Thursday Night Special** : Neurogenic Yoga

About the Class

Thursday Night Special at 6:30pm is a Rotating Class where we rotate through 1st THR (Neurogenic Yoga), 2nd THR (Embodiment Yoga Somatics), 3rd THR (Traditional Hatha Yoga), and 4th THR (Candlelight Flow + Yoga Nidra) classes. First Thursdays are Neurogenic Yoga   Neurogenic Yoga™ is a revolutionary technique in trauma healing and stress reduction. This practice combines yoga asana and pranayama with the body’s natural, therapeutic shaking response. This shaking response in humans, much the same as the instinctual shaking in animals, is the nervous system’s way of discharging long-held tension and trauma, or unconscious muscle contraction in order to restore the body to wholeness. When the nervous system identifies threat, vibration or shaking in the body is designed to occur automatically. However, negative social constructs and beliefs around what it means to allow ourselves to shake, tremor, or show vulnerability, condition us out of this innate release mechanism at a very early age. Neurogenic Yoga reawakens our body’s intrinsic release mechanism for optimal health.   Who can benefit from Neurogenic Yoga™? If you have ever gotten up to speak in front of an audience and gotten “knocking knees”, been in a car accident and found yourself shaking afterwards, or found yourself angry and had shaking in your belly or other body parts, then you have experienced this type of vibration. Since this shaking mechanism in the muscles is part of our natural behavior as humans, everyone can benefit. Safely self-inducing these neurogenic tremors increase the resiliency of the body because they cause deep relaxation that naturally reduces stress levels and muscle contraction. These vibrations can release emotions ranging from mild upset to severe anxiety whether it is caused by work stress, excessive worry, conflict in relationships, physical stresses, or traumas from accidents. Additionally, tremoring has been reported to reduce and eliminate pain, increases mobility, and aid healing of recent and past injuries. Whether you are a parent/spouse who would like more patience with your family, a survivor of violence or an accident, a soldier suffering with PTSD, or simply someone who wants to become more resilient and healthier, you can benefit from Neurogenic Yoga™.   Reported benefits include:     •  Release of chronic tension    •  Increase of energy & stamina    •  Discharge of buried emotional & physical trauma    •  Freedom from pain of sciatica & fibromyalgia    •  Decrease of aches & pains    •  Improved sleep    •  Improved circulation & flexibility    •  Improved mood    •  Improved sense of feeling grounded & focused    •  Increased sense of wellness & relaxation   Neurogenic Yoga is a simple, gentle and profound practice that facilities the lengthening and relaxation of the psoas muscle and the release of physical and emotional stress and tension. During a Neurogenic Yoga™ practice, we safely self induce neurogenic tremoring using yoga postures, breath and body-driven movement. Often vibration begins in the legs and may spread throughout the entire body, releasing long held tension. This method is based on Dr. David Berceli’s technique of Trauma Releasing Exercises® (TRE®), but expands on the pathways through the nervous system to produce the Neurogenic Tremors, often adding a dimension to TRE by using a larger variety of switches in the Nervous System.   The first half of this 90-minute class will focus on physical practice designed to warm up the body and invoke Neurogenic Tremors using Dr David Bercelli's TRE Technique.  After tremoring for 20 to 25 minutes, we will then shut down our tremoring and integrate the nervous system.   Very Accessible to all experience levels, this process is a complement to, but should not be used as a substitute for trauma recovery procedures of a medical or psychological nature. Individuals who have physical or psychological/psychiatric conditions that require strict regulation, individuals with fragile psychological defenses, a complex history of trauma or restricting physical or medical limitations should consult their medical practitioner.   Alex Pfeiffer is a Certified in both Neurogenic Yoga and TRE .... when this class has a non-Alex sub, it will be strictly TRE which is very similar to Neurogenic Yoga, only it will use a single nervous system pathway.