Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Feb/March 2018 Aspire Mag Full Issue: Inner Prospe | Page 64

5
Ways to Cultivate
More PLAY into
Your Life
BY ERIN BYRON
S
omething very telling once happened
at a yoga retreat for trauma. I related the
three parts of the human brain to yoga
therapy principles that help overcome past
pain. Nourishing the mammalian aspect
of our brains with self-care activities and
community support is healthy and sustains
your overall enlightenment. In that workshop,
the group brainstormed basic mammalian
needs to feed the part of the brain where
memory, emotion, and learning occur:
survival basics, community, touch, love,
order, leadership…It wasn’t long before
they started repeating themselves but they
missed one key need. “There‘s something
you’re forgetting…think of your dog.”
“Food!” “Discipline!” “Exercise!”
They
couldn’t come up with it. After ten minutes
I guided them into reclined postures and
deep breath so their minds could rest and
the solution surface. I left the room, telling
to relax and focus on it.
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