Hi Everyone! Long time, no blog. I wanted to provide an update about a new service that I'm offering: trauma-sensitive yoga. This past year, I've been up to lots of things, but my focus has primarily been on obtaining my yoga teacher certification. Why, you ask? What business does a therapist have offering yoga classes to the public? Well, lots of reasons. First and foremost, have you seen the research out there about yoga and mental health? It's pretty compelling. In his book The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel Van der Kolk talks about how trauma has real physical effects on our bodies. Folks with trauma disorders or anxiety disorders are more likely to suffer from chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, insomnia, fatigue, unexplained headaches, stomach aches, and chest pain, and a general feeling of disconnection from their bodies. Heart rate variability (HRV), the tiny fluctuations between our heartbeats, is also affected by trauma. When our autonomic nervous system (the part