Yoga is medicine for the soul

My name is Cariann Brown. I am a Certified Yoga Therapist and Group Facilitator who specializes in stress management and emotional well being.

History and Background

I am a Jersey girl who has been living in Colorado for 18 years.  My love for adventure drew me to come ride the steep mountains and paddle the big rivers.  Yoga naturally became part of my regimen as a way to release physical tension but soon I discovered the mental and emotional benefits.  As a trauma survivor, I became fascinated with learning more about this other form of therapy.  I began studying yoga and Ayurveda in 2007.  In 2011, I signed up for a Level 1 training weekend with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, an integration of talk therapy combined with yoga, I experienced such life altering, personal connection that I ended up going through their entire program and have received certifications as a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist and Group Facilitator.

Philosophy

I believe in the power of compassion as the path to finding true happiness.  When we learn that the goal of life is not about being perfect but rather getting comfortable being imperfect we can begin the journey to love ourselves, flaws and all. By practicing acceptance and forgiveness within ourselves we then can look through a new lens in which we view others.

Method

In my classes I like to keep the energy light and non-competitive. I offer the poses and meditations as an invitation, which allows students to arrive just as they are; no right or wrong way. I understand that some days you want to push yourself and other days you just want to crawl up into child’s pose. When we realize that our energy levels cycle just like the moon and the seasons we begin to look at our practice as a form of self-care, a time to sit and digest our lives.  When we do this, the healing benefits that we all seek will naturally unfold. 

Yoga and The Voice

As part of my internship with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, we had to videotape ourselves giving private sessions for our mentors to review.  Now let me tell you, it’s one thing to record your voice for an outgoing message on your phone and not liking the sound of your voice, but watching AND listening to yourself with all your quirky mannerisms on tape, is a whole new ball game.   In Yoga, we talk about the  “edge” in a stretch,  that place where sensation begins to turn into pain but there are also mental edges as well and for me, listening to the sound of my voice was one of them.  In other words, chanting was not something you would most likely be doing in one of my yoga classes!  After writing many papers on the subject, I found that what I feared more than the sound of my voice was its counterpart, silence.  When I felt nervous I talked a lot, when I wanted to be heard my volume would go up, I used my voice as a way to fill empty space so that I would feel in control.  Years later, I try to consciously slow down when I speak and practice active listening. Now as far as chanting or singing goes, I find the challenge to rise to these occasions absolutely OOOOOMMAZZING because it allows me to bust through another barrier or blockage within myself!