Empathic Yoga
My yoga journey is my healing journey. I have, as we all have, experienced injuries and traumas. The healing I needed was for my body, of course, as well as my mind, but it was also needed in ways more difficult to explain. For lack of a better term, I call this other, injured thing, my Soul.
I first discovered yoga at the age of twelve when my mother and step-father took me and my younger siblings, to Kripalu in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. We spent the week learning and complaining - doing the ‘youth retreat’ while they did their respective workshops and told us not to say “ew” at the breakfast buffet.
I ‘rediscovered’ yoga on my iPhone…through an app called “Daily Yoga”. I began gradually incorporating different, basic asana routines into my schedule and noticing a better feeling in body and mind.
Committing to the consistent learning and practicing of yoga (which, one comes to realize, is anything and everything, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves) has brought me much benefit. It has been a process of self realization and a pursuit of sovereignty. It has been a salve to Soul injuries.
After studying different methodologies with different teachers, becoming a certified yoga instructor, and a period of time working and learning on an ashram in the countryside outside of Mysore, India, it took another year before what I call Empathic Yoga began to emerge as something I felt comfortable offering.
While practicing with others, I would feel - or have an awareness of - energy…often an awareness of shifts occurring. I required a lot of practice to remain in balance during this process, because the experience - at first - was overwhelming for me physically and emotionally. While practicing one-to-one, I was told sometimes that it seemed I psychically knew where there was tension in the other person’s body, or what words to say in order to facilitate release of mental or energetic blockages.
It is not that I psychically knew anything, but rather that I physically felt, in my own body and mind, sensations and impulses that I could not ignore, and then addressed - or gave voice to them - in the practice. Some times that called for a specific asana, movement or stretch of the body, or some times it was simply to sit quietly and breathe. Some times I feel compelled to share observations, guided meditations, or make suggestions.
This ability is not unique, as we are all manifestations of divine energy. The sacred geometry of the universe is something we are all not only intertwined with, but connected to. One might envision it as a process of asking and listening. The body is wise, and if we allow, we can sense what it needs to heal.
I now have the fortitude and willingness to offer Empathic Yoga as a shared practice with others. As we work together, my goal is always to increase a sense of freedom for the Self - which includes the body, mind and Soul.
Unhelpful patterns, emotions or other ‘blockages’ can be released in the physical body, from our mental programming, and from our energy fields - or as is sometimes called: the etheric body. It is natural to sometimes feel intense sensations or feelings during a session as things shift and are transmuted. It is a practice of alchemy. My intention is always to finish the practice with a sense of ease and restoration.
Like many people, I have been empathic since I can remember. Honoring that, rather than ignoring or suppressing it, has allowed it to be a tool that can be incorporated into a yoga practice for the benefit of body, mind and beyond.
This is what I offer with Empathic Yoga.
May You Love Self and World.
Namaste,
Jameson
“Thank you for the beautiful yoga!”
“Class was great. I love the long stretches. My back and neck feel great. Thanks again. It was wonderful. I feel so lengthened out. It was a wonderful peaceful thing.”
“My concept of yoga has been elevated. My way of interacting with others has shifted. And my ability to be ‘sovereign’ as Jameson says, has given way to a much more stress-free way of living. Sessions with him are a tune-up I hope to always be able to do, even though he tells me all we need is already within us. :)”
“Every practice is filled with Jameson’s calming, encouraging and peaceful ‘suggestions’ that help you create your own personal experience. His soothing style helps me to Exhale! namaste”