Table of Contents
Thanks to see Shinefield, Nancy Nowak, Karen Hasskarl, Becky Metarland, Loui Bashour and all practicing Phoenix Rising Yoga therapists for their commitment and support in taking this work to the world.
I dedicate this book to all of my teachers throughout my life, especially my wife, Loui and my daughter Keiron my sons Christopher, Joshua, and Jack, and my monther and my father. I also dedicate it to all of my students, many of whom have also been my greatest teachers.
Introduction
The phoenix is a mythical bird of great beauty, fabled to have burned itself on a funeral pyre. In its state of destruction, one glowing ember remains in the fire that consumes it, signifying eternal life. It is from this place of immortality that new life evolves. The phoenix then reappears, transformed, rising out of the ashes of the fire with newfound youth and vitality, to live yet another cycle of life. That moment near death with only one ember remaining may well be the moment to which Patanjali was referring when, thousands of years ago he wrote the first yoga Sutra which says: Now, the discipline of yoga! Each of us may reach that moment when we begin in earnest, the quest for our spirit connection.
For thousands of years yoga has been a scientific approach to bring body, mind and spirit into harmony. Through the practice of yoga, I have learned that my body is a great port of entry to the inner state of my being, my awareness, my feelings, my mind, my truth and my soul. How to use it as such and how to support others in doing so has been my work for more than a decade. My quest has led me to discover ways to use my body, not only to gain knowledge and awareness but also to make changes in my life. By answering the call of my spirit, these changes are both desirable and in harmony with my dharma. My work has been to make these processes also available for others.
In doing this, I have realized that there are three very important elements in ones spirit quest. Firstly, like everything in creation, each one of us is unique with our own path to follow. Secondly, each of us has all the answers within us to help us find our own path. Thirdly, what I learned through my own journey was that even though I was using my body as a vehicle to my spiritual being, my passage to it was greatly enhanced by a loving presence, not a punishing one. With these elements in mind, I developed a modality that would facilitate a journey toward the discovery of ones unique being and honor its uniqueness in a way that would be more inviting than threatening. I have named this work Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy.
The story of the phoenix has helped me through times in my life when I needed to be reassured that I would fly again. These periods usually occur when I feel vulnerable, alone and insecure after I have been though the fires of destruction, when some old belief, habit or way of being becomes obsolete and no longer a part of who I am. What has been is gone, what is yet to be has not begun and I am at the crossroads of transformation. These times preceding great change can be difficult for us or they can simply be a time for us to experience a new way of being. During this time of letting go of the old and embracing the new I have learned to use my body to fully experience all that is happening in each moment. Ive also learned to accept what is happening, to listen deeply to a place inside and surrender to it. Then, and only then, am I guided to a course of action or a way of being. It is not unlike the practices of connecting to nature and the earth spirits used as ways of attunement by Native Americans and other ancient cultures.
As a symbol of transformation, the phoenix gives me the courage to embrace such change. She lets me know that I can endure the fire of transformation to a new, more desirable state of being and fly again. As German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel states in the Philosophy of History, Spirit... does not merely rise rejuvenescent from the ashes of its previous form: it comes forth exhalted, glorified, a purer spirit. Because I believe this, I am drawn to look into aspects of my life to determine if I might be holding on to old ways just for the sake of being comfortable or because of the fear of change. If I am willing to enter the fire and be present to such awareness, a more exhalted state of being awaits me.
Although I am on a spirit journey, I have made mistakes. Sometimes big ones. Most likely, I will make more mistakes but hopefully not the same ones. Sometimes these mistakes have hurt others. For that I am deeply sorry for it has never been my intention to hurt or to harm. Yet I dont believe that we can hold ourselves or another to a promise of being perfect. Even though we aspire to learn and grow, imperfections will continue to arise. All I can do is sincerely commit to learn from whatever I encounter along the way. Like stones in a stream that are smoothed over the years by the flowing torrent, I will dwell in the stream of life and invite it to smooth my rough edges.
I wrote this book to serve as inspiration and understanding for those of you who want to learn to fly into, and through, the fires of transformation offered by life itself and for you who want to find your true nature by being present to your daily fears and joysand in this process to be born into who you are and to die to who you have been. Your body is a valuable tool in this self-discovery process; in this book you will learn how to use it more effectively as such.
In the following pages Ill tell you about this process of discovering your Truth and learning from your body. The examples will come from my own experience and that of my colleagues and friends and my yoga therapy clients and students. My wish is that by reading this book, you might find inspiration for your own journey; ways to support it through the practices of yoga; the desire to celebrate your unique passage in this life; and, that you will find hope and the possibility for transformation in everything that life brings to you, even when that seems impossible. Welcome to the ride.
Now
While developing and practicing Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Ive witnessed many people rise up from the ashes of their past to create a new future. Ive seen people get in touch with a deeper selfthat self who reflects their inner wisdom. Ive seen them become aware of the hidden, unconscious aspects of themselves that color their perceptions and influence everything they do. The deep physical, emotional and spiritual shifts these people endure during yoga therapy give them the courage to face their intense and self-limiting fears and thus affect lasting and profound changes in their lives. Some clients have changed careers and addresses, ended destructive relationships and self-destructive behaviors. Some have pulled up roots and moved on; essentially realigning their lives to reflect the truths at the core of their being that were revealed to them during the yoga therapy.
Regardless of all the personal testimonies that validated and qualified the substance of this work, there was still a part of me that asked, What is this all about? and What purpose does it serve? These questions persisted, unanswered, until years later when I was a staff teacher at Omega Institutes annual program at Maho Bay on St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Another staff member of that program was Pat Rodegast, a well-known speaker, channel and author of several books including
Next page
