At this innovative exploratory retreat, Dr. Schwartz, with over two decades of experience as a trained somatic therapist, unveils the intricacies of polyvagal theory, and illuminates the intuitive bidirectional information highway that is the vagus nerve—a conduit intricately linking mind and body. Beyond theoretical discourse, participants glean practical insights to fortify their personal yoga practice and elevate their professional acumen, whether as therapists or yoga instructors. Amongst a number of inter-related themes, we will understand and explore polyvgal theory and the social engagement system; discuss the Goldilocks Principle, the polyvagal ladder and the three gunas; the two levels of co-regulation; explore yoga and brain integration as well as neuroception as Svadyaya.

This weekend training aims to bring together a diverse community of practitioners focused on personal growth & rejuvenation and engaging in intellectual discourse. Nestled in a haven of tranquility, replete with spa facilities, an indoor pool, fitness centre, and tennis courts, participants are not only immersed in tranquil environs but afforded an unparalleled opportunity for rejuvenation. Ideally situated near Blenheim Palace and Bicester Village, effortlessly accessible from London, this transcendent experience promises not only intellectual enlightenment but also a sanctuary for personal contemplation and growth.

Course Details

This workshop focuses on the intersection of polyvagal theory and yoga to help your body and mind cope with the demands of stresses and recover from trauma. You can compassionately support your personal growth by enhancing the health of the autonomic nervous system. Therapeutic yoga allows you to attend to the interrelationships between your mind, emotions, physiology, and behaviour while inviting you to recognize the inherent wholeness that resides within your spirit. Applied polyvagal theory in yoga provides conscious breathing, vagal toning, mindful movement, and meditation practices that help rewire the nervous system. We help clients, students, and ourselves cultivate a felt sense of ease during times of safety, enhance our capacity to handle challenges with equanimity, and reclaim our ability to recover from stress swiftly and efficiently.

Many of the symptoms of stress and trauma are due to imbalances in the autonomic nervous system. Since our symptoms are as much physical as they are psychological, we need body-centred interventions to rebalance the body and mind. Yoga is one such path to healing, offering tools to address physiological imbalances through practices that allow you to sense your body, change how you breathe, move stuck energy, and rest into stillness. Through the lens of interpersonal biology, polyvagal theory, and somatic psychology, you will explore the physiological repercussions of stressful or traumatic events.

Within this course, you will learn tools to enhance your personal yoga practice and, if you are a therapist or yoga teacher, to benefit your work with others. Dr. Arielle Schwartz  brings over twenty years of experience as a trained somatic psychotherapist, trauma treatment expert, and yoga instructor. Through the lens of polyvagal theory, you will learn how the vagus nerve is a bi-directional information highway between mind and body—more importantly, you will learn to fine-tune your health with breath, movement, and awareness practices that become the building blocks of a life-changing daily practice.

This limited seating event will fill up soon – seize this extraordinary opportunity to delve into the intricacies of trauma recovery, embodied healing, and the sophisticated application of polyvagal theory in yoga—a pinnacle of advanced professional and personal development.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss how is trauma held in the body and what you can do to heal
• List key ways to apply polyvagal theory within therapeutic yoga
• Explain the two levels of co-regulation and how this benefits you and your students
• Discuss why pranayama facilitates optimal heart rate variability (HRV) to enhance your health
• Explain how to naturally and gently increase vagal tone and vagal efficiency
• Discuss the building blocks for a home-based therapeutic yoga practice for you or your clients to nourish the nervous system

Course outline:

• Day 1: Applied Polyvagal in Yoga
  • Arriving Practice
  • Understand the polyvagal theory and the social engagement system
  • Discuss the tiered response to threat and trauma
  • Explore ”hybrid” nervous system states
  • Discuss the Goldilocks Principle, the polyvagal ladder and the 3 Gunas
  • Explore Neuroception as Svadyaya
  • Discuss heart rate variability, vagal tone, and vagal efficiency
  • Learn yoga based breath, movement, and awareness practices for vagus nerve stimulation
  • Engage in a yoga practice focused on nervous system flexibility

• Day 2: Trauma Recovery and Embodiment
  • Understand Trauma and Resilience
  • Apply dual attention within a yoga practice
  • Explore Yoga and Brain Integration
  • Discuss sequencing and somatic repatterning as related to the koshas and the prana vayus
  • Explore the Window of Tolerance, titration, and “Yoga at the Edge”
  • Explore how your posture impacts the health of your vagus nerve
  • Discuss the connective tissue matrix and learn how to safely let go of the threat response
  • Engage in a yoga practice focused on brain and body integration

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