1. Yoga after Brain Injury
Alex Jones
Headway Group Richmond
March 2017

2. Content My background Your experiences Yoga history and philosophy
Practical- chair based yoga
Meditation- yoga nidra

3. My background Occupational Therapist – qualified 13 years ago
Neuro Occupational Therapist- specialised approx. 10 years ago
Yoga teacher training in 2014.
5 things I have learned/benefitted from my yoga practice.
5 things I wish to empart to those I guide/teach.

4. What are your experiences with yoga?
Why yoga after brain injury?

5. Yoga- the history and philosophies
Yoga in Sanskrit is root yuj, the direct translation means yoking/to yoke/union. Explaining that we are connected to everything and should worship the heavens, animals, trees and mother earth.
The development can be traced over 5000 years ago in Northern Indian. Brahmans/Priest caste.
Patanjali is considered as the father of yoga and organized the practice of yoga into an "eight limbed path" containing the steps and stages (sutras) towards obtaining Samadhi or enlightenment.
1800s yoga masters travelled to the west

7. Practical- chair based yoga
Chair yoga is practiced sitting in a chair or standing while holding the chair for support.
Warm up exercises.
Breathe work/Pranayama.
Main practice.

8. Meditation Some Dhammapada (Buddhist scripture) sayings….
It is hard to train the mind, which goes where it likes and does what it wants.But a trained mind brings health and happiness.
The wise can redirect their thoughts, subtle, elusive, wherever they choose: a trained mind brings health, happiness.
The wise live without injuring nature, as the bee drinks the nectar without harming the flowers.
Research study example….
8-weeks of mindfulness meditation made measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, empathy and stress on neuro imaging.
Meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day.
The brain’s plasticity allows meditation to play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life.

9. Meditation- yoga nidra
Definition is sleep with awareness.
Simple and effective form to bring deep rest to both mind and body.
Usually guided, but after practice it is entirely possibly to internalise the process.
Lying on the floor on one’s back however is equally effective when practiced in a seated/any comfortable position.
One hour of Yoga Nidra is equal to four hours of ordinary sleep.
Modern medical science accepts that a calm mind can act as a healing force for many conditions
The basic “framework” for Yoga Nidra is as follows:
Intention:  set the resolve, determination to become something, or to do something, in your life. Everyone has desires and ambitions .e.g. to stay awake during the session; to drift off into a restful sleep, etc.
Heartfelt Desire: e.g. healing for oneself or a loved one, recognising one’s own compassionate nature, etc.
Rotation of Attention: one is guided to attend to various aspects of the body in sequence. This brings deep relaxation and rest to the physical body.
Breath Awareness: awareness of the sensation of the breath, and then counting breaths.