Life Beyond Trauma has its own website at www.lifebeyondtrauma.com. Life Beyond Trauma is a Ganges Yoga project.
Life Beyond Trauma
Life Beyond Trauma is a Ganges Yoga project promoting yoga-based solutions to those suffering the devastating effects that traumatic experiences can leave. Founder Helen Cushing (Ahimsa) has taught Satyananda Yoga to war veterans, refugees and others with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since 2004. The results have inspired her to share her knowledge and experience by offering yoga classes and retreats for people with PTSD, making a film, writing a book, giving talks and presentations to mental health workers, survivors of trauma and yoga practitioners around the world. Find the full range of Life Beyond Trauma resources at www.lifebeyondtrauma.com.
Life Beyond Trauma Resources
These links track the content on this page
Unique Book
Hope: How Yoga Heals the Scars of Trauma
By Helen Cushing (Swami Ahimsadhara Saraswati) | 215 pages
Trauma sufferers everywhere are searching for solace and solutions. Hope: How Yoga Heals the Scars of Trauma provides a powerful and innovative plan for recovery. Helen Cushing (Ahimsadhara) is a yoga teacher and writer with more than a decade of experience in teaching yoga to war veterans, refugees and others with post-traumatic stress disorder. She lectures and consults in Australia and internationally.
Hope explains how yoga heals the nervous system and helps regulate thinking, emotion and behaviour with:​
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gentle yoga postures to relieve physical tension
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yoga breathing techniques for calmness and anger management
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yoga nidra, systematic relaxation for stress and insomnia
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simple meditation program for mindfulness and inner peace
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new mental attitudes for letting go of past pain
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practical lifestyle adjustments for healthy living
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4 week yoga plan for trauma survivors.
Heroes of Peace
An award-winning documentary tells the story of a war veterans yoga group.
Find out how men who thought they would never feel joy again discover hope, healing and peace.
Veterans Yoga TV News Feature
Mates4Mates was featured on ABC TV's 7.30 program. Click through to the ABC to watch it.
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Heroes of Peace Film Facebook page
Follow it to find out about yoga for war veterans, screenings of Heroes of Peace, presentations on yoga for PTSD, Ahimsa’s doings on this topic and other inspiring bits and pieces.
Life Beyond Trauma Yoga Programs
One to One Consultations
Ganges Yoga teachers have extensive skills and experience in helping people with trauma-related issues, including PTSD. Helen is available for one to one consultations to customise a yoga program for individual needs. Please contact Ganges Yoga for further information or to book a session.
Yoga Classes for ADF Veterans and Personnel
Where Mates4Mates, ANZAC House, 206 New Town Rd, New Town (parking/entry from round the back in Montagu St)
When Mondays 9.30-11.30am followed by morning tea
With Helen, who has extensive experience teaching yoga to war veterans and others with PTSD and associated difficulties.
Contact Call 1300 462 837 to find out about registering
Find out more about Mates4Mates at www.mates4mates.org
About these classes Military service carries the risk of physical and mental injury and illness. Many of the participants suffer from PTSD, depression, anxiety and other health issues. These classes focus on using yoga and meditation therapeutically to relieve the PTSD by strengthening the relaxation response and developing mind management skills. Very gentle, soothing and calming, with time for sharing morning tea afterwards.
Yoga for Trauma Retreats 2017
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Ahimsa's Europe & UK Tour | August - November 2017 | Details coming soon - stay tuned!
Ask Ganges Yoga to deliver a program near you - get in touch with a program request or suggestion.
Experience and Expertise
Helen Cushing (Ahimsa)
Helen has coordinated weekly classes for war veterans since 2004. Helen also taught women refugees from Afghanistan, Bhutan and Myanmar, and has worked one-to-one with individuals seeking recovery and healing from the deep pain of trauma.
How Yoga Helps
The Effects of Trauma
Trauma affects the body, mind and spirit, leaving its imprint long after the event has passed. Memories cannot be erased but they can be laid to rest so that life can be fully lived and enjoyed. PTSD indicates that the nervous system needs healing as it is stuck in the stress response, causing inappropriate and uncontrollable reactions that make normal functioning difficult.
If you’re suffering the effects of a deeply traumatic experience, you need practical tools to help you recover. Learning how to relax is essential. Try the Life Beyond Trauma 5-part Yoga Recovery Package.
Life Beyond Trauma 5-part Yoga Recovery Package
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Simple yoga postures
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Yogic breathing
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Yoga nidra relaxation
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Meditation
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Mind management techniques
How does it work?
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Ease tensions out of the body with gentle yoga postures.
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Learn breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and stress.
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Really let go and rest with yoga nidra.
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Learn to manage your mind and emotions with meditation
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Learn to observe thought patterns and feelings without being caught up in them
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Learn to drop negative thinking and replace it with positivity
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Discover your own inner quiet and strength.
Mind management skills gradually develop as regular practice of yoga changes the way you feel and relate to yourself and others.
Rebalancing the Nervous System
Holistic yoga gently retrains your nervous system so that the relaxation response is strengthened and the stress response calms down. Overwhelming feelings of anger, anxiety and guilt gradually subside. In time you experience positive, peaceful feelings as your body-mind becomes reconditioned by regular yoga practice.
Benefits for Overall Health
People with trauma-related issues often have physical ailments such as gut problems, pains in the muscles and joints, and tension headaches. With regular practise of holistic yoga, overall health and wellbeing often improve, adding to feelings of positivity about life.
Sleeping Better and Ending Panic
Many people find that yoga relieves insomnia and panic attacks. The relaxation and breathing techniques are key practices.
Reducing Anger and Anxiety
The body and mind are interdependent and interactive. This means that simple physical practices, such as resting in a particular yoga posture or breathing in a certain way can be used to short circuit anger and anxiety. Regular practice reduces the intensity of reactive feelings and it all gets easier.
A Lifestyle for Good Health
The way you live has a profound effect on your experience of life. Holistic yoga includes lifestyle changes. Keeping regular hours, eating fresh, wholesome food, reducing stimulants, alcohol and drugs, exercising in the outdoors and socialising with positive people are part of yogic living.
Yoga + Counselling
Yoga works well with conventional therapy. Regular yoga practice may help you reduce or eliminate medication and counselling.
How Yoga has worked for others
The effectiveness of holistic yoga for relieving trauma-related conditions has been experienced by people around the world.
Australia
Men who served in Vietnam, the Middle East and other conflicts have turned their lives around by attending weekly Satyananda Yoga classes and doing yoga at home. They have reduced or eliminated medication and counselling, improved their overall health and regained their love of life. Watch Heroes of Peace to find out more. Yoga at Mates4Mates was featured on ABC TV's 7.30 program. Click through to the ABC to watch it.
Colombia
Colombia is a country that has known decades of chronic war and violence. Since 2010 Satyananda Yoga has been available to demilitarised militants and victims of the armed conflict. More than 2,000 people have participated and several studies have shown that yoga is an effective, low cost intervention for PTSD. Find out more about this inspiring and exciting project at www.dunna.org/en/