Concepts in Yoga-Based Interventions

Pranayama & The Benefits of Breath Practice:

A Presentation for the MAOT Spring Conference

Allison Sullivan, MS, OTR/L, CAGS, RYTMarch 28, 2015

Website: www.allisulli.com Email: Allison.Sullivan@aic.edu Twitter: @allisulliotprof

Lesson Objectives

• Identify performance and mental state benefits of consciously employing a relaxed breathing pattern• Identify a variety of conditions that can benefit

from therapeutic breathing practice•Practice two different breathing exercises that

can be used for different reasons and to produce different results

About Me: Allison Sullivan, CAGS, MS, OTR/L, RYT

Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, American International College, Springfield, MA• Teaching responsibilities include courses in the psychosocial aspects of the

development of occupations and fundamentals of occupational therapy • Research interests in attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities, trauma-

informed care, public health, sensory modulation & movement-based therapy

Director of Occupational Therapy Services, Sunshine Village, Chicopee, MA • Occupational Therapist for 21 years

AFAA certified Group Exercise Instructor for 30 yearsRYT 200, Sacred Rivers, Glastonbury, CT, 2011• Studying yoga for past 13 years, teaching yoga for 7 years• Specialty certifications in trauma-informed yoga instruction, yoga for children w

special needs, and YogaKids

Learning is movement from Moment to Moment” -Krishnamurti

Learning is movement from Moment to Moment -Krishnamurti

Pranayama is breath practice. When you breathe, it is an opportunity to learn.

How we think about a situation often influences our experience of it:

• Being worried or anxious can cause increased muscle tension and inefficient breathing patterns

• Sympathetic nervous system becomes more engaged; triggers “fight or flight” response

Pranayama Practices Can Create Positive Changes:

Mind-Body-Breath Pattern of Disorder =

Sensory Dysregulation (“Fight or Flight”)vs

Mind-Body-Breath Pattern of Order =

Sensory Regulation (“Rest and Digest”)

The Good News!

Neural Plasticity! The brain can change

Where attention goes, neural firing goes. And where neurons fire, new connections can be made.

Siegel, 2007

Evidence that pranayama works:•Mindfulness meditation research has been associated with

increases in Left Hippocampal volume• Evidence of significant decreases in both state and trait

anxiety in experimental group participants in a veterans’ run and organized yoga and breath practice program in Central Massachusetts• In this same study, treatment subjects also showed greater

improvement on 16 out of 18 Quality of Life survey variables, as compared to the control group

Clinical benefits of breath practice related to Trauma/PTSD:

• Learning to drop the content of one’s thoughts• Connectedness to body and somatic states

•Living: Being in the here and now•Provides a structure around the practices of mindfulness and self-regulation•Mindfulness, introceptive awareness•Building curiosity

Other benefits of breath practice related to Trauma/PTSD:

•Changing relationship to body-befriending it•Affect regulation•Grounding•Connection to others•Centering•Becoming stronger & more flexible, physically and emotionally

E. Hopper, Ph.D. Trauma Center at JRI

Because of these benefits, Pranayama can also help alleviate symptoms of the following conditions:

•Anxiety•Depression•Heart Disease•Hypertension/HBP•COPD

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

• Chronic Pain•Asthma• Cancer• Sleep disorders or poor quality sleep

Practice YogaKids’ “Take 5” & “Peace Breath”:

Applications to Clinical Practice:Habit Shaping & Health Promoting

The spirit-mind-body-world is an integrated, intelligent, sensing & active system (Capra, 1996)

Human dynamic systems are embedded in the physical world & interdependent & interconnected within it (Champagne, 2007)

Other Applications to Clinical Practice:Therapeutic Benefits

Interest in MBSR presents a tremendous opportunity to help people with a wide variety of health conditions:•Contribute to vitality, mood and alertness •Add comfort and control to breathing•Pain management •Outlet for Spirituality• Structured practice for meaningful use of time•Gain occupational identity as a “meditator”

Applications to OT Practice con’d:General Safety Guidelines

•Have participants complete a medical history before joining classes •Ask permission to partner with their physician so you can seek

guidance in creating a safe and effective MBSR-based interventions. • If you are ever uncertain as to whether or not a specific

breath practice is safe, avoid it. •Observe the safety-first principle—when in doubt, do not do

it.

Ok, I’m interested, so where can I go for advice?

• In 2003, the Trauma Center at JRI launched a pioneering yoga program to address the needs of its clients and developed a teaching approach tailored to those with trauma histories• In 2007, the Duke University Health System opened its

integrative medicine facility and started The Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors program • To provide a skillful framework for teaching yoga to seniors, specific

Principles of Practice were developed, which integrate knowledge gained from Western medicine with yogic teachings http://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/3303/280739600012.pdf%3Fsequence%3D1

Resources

Champagne , T. (2003). Sensory Modulation and Environment: Essential Elements of Occupation . Champagne Conferences & Consultation: Southampton, MA .

Gallagher, B. and Sabel, R. (2007).Restorative yoga. OT Practice, Vol.12 (21),pp.16-20.

http://www.irest.us/http://www.jackkornfield.com/http://www.ashayayoga.com/tag/pranayama/ (Todd Norian)www.ot-innovations.com The Sensory Modulation Programwww.allisulli.com

~ NAMASTE MEANS: THE LIGHT IN ME HONORS THE LIGHT IN YOU ~

1. Capra, F. (1997) The web of life: A new scientific understanding of living systems. New York: Anchor Books.2. Champagne, T and Lazzarini, I. (2007). Neuro-Occupation: non-linear dynamic approach to rehabilitation. Workshop Presentation, Westford, MA, MAOT Conference. 3. Champagne, T. (2010). Sensory modulation and trauma-informed care. Classroom lecture, Springfield, MA: American International College.4. Emerson D. (2009). Toward Becoming a Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Teacher: A Best Practices Guide from the Trauma Center. Brookline, MA: The Trauma Center at JRI. 5. Hopper E.(2010) Trauma Theory and Yoga-Based Interventions for Trauma Survivors. Workshop Presentation, Boston, MA: The Trauma Center at JRI.6. Schore, Allan.(2003) Affect dysregulation and disorders of the self. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2003.7. Seigel, D. Mindful brain. New York: WW Norton, 2007.8. Stoller, C., Gruel, J., Cimini, C., Fowler, M., & Koomar, J. (2012).Effects of sensory enhanced yoga on symptoms of combat stress in deployed military personnel. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, (66), 59-68.9. Van der Kolk ,B, McFarlane, Weisaeth. (2006). Traumatic Stress: The effects of overwhelming experience on mind, body, and society. New York: The Guilford Press10.Wenig, W. (2003). YogaKids: Educating the whole child through yoga. New York: Stewart, Tabori, and Chang.

References