Looking back, I don’t think there was anyway I could have known how powerful the EMBERseries would be for me. The freeing emotional release I experienced moved me in ways traditional therapy hasn’t in years. I was amazed to begin a process of re-discovering my body, and what it means to be really in it. After spending so much time zoned out from my body and my life, the power of the restorative poses has healed me in ways words cannot adequately describe. To engage with the idea that I can create feelings of safety and comfort for my own body speaks to a level of self-empowerment I have only dreamed of before. Michele has an innate capacity to create a safe place from which healing grows.

While participating in the series, it was as if the things I was talking about in traditional talk therapy were coming to life. I could use my body to really experience the concepts of mindfulness and grounding. I developed a sense of being present, and an increased ability to remain present, even when I felt strong emotions. Having a safe and supportive space to explore body sensations that were calming, and having control over how much I pushed myself physically, gave me a sense of control. As a survivor, having previously experienced years of trauma, the ability to develop the skills learned in EMBER has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my journey towards healing.

Anonymous is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and has tried various therapy approaches including Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The recent addition of body movement, mindfulness and emotion regulation through the EMBER series has improved her ability to reduce dissociation and anxiety associated with the past traumatic experiences.

Please visit our website here for upcoming EMBER classes -- Yoga on High Foundation scholarships are available for students with financial need to attend this series.