Hi everyone my name is Daniela Da Silva, I am in my second year as a BSc student in Psychology, I am starting my research project to conclude my studies in 2021. Yoga has been transformative in my life, therefore I must be careful not to bring my own bias to the research, does anybody here have experienced changes after a period of yoga practice? Bellow the general idea behind my research and work, please leave your comment/ questions.
“Can our bodies change our minds”?
How psychologists can implement the techniques used by yoga teachers to encourage openness and promote emotional healing for their clients”
By Daniela da Silva, Yoga Teacher, CBT & Breathwork therapist, Psychology student at University of Derby.
At the TEDGlobal 2012, social psychologist Amy Cuddy gave one of TED’s most-watched talks ever. She argued how ‘power posing’ — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — affect our testosterone and cortisol levels and might increases our success. Cuddy also reminded the audience of how body language influences not only how others see us, but inclusive how we perceive ourselves.
Nowadays more people are coming to yoga classes to address emotional problems. I started to study psychology to better serve my clients after several revelations post yoga classes. It was the content on the pieces of information, that ranged from sexual abuse to self-harm thoughts, that further inspired me to pursue a degree in psychology. When asked why these yoga practitioners did not spoke to a professional (psychologist/ psychiatrist) about their difficult feelings, the answers had similarities such as they did not 'feel' like talking before. This lead me to the formulation of the hypotheses: Could it be that being exposed to the repetition of expressions such as 'heart-opening, stand like a warrior, feel the support of the ground beneath you etc. could have the most sophisticated psychotherapeutic qualities to the participants in a yoga class? Discursive analyses study how language constructs who we are. What if yoga teachers had developed a metaphorical language capable of promoting self-analysis and resilience? Finally, if standing in a power pose for two minutes a day can improve our hormonal make-up, what can an hour sequence of yoga postures every morning can do? Daniela da Silva
I think this is such a valuable area of research! I started practicing yoga regularly about 2 years ago. It helps me relax and release SO much tension in my body and definitely improves my posture. Though these seemed like small differences at first, i quickly realized it has translated to my daily life. I am so much more conscious of my body, of my strength, my flexibility, my tension, etc. and I also find myself repeating a lot of the yoga principles when I give myself or my friends advice.