My focus in my business has been to recognize different trauma responses in my clients and teach them how to recognize their client’s trauma responses.
Knowing if our clients are in a fight, freeze, or flight trauma response, both as a coach and a client, helps us support our clients during a sales conversation.
When the clients are relaxed, and not in their defensive responses, they can make an informed decision.
Making a decision to invest money in a coaching program brings about a lot of different feelings for many people.
To support myself so I can support my clients fully be in their power, I decided to invest in trauma yoga along with somatic counseling.
As I am sitting on the mat across from my trauma yoga instructor, I am really skeptical.
A part of me is thinking I should have listened to my resistance and not shown up, but I value other people’s time so I showed up for our appointment.
As we are sitting on the mat, I am being a good student doing as I am told.
When she asks me to do a down-dog(she had a different name for it. I stopped as I started to disassociate. (I have done yoga before and didn’t disassociate during down-dog, but this is different. We are being intentional with my trauma responses)
Trauma yoga is consent-based and I always have a choice, she has given me full permission to take charge of my healing.
I don’t have to do different asanas(poses), I can do what is comfortable while paying full attention to all the sensations in my body.
I told her I wanted to breathe. When she asked me to open my mouth and jaw and breathe deeply, I felt sick. I remember as a child thermometer being stuck in my mouth. I am not sure if breathing into my jaw, brought about that memory, but I paid attention to whatever showed up on the mat.
We stopped again. I requested we work on the disassociation now.
We started to work. She asked me to put my hand on the area where I get disassociated. When I say dissociation, it doesn’t mean I completely check out. I am still present, but a part of me leaves.
As I put my hand on that area, She asked me to stay with it, and then notice that area being supported by the rest of my body.
As I follow her instructions, I couldn’t believe it, without any somatic therapy or speaking about my experiences, I started to move toward different parts of my body that disassociation has been trying to protect.
I felt fear and then anger. I didn’t want to go towards anger as it felt too much, but I stayed with the fear.
By witnessing and staying with my fear, I started to feel my power and life force energy beginning to release. I can feel the hold the abuse had on me start to melt away slowly.
I am finally getting from freeze into movement energy. This trauma yoga stuff works.
Phew. I am so relieved. It was worth driving 45 minutes and I will be going once a month.
I am convinced that our power as women is in our bodies. We need to heal and befriend our bodies to make powerful and informed decisions about our businesses and to have powerful sales conversations.
