By Melissa Pini, owner of MAP KEYS YOGA
If you had to choose a moment of insight or an aspect of action to catapult yourself towards a behavioral change, which would you choose? As I venture deeper into my studies working toward my licensure in Clinical Mental Health & Counseling, these are the types of questions I ask myself, and am asked, when it comes to theories for change. As I am not yet a licensed Counselor, I oftentimes find myself relating these learned topics to yoga; the area in which I am specialized and certified.
Through the practice of yoga, we more often than not use insight as a catalyst for change. For example, when moving through specific asana (the yoga poses), we begin to notice if there is any resistance in the body. Does it feel more tight in one area than another? Is there greater range of motion in one joint than another? How might the realization of this resistance in the body correlate to the resistance in the mind when moving through asana?Does the mind wander? Are we remaining in the here and now or are we time traveling to moments of the past or dreams of the future? These are profound questions of insight that we may gain on the mat during our practice that we can take action from.
Of course, my thoughts on insight as the marker for change are up for debate. There are many different approaches one could take in both yoga and the counseling world to relate this theory to the person. Human behavior is an interesting topic, at least to me!As a Counselor in training, my main goal is to learn the tools to provide my current yoga clients and future counseling clients with the most useful information. Having the awareness of my own strengths and that of which I still need to build upon will provide me with the insight into my own psyche and hopefully the ability to grow along my own personal journey. We are all always learning. All great teachers have a great teacher and to take the seat of a humble student is beyond rewarding.We are all connected and have much to share.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Please feel free to reach out by sending an email to melissa@mapkeysyoga.com. I look forward to continuing this conversation! In good health, easy breath in and easy breath out. Now, begin.
Melissa Pini lives in Michigan where she has her yoga studio. www.MapKeysYoga.com. Contact her at Melissa@MapKeysYoga.com.
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