211 How Yoga Opens Our Hearts & Souls To Our Inner Creativity: Interview With Puja Shah

Artwork for podcast Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

Episode 211 • 27th November 2024 • Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists • Chris McDonald, LCMHCS

Chris McDonald: Are you ready to unlock a new level of creativity? How can the integration of yoga help with creativity? Are there ways to integrate these as coping skills for your self care and for your client's mental health? In this episode, we're exploring how yoga goes beyond movement and breath to awaken something deeper.

Discover how asanas and pranayama can open the door to your inner creative flow, helping you and your clients tap into inspiration and self expression. My guest Pooja Shah is here to share her reflections on yoga and creativity, and we'll introduce to you a special yoga practice for enhancing creativity that you won't want to miss.

In this episode, we'll guide you in harnessing yoga's power to connect heart, soul, and creativity. Get comfy and tune in on today's episode of Yoga in the Therapy Room Podcast.

Welcome to Yoga in the Therapy Room, the Non-traditional therapist guide to Integrating Yoga into your therapy practice. I'm Chris McDonald, licensed therapist and registered yoga teacher. This podcast is here to empower therapists like you with the knowledge and confidence to bring. Yoga into their practice safely and ethically.

So whether you're here to expand your skills, enhance your self care, or both, you are in the right place. Join me on this journey to help you be one step closer to bringing Yoga into your therapy room.

Welcome back to the Yoga In the Therapy Room podcast, the Non-traditional therapist guide to Integrating Yoga into your therapy practice. I'm your host once again. This is Chris McDonald. Today I'm bringing to you a fascinating topic. How the physical postures or asanas of yoga and breathing, otherwise known as pranayama, can open your heart and soul to inner creativity.

You are going to love this episode. We'll be looking at how these ancient practices do more than simply stretch the body or calm the mind. They tap into our deeper realms of our being. Connecting us with the wellspring of creativity that lies within each of us and bringing us in alignment with our sole purpose.

We'll explore how yoga invites us to be in the present moment and embrace a sense of openness, allowing creativity to flow more freely. into our lives and work. We'll also be looking at how creativity can be helpful as a coping tool for you as a therapist and for your clients. Joining us today is Pooja Shah, a visionary poet who shares her voice through fiction, spoken word poetry, guided meditations, and teaching.

Pooja holds a DMD doctorate degree and has completed multiple training courses in yoga, meditation, and ancient wisdom. She is the author of multiple award winning novel for my sister Focus on Girls Right! Whether you're a therapist curious about how these practices might support your client's self expression or you're needing to tap into your own creativity, join me today as we explore how yoga can help us live more fully from our hearts, fueling the creativity that can uplift and transform both therapy and everyday life.

Welcome to the Yoga in the Therapy Room podcast, Pooja. Thank you, glad to be here. Could we start with how you discovered yoga? I'd love to hear people's

Puja Shah: journeys. Yeah, I'd love to share. I, I actually grew up with yoga. I used to go to my parents and my dad's best friend had a, uh, it was like a, it was on the bug with Ita.

It was just this course that they wanted us to go to every week. And I was, I was a first generation teenager when I, you know, a little younger when we'd started. And to me, it felt like a burden to be spending my Friday night and going to this yoga class. Now I look at it, I'm so glad, you know, I had it, but also a class on spirituality, which at the time I just wanted to spend time with my friends, and go to the movies, and go to the mall.

But what it did for me by doing that is open the door and understanding to something that allowed me to have, you know, a movement practice, um, a breath practice. And on some of these camps, they'd have like summer camps. We do the story in Namaskar that, you know, the sun salutation every morning. And it was such a, it was early 6 AM.

And, you know, I was like, what is this? But as an adult, I look back and I think about how that was actually my first introduction to yoga, even though it's beautiful. Yeah. Like my trainings and my classes, it was, It felt new because it was in my adult life and setting and how I was incorporating it so mindfully.

But if I look back at the times where I wasn't, maybe I wasn't so mindful, but I do have these remnants and memories of that just being part of it. And my grandparents, while not looking at what like a yoga class looks like now, where it's this whole one hour fitness, they did their own practices each morning.

Uh, you know, certain breath or, uh, you know, there were certain poses like chair pose. I would see my grandfather doing just to Just to move his body and, and it's what they knew. So it's a very different interpretation of yoga. Yeah. Yeah. It was present for sure.

Chris McDonald: Yeah. So how did you move to the place to get some yoga trainings too?

Puja Shah: Yeah, that's a great question. I actually, I was in a health, very busy demanding healthcare career, uh, for a while. And my go to for Zen was always during grad school and even in college at times. Um, I can share a funny story about that in college, but. You know, in grad school and as well as my residency, I would just go to a yoga studio.

I grew up in New York. I went to school in New York and then grad school in Boston. So there were very bustling cities, you know, and I would find Zen by walking, getting off the subway and walking into this. room and turning everything off and just breathing and to pose. And it just started, I started exploring it.

And I think it wasn't until I moved to California, uh, that, you know, which I don't, I don't know. I mean, there's all these talks about California, the new age and the spiritual, but it, it really felt like it when I got here to just slow down and deepen my practice. And then through that, I started realizing I wanted to go into yoga training and I didn't know if I wanted to teach.

I just wanted to deepen and, and really find, you know, find more meaning into what I was doing, which was doing yoga almost every day at that point.

Chris McDonald: Wow. Yeah. So it's like, as a child, you're like, do I have to, I mean, moving to the place of, yes,

Puja Shah: I want

Chris McDonald: to.

Puja Shah: Totally. Totally. It's almost like that thing where you tell your kids to keep eating their vegetables and they're like, why?

Gross. And then when they get older and they're like, Oh my gosh, I need my vegetables. That's how I know, right?

Chris McDonald: It's like that transition,

Puja Shah: right? Yeah. So you're a published author. So how has yoga impacted your creativity? Yeah, that's a good question. And I recently read this book that kind of guides this question.

Uh, I've read a creative act by Rick Rubin. I don't know if you've heard of that. No. It is. It was, it's a game changer. It is such a phenomenal book is creative act, a way of being, I believe is the full title. And what Rick Rubin talks about in a moment is, you know, this idea of creativity, like where does it come from and how do we find it?

And I think that the more I. was meditating, the more I was giving myself space to do that. And I had, by the time I started writing this book, I had, I have two kids. I had a full time job at the time when I was writing it. Now I've transitioned into just working on, on my novels, my future novel. But at the time I was really busy and the only way I could even access any sort of pause creativity was by meditating.

And so I would take a little bit of time and just recenter, recalibrate. Um, and so Rick Rubin has this beautiful quote, um, you know, the more we can remove any baggage we're carrying with us and just be in the moment, use our ears and pay attention to what's happening. Just listen to the inner voice that directs us.

That's where it all begins, right? That's, that's the better. That's where creativity really resides. And so now actually in a lot of my creative writing classes and anytime I'm actually talking about the craft of writing, I always start with the meditation or I always incorporate meditation because.

Truly, it's what got me to listen to this voice and allowed me to access something when the noise of the world and everything around me was really quite demanding and also deterring from this really creative center that I think I thrive in and I find joy in and I just operate way better when I access it, you know, in the other parts of my life.

And so that's what I think meditation and yoga help us get to. It helps us get to the pause. And in the pause, I believe that's where we find creativity.

Chris McDonald: Helps us get to the pause. And I think we need those pauses in order to be creative, to be, to give space and openness. Cause I think if you're busy, like you said, you know, if you're a parent or, you know, you're doing a career and you have, very little time.

It's hard to just plop into, okay, I'm going to write now.

Puja Shah: Exactly. I know. Somebody once mentioned, I mean, now I'm like doing this, right? I'm working on my next novel. I just finished the audio book of my current novel. It's so beautiful and amazing to see the evolution of it into a new version. Uh, yet it's also a lot of work.

And when I have to do that work, it's so different than what other quote unquote work is like, because to get into the zone, to I have to really, it demands not only my cognitive, you know, like abilities, it demands like a, my soul. And so to access our soul, to access any of that, I think meditation or yoga has to become a regular practice.

And I, I didn't realize that as I let it go through the years, uh, with, Kids demands life where I realized it's like allowing myself to be in this mode as an artist as a creative as a writer is really actually deepening my connection to yoga and meditation as well. So it's like vice versa. It's not just.

okay, doing this helps me get there. It's also, you know, it's like a reciprocal relationship, which has become really beautiful because it, it makes it better in my other parts of my life too. Yeah. So it's

Chris McDonald: like

Puja Shah: integrative. Yes.

Chris McDonald: Yeah. They're all connected. And so how does yoga show up in your novel?

Puja Shah: Yeah, that's a great question.

So the girls, um, so my novel is on Amla and Asya, they're 16 year old twins and they are unknowingly trafficked from a village outside of Mumbai. I did a lot of work in girls rights and this, you know, came from that passion and the girls are actually, they're separated and the whole journey is on their sisterhood, the strength of their sisterhood, rising up against all odds on, and if they find each other again or not, towards the end, I won't give it away, you know.

the spoiler, but they have a yoga teacher. And so in the village, they have this yoga teacher who, who they talk about. And one of the girls has a crush on this teacher. And so they talk about that. And, you know, her sister teases her about how, when he's talking about how to breathe, she like gets all like red and, you know, so they, they have all these jokes about it because it's from their lens, but also when they are in moments of, tough times, that a mother gets sick, that there's the issue of child marriage during the novel, when they are told that they may have to get married, which they don't want to do.

They turn to this practice, to this breath, and I talk about what that feels like and, and what it feels like to them, and just like how they center, how the breath makes them. You know, just like get back into themselves. And so that's the gift this teacher, Sandeep Bhai, who's their teacher, gives to these girls.

And then that translates later when they are separated, what, you know, she, she turns to that. And so I think that having that element, uh, allowed. Me, one, to have these girls really come into their inner world. And I think that having people read what it was like for these girls in their inner world was really the whole point of my novel to give voice to girls.

Yeah. So I think that the, you know, the concepts of yoga and meditation with these girls, it just translates into an inner experience and inner world. And the whole point of really me writing this novel was so that people could get into the minds and lives and emotions of these girls, because I think that itself is the connection.

We know so often we'll think like girl trafficking, girls across the world, when really these girls are just like any single one of us. They're just like me when I was a girl. They're just like my little girl. They're just like. You know, your niece or whoever it is that, that sings songs or has crushes or, uh, or has dreams, has aspirations and deserve every ounce of wanting to fulfill or even hope or, um, have any, anything that we ever really want for our children and, and girls.

And so it was, it was, um, having a meditation and actually yoga, which is, I will tell you something really. Kind of amazing. My, when I was querying, which is when you have a book and you're trying to get your book out, you know, it was cold querying. I was sending it to all these agents and publishers. And like I said, I had a healthcare career, so I didn't know this was all very new to me.

I was taking these courses during the pandemic on like, I How to query your book. Like I had no idea. I was just going in, you know, the publisher that I ended up with an indie publisher, really great. I ended up talking to the acquisitions editor at the time. And when I had to call with her to see if we wanted, if she wanted to, she had.

I read 50 pages of my manuscript and then asked for more, but we ended up talking and she said, I'll tell you, the thing that really got me is my sister is in her yoga training and she's always talking about this feeling she has. And when you talked about some, I think there was a breath work in here, it just reminded me of that.

And I just like went right in. And so, yeah, it was almost like, well, that kind of got her. into the girls and to the character. And so I'm glad I had the girls have that, but really it was coming, you know, just from my own experience of life and relating to these characters as well, that I was writing about.

Chris McDonald: Yeah. That's like coming into alignment, isn't it? That's so cool. I love that. And that they identify the yoga, because I would think that other people that aren't into yoga, wouldn't they just kind of blow that off or just be like, Oh, that's nice. But that's, that's so cool. Yeah. It's

Puja Shah: cool to have someone.

Who's not into it will feel it, right? And it's not overdone. I'm not like talking too much about it. Um, it's just in these moments where really it's like a solid grounding for the girls who, who, who don't have solid grounding because of their, you know, intergenerational poverty because of their life, because they do lose their mother because of all the things that change for them.

Um, and already being a teenager, so much changed that it almost was like, well, When you have something like that, when you have a practice, when that, that's a gift. And so I wanted to kind of portray what their gifts were, because in the end, their gifts are truly what bring them freedom.

Chris McDonald: Calling all non traditional counselors and therapists.

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Join us today and start transforming your therapy practice with yoga. Go to hcpodcast. org forward slash yoga in therapy. That's hcpodcast. org forward slash yoga in therapy group. As from your perspective, I know you're not a mental health therapist, but from your experience, so how could integrating yoga with creativity, how could that be helpful as a coping skill for mental health?

Puja Shah: Yeah, that's a great question. I did teach yoga to children for some time when I was teaching, and I will share, I had a class, it was a private class, and it was a group of four or five mothers who, two of their kids were in school, you know, they were told that their kids ADD or ADHD. And, and I remember they were trying all these different ways to, for the experience of their child.

And so my yoga class was just one of the many, I'm sure, tools they had. But one of the things I will say, I loved, uh, teaching children and I loved actually, you know, how dynamic a different children are. And I think that when we talk about something like ADHD or ADD, I don't have the expertise in it. But what I do know is that each and every single time I gave these children the opportunity to tune into breath center and Shavasana, they always were like, when are we doing that part?

They loved it. Um, for me, I think that yoga, you know, whatever we're looking at, whether it's children, mental health, or even for ourselves, I know for myself, it's helped. So much with my own journey in hard times that I think therapy was wonderful for and also provided another outlet for me. I think that it's an outlet.

I think that it's, um, and it's also, it's also a tool to recenter. And that's in therapy, at least for me, I know that it's a constant well going inside and coming back into whatever it is, my intuition, uh, turning off the noise of, of doubt, whatever it is that we're working on. Yoga is just another way and tool to get me there.

And for me, it's not as I know for the physical asana is really centering and calming for many people. For me, it's actually the pranayama. It's actually the breath work because it relates so deeply to my meditation practice that I, um, if I can, when I'm doing yoga, that is what I'm focusing on. I'm consistently, which we.

We are always told to do and move through, but that's where I get the biggest fruits of my practice come from when I'm focused on the breath. And

Chris McDonald: I think that that can really help with mental health and being able to tap into that. And like you said, I think it's the consistency because some people just think, Oh, I'm just going to go to yoga class.

Oh, I feel good. Okay, now that's done, but it's like bringing it in in a daily practice. I think is is where the change comes in and noticing that in your nervous system. Has that been your experience as well?

Puja Shah: Oh, yeah. When I notice I'm not, uh, when I've had weeks where I haven't gone in some sort of daily practice, whether it's meditation or yoga, I definitely can feel it in my body, but I can also feel it in my thoughts.

Um, where my thoughts, what I'm focused on, you know, my vibration, it's different. It's like, we always want to be on a vibration of, of, of whatever it is that we're trying to achieve. Right. And, and I noticed that when I don't have that, I, I have to go. recalibrate. It's just like a recalibration. And, um, and, and sometimes it's just taking five minutes, five minutes of me sitting at my, I have a little altar, you know, with my crystals and my, uh, and, and Buddha and my goddesses and, and all, and whatever's important to me.

And I sit there and, um, sometimes it is just doing a little bit of breath work. And then if I have time for my full yoga practice later, great. If I don't, at least I did that. And so, like you said, it's a daily. daily mindset. And I think that yoga itself is a mindset too. Yeah. I think yoga is, it's not like I'm getting into my, you know, birds of paradise and how far can I push myself?

That is there. That's true. But if we're looking consistently, at least for me, if I'm sitting there, like, I can't get my leg to be this way or that way. And then I'm so focused on this part of it versus It's the actual letting go of honoring the body, understanding where the body is taking me, and following the breath and being true to what the practice is, and really focusing on actually how is this serving me in this moment.

Is it serving me to really try and try and then get frustrated or is it, am I here to just. really listen to my body. This is what it needs. This is what it doesn't need. I'm moving to it. And that's where the trick of, you know, knowing in yourself and your yoga class, yoga classes are wonderful, but I noticed sometimes the mind can take us places even in a class.

And so I even say when people talk about their daily practice, I say, your practice is sometimes not even on that mat in that room, in that classroom, your practices on what you take from that and what happened there later. Were you sitting there looking around and wondering what everybody's doing and if you can get there or were you really focused on the mat and if you weren't focused on your mat then later that day it's like well what can I do to actually focus because for myself because that wasn't it.

Chris McDonald: Now I'm just going back to that question you said about how is it serving me in this moment. I think that's a good reflection question to do with yoga and to really notice because are we just trying to do the alignment right. Was my arm straight enough for Or your one, which in my teaching, I don't care about that, but some people do.

But for me, is this serving me? Is there a purpose to this in this moment?

Puja Shah: Is there a purpose? And is my body, I, I noticed sometimes I was teaching, I wasn't teaching adults that often, mainly teaching kids, but when I did teach some adult classes, I focused really on holding poses and more of a yin style.

It wasn't necessarily called yin, but I noticed the discomfort sometimes for people who, you know, I always asked you have any injuries before anything. And some people did, and it was always honor your body, honor your injury, but there is this, uh, Almost like we feel like we have to do something, right?

And sometimes it's like, what, like you mentioned, when your arm is extended, um, and if you had an injury there, or if you recently went canoeing or whatever it is where your arm is sore, you're sore, whatever it is, and rather than doing. Are we being? And so that is the question. Oh, that's

Chris McDonald: a good one. Yeah.

Mm hmm. Are we doing or being? Can we be more in the moment? And you said yoga is letting go. Can you tell me more about that?

Puja Shah: I, I think that we call it the mat on the mat. You know, the theory of being on the mat, taking what you learn on the mat, off the mat. I think that, um, when we look at the practice of yoga, it's like a union.

You know, the word itself is union. The word is, uh, to, to unite. And I think that What really yoga is, is the uniting that mind, body, and soul. And so you feel really good in yoga. Your soul is awakened. Maybe it's. You have some clarity. Sometimes there's music, whatever it is, whatever it is that's allowing for that.

And then the mental, like, what is it when you're focused on your breath, what is it that you're letting go of? And so there's thoughts, there's worries and all, and it's just the, of the self, like you're already, your soul's feeling really good. And so here you are waking up your body, moving it, stretching it.

And so just letting go of any expectation of yourself, right? Like you're in here, you're doing it. That's enough. And so, um. That is enough. Yeah. That's enough. That's beauty. So there's a letting go in so many places, mentally, spiritually, because you're, um, just allowing, you're not controlling. And then the, and the body, you're, you're just there to be there.

You're not. there for any other reason. And so if we can look at the practice that way, that's how we connect the mind, body, and soul. If we have a disconnect in one, if we're moving the body and we feel good, but we're consistently not letting go, you know, we're worrying, worrying, worrying about the deadline or being in class and wasting an hour or whatever it is, whatever it is that you're worrying Then you've not united, you've not done the yoga, you've not done the union.

Chris McDonald: yeah, powerful.

Puja Shah: Yeah, like, uh, it is the connection,

Chris McDonald: right? Yeah, the connection, the alignment just makes me think of like mindfulness practices. Can we bring it back? And not to judge ourselves. So if your mind is thinking about something stressful or anxious, notice, I see it. Okay, can I bring it back to my breath?

Can I bring it back to my body? Go into

Puja Shah: child's pose. Honor. I, I've had classes where I was super emotional. I'll never forget the day I found out my mom had breast cancer. She called me and she was in New York. It was, I'll, I'll never forget this for the rest of my life. It's like one of those horror memories, you know, and she's a survivor, so we love that we haven't been there again, but she called me and it was raining and I pulled over and I was about to step into yoga class and she said, listen, I'm at the doctor.

I have to go. We'll call. I'll talk to you again later. But. This, this is what this, I didn't want to just call you and tell you, but I don't know when I'm going to see you. I know, you know, we'll plan it, but I need to tell you this is what's going on. And I almost was like, I don't know if I should go into yoga class.

And so I, you know, I didn't know if I wanted to even go into yoga class. I walked into the class and I took the class because I was like, Maybe this is going to get me to just like process this information my mom just told me. And I spent the whole time crying. I was like doing downward dog and I was crying.

I was, and then eventually I just stopped doing the flow and I went straight into child's pose and I just was breathing and I like let the emotions just, you know, rise and fall with each breath. And I just, you know, eventually I stopped crying and then I got up and I continued the flow. And I probably, I mean, everybody was, it was like this room and everybody's like moving, moving.

It was like the depth of that vinyasa. And I just was like, I can't move right now. And my practice right now is going to be sitting in this pose and breathing. And that's the, That's all that I'm going to ask my body and my heart and mind and everything to do. And that was the honor. That was what I listened to.

And so can even talk about that, like, uh, you know, the listening, what do we listen to? The

Chris McDonald: listening. Yeah. So you are honoring your body. How is it serving me in this moment to keep going through the fast flow probably wasn't helpful. Be able to give that gift of letting go and going into child's pose.

That's beautiful.

Puja Shah: I just thought of that. I mean, I, I hadn't even thought of that memory in a long time and it's, uh, it's interesting. I actually haven't, I, the, that yoga shoot closed, but I didn't go back to that studio, um, for some time. And I like, Think about how we, how we process things differently. But I remember feeling like I released so much into that, that space.

And so it's even the space we create can help with creativity and with yoga. And are we creating, like you've said before, the practice, are we creating space? every day for allowing for this or whatever that looks like and physically the space, but also emotionally, mentally, and, and are we available, right?

Like, I think that however that looks, whatever that looks like.

Chris McDonald: Yeah. And I think that's so important for therapist self care and, and for our clients. Cause one thing I do as well as part of, you know, I'm a Yogi, but I'm also a mental health therapist is help people. clients also to integrate yoga into their daily life too, but letting them know that, you know, it is a process.

And like you said, it could be five minutes, could be one minute. It's okay. Giving permission, but we're giving space in a way that works for you. So finding different ways to do that. Has that been a challenge for you to be consistent?

Puja Shah: Yeah. You know, for me, Basically, as my kids are getting older, they are very, I mean, everyone says it gets easier, but now they're in all these sports and it's just so hard.

True. Different challenges. Different challenges. And so for me, it was more about, uh, making an adjustment. So it took me time, but it was important. And so I said, well, when is, when is, when is my time? Asking, asking, well, you know, and I actually had, um, My, I have a really great conversation with my brother one day and he said to me, I told him, I said, well, I just, some days I just don't have the time to meditate and I just want to, but exhausted by the end of the night, you know, I don't know, like I used to think I'll just do it right before I go to bed and just, and so he said to me, he said, well, ask yourself the question, like, are you worth it?

And then that can shift, right? And so like, and that question, like every time I'm like, should I do this or not? Is another question, another inquiry, like. Am I worth it to do this right now to myself? And then not beating myself up if time wise I can't, but just saying, well, I know I am, and I have to do this.

I have to do this. So it may be, well, let me, you know, let me take this time out of my lunch hour or right before picking up the kids, instead of running that errand, uh, I will just sit in my car and just meditate. Or I will take that class, that yoga class, or I will do my practice. So wake up early and do my practice on that Friday that I don't have calls or whatever it is, um, to make sure that I actually schedule it.

Because I take time to schedule everything else. And so why not take time to schedule this, right? In a functioning society, in a high functioning life, we've got to do it.

Chris McDonald: Yeah, I came across something on I'm on threads now part of Instagram and somebody said, raise your hand if, if yoga is a non negotiable for you.

And I'm like, yes, it is a non negotiable. I find a way I'm going to even in my busiest days, I have to do it because I know if I don't, then I'm going to be much more dysregulated. It's harder for me to stay in the moment I get caught up in the sympathetic keep go, go, go. And I do need to, you know, bring more pause.

Puja Shah: Definitely. And I've noticed even, um, I've been in my own therapy for some, you know, just even just seeing my therapist regularly. I've noticed how we don't want to talk about integration for creativity. I've even noticed in therapy, how, um, how my meditation and my therapy, the integration between the two, uh, really.

truly exist, right? Like the more I am in these, how we're talking about all these states of inquiry, the more I am in that state of inquiry in my therapy practice and knowing what serves me, the more my meditation really brings me to the more clarity and center and I, if we want to say creativity, right?

Like I'm able to access that. That part of me more. So I think it's all really integrated. There's no boundary or line by how we honor ourselves. I think that these are all the ways that we have, you know, we may have in the past abandoned or thought we didn't, you know, didn't see or, um, were afraid to, you know, to make time for or whatever it was, whatever the stories were, uh, this is how we can actually get to this inner voice, um, to the inner place.

And it looks different for everybody, but I think that when you find the groove, when you find what works for you, stick to it. It's what matters. You are worth it. You're worth it. I love that

Chris McDonald: question. Am I worth it? Yeah. Yeah. So can you share a specific yoga practice that could help

Puja Shah: with creativity? Yeah.

I actually, I thought of one recently that I actually used to love doing with my kids and it's something I was like, Hey, this is actually fun for me too. Yeah. So, Brahmari Pranayama, uh, it's the humming like the bumblebee breath. I did it a lot in my kids classes, but actually I kind of love it because it's giving voice to the breath, and there's something about that, that Ooh, giving voice to the breath.

I hadn't thought of that before. It's super fun. It's, um, and so, I don't know, I mean, I don't know if you want me to actually talk about how to do it.

Chris McDonald: Yeah, yeah. So, go ahead. Thanks.

Puja Shah: Okay, sure. So the easiest way is like, I like to sit in child's pose, but I'll start out just sitting on my knees, or you can sit in a comfortable seat, whatever feels comfortable to you, but eventually you'll end up in child's pose is how I like to do it.

So I start to hum like a bumblebee. So basically it's like, and I don't know if we wanna do it together right now, but we can No, go ahead. Yeah, we can breathe into one long continuous breath and then you're exhaling. And then I take my hands and put 'em around my ears. But I know that we don't have to do that, but breathe in and then

I like breathe out with that tone. Um, and the tone will sound whatever it likes. like it changes. It's like a vibration. Um, and when you really get into it right now, you just did a subtle, you know, a subtle version of it, but when you really start to breathe and breathe that out, it's like feeling a vibration on the whole upper part of the body.

And it starts to feel like it's in the mind. And so. What I like about it is that, especially when done in child's pose, and you can just set a timer or just do it, you know, continuously for a certain number of breaths, um, 10 or 15, whatever you have time for, it just settles my mind and my nervous system.

Um, and it just, you know, and it's a little playful. So then when I feel like I'm getting into writing poetry or anything like that, like, I feel like I've entered that part of me, that little, playful part of me. It's also scientifically because of my dental background. I love science with yoga. Yeah. It's just like this, I kind of geek out on how that actually really is real.

You know, people are like yoga. I'm like, it is so, you know, phenomenal. It stimulates the vagus nerves. And so what happens with this specific breath is that, you know, it is activating the parasympathetic. But the vagus nerves are the ones that we're stimulating are the two 10th cranial nerves. And so that's like the longest pair.

And so I think that what we don't realize is that when we stimulate or when we're, um, when we're accessing that part, we're actually having a role with like heartbeat regulation, breath rate. Um, you know, it's, it's, it's. There's more to it than just like the feel good of it that we're, we're seeing on the other end.

Our body is actually doing all the rest. Um, and so I think it's a great breath. Um, it's not one that people do in yoga classes often. I, I don't know why it's something I don't see in any, in a lot of the classes, but I used to teach it to kids a lot. And then when I would go to adult classes, I'm like, We need this as adults.

Chris McDonald: We need the play. Yes You know, I was taught this breath and i've used it some but i've never heard it with a pose So I like that with um child's pose. So listeners give that a go. I'm gonna try that after this interview

Puja Shah: Totally. It feels good to like, um for the kids. We used to become the bumblebee, which is why we do that.

But oh You know, sequence I had with them doing, being the beat, like the whole class. But for that one, when we'd come down, I started realizing how nice it was even to have my forehead on the ground when I was doing it, because we are working all in the upper system there and felt so grounding to be.

Hearing that vibration and then having my, you know, my third eye and my forehead on the ground like that was like, uh, just for one thing fully relaxing. Yeah,

Chris McDonald: I would think to even just having your forehead on a block. I know I always like to do that to have my third eye on a block to his child's pose. I could probably be interesting.

Puja Shah: Totally. If you're, if you're not able to bring your forehead completely down to the ground on a block is so simple. And then I, I always say, like, I know the active child's pose is out with arms in front. For this particular breath, I like to have it, like, in the seed pose with your hands beside your body.

Oh, okay. Because it really just, like, allows for that full. And then for some of the kids who really wanted it, get the, You could also take your hands and just put them on your ears, like I mentioned. And, you know, there's a quote actually that I found, uh, I love quotes. And this quote by this author is Elizabeth Lawrence is the hum of bees is the voice of the garden.

And I, I just think like when we want to visualize what we're doing. this hum, like this garden, this, like, we, you're nourishing your garden, right? Like, and so I, and what can grow from that? What poem am I going to write after I do that? Or what, you know, what, what's going to happen after I, or when you walk, you know, to wherever you have to go afterwards, like what will grow from that?

What will, what will be nourished? What flowers will you see? And just feeling the vibration of that feels really good to envision.

Chris McDonald: Yeah, I love the think of that visual and creating your own little hive too. Oh, I love that too. Yes. Totally. Yeah. So where do you see yourself going with yoga in the future?

Puja Shah: Yeah, I love that. I, um, I've really, really recently enjoyed, I teach for a local writing group here, um, a company I've, I've loved teaching mindfulness and writing. It has been one of my favorite courses to teach. Nice. I, I've taught it to. children, um, as well as adults. And I just, it's so fun. So I do see myself, if I was to take that to the next level, doing more retreats or full retreat, a writer's retreat or with yoga and meditation, I think that is, um, so essential and it just, it's so fun.

Can blossom creativity as well as just feels really good to restore, um, into. And so that's something I definitely see myself. And then working on my next book, I have been really trying to hone in during the holidays. It is hard. I've been trying to hone in on outlining and I already have my manuscript started from my next novel.

What's your next novel? There's no date or anything yet. That's okay. Yeah, but it is, it's actually a historical fiction novel on the South Asian diaspora. It takes place in Uganda, London, New York City, and, um, South America. So there's a whole history and it's a mother daughter relationship. So I'm having a lot of fun writing it and definitely using yoga and, uh, meditation channel that story.

Chris McDonald: That's beautiful.

Puja Shah: Can you share a freebie you have available for listeners? I would love to. Um, so as I told you, the audio book released for, for my sister, and I will, for people who are listening to this, if you DM me on Instagram at PS Namaste, that's P S N A M A S T E, just send me direct message with the word podcast giveaway.

After listening to this podcast, um, I will be, I will choose the winner. Um, and you'll get a direct message and you'll get a free audio book for my sister.

Chris McDonald: How exciting. Thanks for that. So what's the best way for listeners to find you to learn more about you?

Puja Shah: Yes, as I mentioned, my Instagram page is, um, active on there, uh, PS namaste there.

And then you can also find me on my website for my sister book. com, F O R, my sister, and my site, S T R B. No special spelling. Like, I was like, wait a second, this is pretty easy. You can find me there and, um, and send me, there's a, there's a contact box there. Send me a message. There's a book club section there, so if you choose to read my novel, I do appear on virtual book clubs.

So feel free to, to send me a message and say, Hey, even on Instagram, Hey, I'm reading your book, um, which you'd be able to come to my book club and we can arrange something. I love talking to book clubs.

Chris McDonald: Nice. Well, thank you so much for coming on the Yoga in the Therapy Room podcast. I appreciate it. Thanks so much Um, I did want to

Puja Shah: mention my meditations are on Spotify as well.

Just look for PSMSA I will have all that

Chris McDonald: in the show notes

Puja Shah: for listeners

Chris McDonald: and a shout out to my listeners for being here as well I really appreciate you and I hope you found this episode helpful. Are you struggling to find time for self care? Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? You are not alone.

Introducing the ultimate tool for your well being created by a fellow counselor, the Self Care for the Counselor Companion Workbook. This I designed specifically for you. This workbook is the first steps towards rejuvenating your practice and your life from interactive activities to enriching bonus content.

This workbook is packed with resources to guide you on your journey to self renewal. Plus, you gain exclusive access to video and audio resources for meditation and yoga practices to enhance your experience. Start prioritizing your well being today. Go to hcpodcast. org forward slash workbook. That's hcpodcast.

org forward slash workbook. And once again, this is Chris McDonald sending each one of you much light and love. Till next time, take care. Thanks for listening to today's episode. The information in this podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is given with the understanding that neither the host, the publisher, or the guests are giving legal, medical, psychological, or any other kind of professional advice.

We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. Yoga is not recommended for this. For everyone and is not safe under certain medical conditions. Always check with your doctor to see if it's safe for you. If you need a professional, please find the right one for you.

The yoga and the Therapy room podcast is proudly part of the site Craft network.

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