. Her philosophy is to teach to the entire person to lead them to awareness of the self, emotional awareness, their humanity. Self-reflection is the ultimate process. Looking at a person and applying yoga tools unique to their situation. Students say I had an experience (not a workout) after Lisa’s classes. Emotional triggers move us: be present in the emotion. Our mind has the power to affect our body. Ancient yogis knew this as prana.

24:00 Study of yoga shows that we are illusions. Lisa took the classes to be able to speak the language of the medical community, immersed herself in the science which may deny the non-physical world. Lisa can talk both sides of the conversations – science and yoga and she can see the connections between them.  Some science is progressing beyond the physical, however many scientists and therapists remain stuck in the physical.

30:35 Lisa was originally physical therapist, then opened her Belly Guru business in 2005 after studying and researching yoga and yoga therapy beginning in 1999. Given her experience in the allopathic medical model, she believes that yoga therapy should be based more on the health coaching model than the sickness model. Yoga therapy seems to be niching down to “fix” a particular symptom and/or issue and not looking at the health of the whole person. Yoga therapy would be much more successful in the life coach, behavioural change model. Yoga therapy provides body work, mental, emotional work and spiritual exploration.  This is a  very cost saving modality and effective. Lisa believes the therapist model is authoritarian; telling the client what to do. And they are often just doing the pieces (what’s painful, a diagnosis of some disease, etc.)  Lisa was doing this with physical therapy but she quit because the insurance model would not allow her to treat her patients as she felt she should. It is financially stable but does not value a therapist’s knowledge and experience. Just be very careful entering into the medical marketplace and make sure that your value is fairly compensated. Look at other professions who have followed the medical model and how successful that is for them.

Contact:

www.bellyguru.com

www.drlisahollandpt.com

FB: DrLisaHollandP.T