Dr. Abi Weissman (pronouns: she & they) is now offering a new service - Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy for residents of California.

I am in the 4th quarter of my Level 3, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy training which allows me to see clients outside of my cohort. I am offering 1/2 price sessions ($115) until the end of September 2021 in this modality.

I have a new specialty page on Connecting to the Body and wanted to share a bit about what this work is and what it isn’t in a blog post as well.

What this work is:

• This work is a chance to help people who feel disconnected from their body and their happiness, to reconnect to themselves, and their needs.

• It is a 6 phase process of movement, breathwork, and guided meditation

• It is an individualized one-on-one session.

• Sessions are online.

• The goals are yours and yours alone. More generally, the purpose of this practice is to facilitate clients to listen closely to their bodies and learn how to prioritize their needs over the wants of their minds. With Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, you can learn to feel at home in your body, trusting that you know what you want, and learning how to get your needs met in accordance with your own values, life purpose, and long-term happiness.

• This work is in keeping with Waves, A Psychological Corporation’s values. In these Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions, I continue to center trans and queer mental health, be trauma knowledgeable, and work towards being as anti-racist as possible. We are Health at Every Size-oriented, are neurodivergent-affirming, Jewish - affirming and knowledgeable, and believe our clients, whether they are talking about their chronic pain, experiences of microaggressions, or institutional racism, classism, antisemitism, adultism, or ableism.

• I ask that you have a private, quiet, pet-free (human or animal) space that you can move in. Ideally, the camera would be able to see your mat, but this is not vital. The most important thing is that you have a place where you can move around that you won’t hit anything and that is private.

What Phoenix Rising Yoga Individual Therapy is not:

• It is not a yoga class.

• It is not a prescribed set of yoga poses designed to have you build up to different poses and then, have a relaxing end.

• It is not designed to be a sweat-til-you-drop cardiovascular workout. Yes, I will have you try different poses/postures/shapes but it is you who decides how much sensation you feel in the shapes. You decide if you want to lean into the pose or lean away from it. You decide the intensity. I am happy to provide different modifications to fit the practice to your needs. There is no one way to do this practice. You are encouraged to bring with you a water bottle to hydrate as needed.

• It is not a place where your body will be shamed or encouraged to lose weight or look differently. All bodies are welcome in this practice. There is no one way to be in this world and this practice will reflect that.

• It is not a place where your body has to move in a certain way. Each posture, each way of moving, can be and will be decided on as it meets your individual needs in your body at the time of the session. There is no right way of being or moving. Movement in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions is dependent on providing safe movement for your body in each moment of the session.

• It is not a place of physical pain. If you experience pain in the session, I encourage you to stop whatever movement you are doing safely and take yourself out of that position. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is not a place of physical pain.

• It is not a place where I, as the clinician have more answers than you do. This is about me, the student yoga therapist, facilitating your experience to better understand your body’s wisdom. I work hard to be there with you and not above you. You know the most about your experience and I am there to guide you towards more understanding of yourself.

• You won’t need all the props in the world. It is suggested that you have a yoga mat or towel handy, that you bring with you to sessions a water bottle, journal, and blocks, or blankets. Some other options might include a steady chair or piece of furniture, couch cushions, or pillows, and a strap or a belt (like the belt of a robe).

• You don’t need specialized workout gear. I ask that you wear clothing that you can move in, such as pajama pants and a shirt that you can move in but doesn’t show all of your skin when you stretch and bend. I encourage clients to be barefoot, if possible. If it is not safe to be barefoot, then please clothe your feet (as applicable) in a way that is safe.
  
  Please check out our specialty page on Connecting to the Body through Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions for more detail about ways that Yoga Therapy can help you connect with what you want more of in your life. It’s also a place to learn more about Dr. Abi Weissman’s experience in this modality.