Relationships - Yoga for Couples

My husband and I both believe that like any good thing relationships take work. It can be hard to find the time to work on them. It can also be emotionally exhausting to talk about things that are not working in the relationship, so whenever I find out about ways to build the relationship without digging up the old baggage, I get intrigued. This Fall we decided to treat ourselves to a relationship workshop and I wanted to share what I learned. The workshop was a Yoga Therapy for couples weekend retreat lead by Michael Lee and Sarah Greco.

The weekend started off with sharing intentions. Our intention was to improve our connection and communication so that we could work as a better team in our role as parents. The workshop focused on doing yoga movements together and then talking about what feelings, sensations and thoughts it brought up for us. It was nice to just connect with each other physically in an intimate but non sexual way. Sharing and learning about our experience of the exercises was fascinating because it opened up a discussion that was emotionally charged in a healthy way, there was no arguing in the process, just understanding each other and connecting. It helped me see that I have expectations of myself in the relationship that my husband doesn't have of me. If I can identify those expectations, I can change and grow by keeping those that serve me while letting go of the rest.

I also learned that my brain automatically goes into problem solving mode when there is strife in our relationship. My brain is not in an optimal state when I am feeling disconnected/stressed out with my partner. When I am in a stressed mindset (fight or flight, limbic, lizard brain), good ideas do not come easily, they come when I let my mind and body relax and my prefrontal cortex (wise mind) do it's creative problem solving. I don't always have to try so hard to force things, I can instead work on taking care of myself and finding ways to connect with my partner. I can trust that in time with the right mindset and setting, things will work out. Letting go allows us to heal faster and with less work and pain in the process.

Overall, it was a good weekend where I felt connected to my partner without it feeling like work. If you would like to try this kind of counceling you can visit the Phoenix Rising School of Yoga Therapy to find workshops and teachers.