How coaching and yoga complement each other

I have been always fascinated by the connection between our body, mind, and emotions. They are so strongly related, that they can be seen as various aspects of our self. And because of that, whatever we change on one level, has an impact on the others.

In our modern lives, we often push our bodies in service of goals which come from our heads. But it often causes us pain, sometimes quite literally. If on the other hand, we see the body as an integral part of our self we can start using this knowledge to support our goals.

When we practice yoga we stretch our nervous system and learn new patterns of movement. Our habitual reactions and emotional memories are often reflected in muscular tensions and even our posture. Because our whole nervous system is connected, this often helps to break old emotional and thinking patterns. On top of that, yoga poses also stimulate the production of hormones and neurotransmitters which control our mood. 

However, the physical practice alone can be limited. The fact that we feel better after the practice is great. But we tend to fall back into old habits because they’re so ingrained. Or we don’t know how to apply experiences from the mat to our lives. 

This is where the coaching comes in. To create a lasting change we need to consciously process the insights from the practice. In this way, we start to understand better the relationship between our thoughts, actions, and emotions. In the coaching session, we can reflect on what has come up and reflect on what is not serving us. Then we can come up with new ideas how to introduce the changes we want. Consistent yoga practice will then support us in keeping up with those new choices.

I have noticed that in yoga practice we often gain insights and ideas which were not accessible before. Then we can use them as a new starting point to think about our challenges in a coaching session. 

In my experience, if we’re not working with our bodies and emotions very often we get stuck in our thinking. That’s when yoga can come in handy, allowing us to challenge our understanding and go beyond our current limits!