Crisis yoga soothes the soul

Crisis yoga soothes the soul

FREE EVENTS:

  • Sept. 21: 9 a.m., Fabletics in Downtown Summerlin. Bring a mat, a water and all your friends.  Space is limited, so please RSVP at 702-623-2334.    
  • Oct. 1, 6 p.m., Vegas Hot Yoga and Pilates, 5875 S. Rainbow Blvd., No. 206.  RSVP AT 702-919-1385.
By Alexis Wisniewski
WE R.I.S.E YOGA is a Las Vegas-based trauma-sensitive yoga certification company. After the infamous Oct. 1 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, Alexis Wisniewski, a trauma-trained certified yoga professional, gave free trauma-sensitive yoga classes to the public for weeks after the tragic event.

The response was huge and immediate. She was asked by the Clark County Coroner, John Fudenberg, to teach classes for The Office of The Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiners, and thereafter, she was teaching for many other first responder locations throughout the Las Vegas Valley, including the 911 Call Center and the Clark County Detention Center. She and others realized the need for this type of mindful movement and meditation, and its therapeutic techniques was so great that her calling was to teach the world healing through yoga. Ultimately, she and her business partner, Amber Tsang (ThisisTMG.com) created the company, WE RISE YOGA. We R.I.S.E. (Recover Inspired Self Empowerment), is based on the premise that MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE.

Wisniewski and Tsang and their team of doctors and therapists certify people in WE RISE YOGA program year-round in Las Vegas.

“Anyone can get certified with our program,” Wisniewski said. “We get people from all walks of life that take our course: from doctors, to psychologists, clinical and behavioral health professionals, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, teachers, yoga instructors and anyone that has been through traumatic experiences in their life, and just want to find a way to help heal themselves and/or others.” 

During the 20- hour- (and/or eight-hour) long weekend, students learn how trauma or consistent stressful experiences can have a negative impact on the brain and body, and how intentional movement, breathing techniques and meditation can provide an adjunct therapy to traditional evidence-based approaches to treating trauma and high stress.

We RISE Yoga teaches the students strategies on how to weave these elements into their clinical practice and/or also into their own daily life to provide an embodied approach to healing.

“We all have challenges in our lives that make us feel overwhelmed, over-worked and over-stressed,” Wisniewski said. “Some of us may have deep-seeded trauma from past or present experiences.”

Current research has proven this type of yoga can actually diminish the effects of stressful experiences and/or trauma on our body and in our mind, and long-term practice can actually begin to change the body and the brain, creating new neural pathways that lead to greater well-being and a clearer mindset.

This knowledge appears in the work of several authors, including Bessell Van der Kolk, MD, (2014), “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma,” New York: Viking; Lisa Wimberger, L. (2015), “Neurosculpting. A Whole-Brain Approach to Heal Trauma, Rewrite Limiting Beliefs, and Find Wholeness,”  Sounds True Publishing; David Emerson (2015), “Trauma-sensitive Yoga in Therapy:  Bringing the Body into Treatment,” W. W. Norton & Co.; and Peter Levine,Ph.D (2006) “Trauma Through A Child’s Eyes,” Penguin Random House .

“I’ve actually seen the changes first-hand, not only in myself but in many of those I teach as well,” Wisniewski said. “I’ve been teaching in drug and alcohol recovery for many years, sometimes the effects of this practice can be really profound within a short period of time, and after people graduate from the recovery program they continue to show up to my classes, some of them have even taken the training

Once certified with the program, depending on individual skill set, the students may be able to teach for WE RISE YOGA at any of their current vendor locations. This includes local Title 1 Schools and MGM Resorts.

“This work can be extremely rewarding,” Wisniewski said. “I love being a part of something that helps to heal others. This is so much bigger than just teaching a course, the ripple effect is huge, and this is literally how we help change the world.”

We RISE YOGA has scheduled 20-hour and eight-hour certification training workshops for this winter at Vegas Hot Yoga and Pilates on 5875 S. Rainbow Blvd., No. 206. For tickets and pricing, call 702-919-1385, or visit www.weriseyoga.com.  Prices range from $180 (use EIGHT promo code to save money) for the eight-hour course, Nov. 16, to about $400 (Use code FIFTY to save money) for the 20-hour workshop, Feb. 7-9. Those costs may are early bird specials and may increase.

WE R.I.S.E Yoga gives the following CEU’s:   

  • Certified  20/eight hours for Yoga Alliance
  • 19  clinical hours for the Board of Physical Therapy
  • 19.75 contact hours for the Nevada Board of Education 
  • 20/eight hours for the Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners
  • 19.25/eight hours for the Nevada Board of Social Workers
  • 20/eight hours for the Nevada State Board of Nursing RN’s, LPN’s, CNA’s, APRN’s
  • 20/eight hours for the Nevada Board of Marriage and Family Therapists and CPC’s
  • 20 /eight hours for occupational therapists
  • Eight hours for the Nevada Board of Alcohol, Drug and Gambling Counselors..

FREE EVENTS, OR NEARLY SO

  • Sept. 21: 9 a.m., Fabletics in Downtown Summerlin. Bring a mat, a water and all your friends.  Space is limited, so please RSVP at 702-623-2334.    
  • Oct. 1, 6 p.m., Vegas Hot Yoga and Pilates, 5875 S. Rainbow Blvd., No. 206. Bring a mat, a water and all your friends.  Space is limited, so first come, first serve.  
  • Oct. 2, 6-7 p.m., Tivoli Village Main Stage Area at 400 S.Rampart Blvd, healing event. Free to NASW members, $10 for non-members. Bring a mat, a water and all your friends.  Space is limited.  Please reserve your spot at Link to purchase tickets: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=6k5o8dkab&oeidk=a07egka62zsd319b44f
  • WE RISE YOGA class very first Wednesday of the month starting Nov. 6 from 6-7 p.m., Vegas Hot Yoga and Pilates, 5875 S. Rainbow Blvd., No. 206. Class includes question and answer session with founder and educator, Wisniewski.  This class is $2 for members  and $10 for non-members.  This class is designed for all levels of yoga including people who have never tried it before. 

For more information, or to bring WE RISE Yoga classes to any Las Vegas location, check out the website at www.weriseyoga.com or call 702-919-1385.