Sama Circle incorporates the practice of yoga into mental health healing
On the surface, Charlotte’s yoga culture meshes with the Westernized concept of yoga as a physical practice. Since the majority of our local studios (and breweries) feature forms of power yoga, it’s easy to interpret the practice as a fitness concept. But a traditional, spiritually geared goal of yoga is to connect the movements of the body with the breath and to cease the fluctuations of the mind.
Plenty of studios in Charlotte incorporate ways to reach that goal. Y2 Yoga is hosting a Fall Yoga Intensive: Breath & Meditation workshop series in September. Okra is now hosting an Advanced Pranayama series on breath work as the gateway to meditation.
And a new brand of yoga-for-total-wellness called Sama Circle, which launched in May 2016, is working to incorporate the practice of yoga into mental health healing. Sama Circle, started by Dina Gambella, 30, Caitlin Laun, 28, (both photographed above) and Stephanie Therrell, 28, is launching its first series of workshops this summer. The classes will take place each Saturday of August, and early bird pricing ends July 22.
What a class will look like
Kind of like an hour and a half borrowed from a group therapy model. The class will cultivate a supportive environment, everyone’s mats will be in a circle, participation and feedback will be encouraged, and the space will have a tone of confidentiality and no judgment.
As for the flow, Gambella said, it’s comparable to the Baptiste yoga style, with a focus on self-exploration and building the best you.
“We have some postures and some short flows that will go along with each topic,” said Laun, referring to the class topics that range from resiliency to intense emotions.
Gambella said they’ll work on breathing techniques like Ujjayi to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system and lower heart rate and blood pressure. There will also be grounding and visualization exercises, such as in savasana (final resting posture). The workshop topic will dictate the flow as well – for example, stress management class will feature more restorative postures like twists for detox and child’s pose for rest.
The goal of the workshop series
To feel better. Gambella said, “You’re going to have tangible tools. We plan on giving an outline of, this is the posture, this is what it does for you. Not just physically but mentally.”
For example, if you’re stressed at work before a presentation, they want to equip you with techniques for making that tension dissipate without an instructor.
“People who are coming to yoga need to unburden,” Gambella said, whether that means letting go of tension around the death of a loved one, breakups, family illness, job stress, nervousness or low-self-esteem.
Sama Circle’s qualifications
“We each bring some form of mental health, developmental delay, addiction, family therapy, to the yoga,” Laun said. “I think that’s what differentiates us is that we have both the practice and then the clinical skill.”
Gambella is a RYT-200 certified yoga instructor, and is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist Associate who works at Anuvia Prevention and Recovery.
Caitlin Laun is a long-time yoga practitioner and is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist Associate who works at Anuvia.
Stephanie Therrell is a RYT-200, QP-RYT-200 certified yoga instructor and Qualified Professional in Mental Health and I/DD Services. Both Therrell and Gambella completed teacher training at Arrichion in South End.
The workshop details
Sign up here. The classes are 10- 11:30 a.m. at Elemental Healing (1, 5200 Park Rd. #200-C) and can be attended individually ($25) or as a series($85).
The ultimate expectation
These yogis want to feel out what the needs are in Charlotte for this type of yoga experience in August. Then, they hope to explore their dream of establishing a holistic wellness center.
“We’re all on the same planet,” said Gambella. “We all have the same issues. … We all have the same goal: and that’s to be happy, and that’s to be better, that’s to deal with crises in a productive manner.”
Photos: Katie Toussaint
This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Sama Circle incorporates the practice of yoga into mental health healing."