Ask Lauren Walker

      

By Lauren Walker

Lauren Walker How do we connect with what we can’t feel or see or understand? Energy is all there is, so if we are able to connect with it, speak to it, learn from it, we can balance our lives much easier than if we ignore the fact that we are made of energy, and that everything around us is energy. Why is it so important to connect, understand or discover our energy? In EMYoga, we learn the language of energy, which is the language of the body. We learn how to listen when the body speaks to us and respond. Our organs are crying out for help from all the toxins and pollution in our bodies. How do we remove them? Start with the 4 thumps, thumping with either your fists or your fingers on the following points: K27, directly under your collar bone, to wake your energy up and get it moving forward In the center of your chest over your thymus, to stimulate and activate your immune system At the side of the rib cage, where the bra strap lies, to help integrate and digest information Under your eyes, on your cheekbones, to help you ground Then march in place and tap the same hand to the same leg 4 or 5 times. Dust your hands off, and then march in place and cross them so that you are tapping the opposite hand to leg. Do this ten times. Just doing those simple exercises can have a profound effect on your body and mind and is the start of learning EMYoga. What are some simple daily practices for a long and happy life? In a regular yoga class, you work with the energies of the body, but in a more subtle way. In EMYoga, we work directly, and very specifically with the 9 energy systems of the body to bring them into balance, coherence and strength. It is very tactile and very simple, and once your energy is organized, everything else starts to become organized as well. Why would someone do EMYoga and not a more standard yoga class? Energy Medicine encompasses many things. Reiki, Acupuncture, MRI’s, Ultrasound, rubbing your belly when you’re sick. What is Energy Medicine? EMYoga is incredibly relaxing, renewing, and fulfilling. It is much more in tune than any other kind of yoga you could practice, because you’re working directly with the underlying essence of your own being. Is EMYoga relaxing? It of sounds like a lot of work. You can use EMYoga in any kind of practice you currently do, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced practitioner or teacher, EMYoga will meet you where you are, and take you to amazing places. Is this beginning yoga or advanced? You don’t have to be flexible, thin, acrobatic, in shape to practice EMYoga. You just must have a desire to get healthy, strong, vibrant and content in your life. What if I already feel like a fool in yoga? Will EMYoga be even worse? An EMYoga class looks just like any other class, we simply add energy techniques to many of the poses you’re already familiar with. Some of the techniques and actions will look different and be a departure from what you know, but nothing is difficult or inaccessible. I am not flexible, and I am not thin. Does this matter in EMYoga? No matter what kind of yoga you already practice, you can incorporate EMYoga practices into it, and you will find a great boost to your current practice. What is the benefit that I can get in EMYoga that I cannot get in standard yoga? EMYoga will help you balance and heal in the physical body, increasing strength, resiliency, balance and power; you will feel calmer and more centered in your relationships; you’ll be able to process and understand your emotions better and be able to release them and move on; you will feel more grounded and more relaxed and more spacious in your days. In other words: Everything will get better! Can you describe a pose from EMYoga, and how it is different from standard yoga? I’ve had students report resolving myriad problems, from digestive and sleep issues, to anxiety and fear, irritability and depression. I’ve had students gain feeling back in limbs and avoid surgeries when their bodies gained back their innate healing ability. Can you tell me briefly what an EMYoga class looks like? Do I need a bunch of props? Everyone can practice EMYoga. From children, teens, adults, older adults, elderly. We are all energetic beings, and energy doesn’t age! So, working with it, at any age or ability, is always a good thing. Lauren Walker is the author of Energy Medicine Yoga: Amplify the Healing Power of Your Yoga Practice (Sounds True, 2014) and The Energy Medicine Yoga Prescription (Sounds True, 2017). Both books won the Nautilus Silver Award for best Mind/Body book. She’s been teaching yoga and meditation since 1997. She created Energy Medicine Yoga (EMYoga) while teaching at Norwich University, the oldest, private military college in the country. The huge success of her work there led directly to the publication of her first book. Lauren teaches EMYoga across the United States and internationally and has been featured many times in Yoga Journal, as well as Yoga Digest, LA Yoga Magazine, Mantra+, and The New York Times. She also trains teachers to teach her highly intuitive, simple healing method. EMYoga is compatible with all types of yoga and is the only yoga style in the world with its own built-in health care system in the form of thousands of practitioners trained at Donna Eden’s school, Innersource. In the event that you have an issue that is outside the purview of a yoga class, Donna's trained Energy Medicine practitioners work one-on-one with to get their clients’ energy working for them. https://www.energymedicineyoga.net/