One on One Yoga: The Benefits of Private Sessions by Carmela Cattuti MA,LPN

Yoga is an ancient system whose foundation supports transformation of the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga is a creative solution to many issues and concerns caused by a fast moving world. Time just seems to be speeding along without us. Linear time isn't the stabilizing force it once was. This can create many fears and anxieties that we're not used to facing. We used to keep them at bay with busyness or blaming someone else for how we feel. With all of the changes in our country and the rest of the planet we are now forced to face our most basic fears.

I have taught yoga since 1994 and now specialize in working with private clients. My students range from ages 30-80. Regardless of age, all of my clients deal with moving through fear. I have pre natal clients who face the fear of childbirth, others deal with fear of declining health. All manage their concerns with yoga. As a yoga instructor of fourteen years and a student of yoga for twenty five there has been a deepening of the experience of yoga. Here are the most important benefits of private yoga sessions:

Increased Creativity

When clients are faced with a fear OF not being able to execute a specific posture(asana) there are modifications that can be applied. One can always enter the pose in a way that is beneficial for the individual's practice. This brings about a feeling of accomplishment and increases self-esteem. Fears can be approached in a similar manner. There is always a creative solution to every fear. Modifying an individual's approach to a fear so the person is comfortable in facing the fear dissipates the fears intensity.

Increased Strength

Yoga creates physical strength in the body. It is a way to access the mind and integrate the soul into daily life. Through holding yoga postures individuals learn to observe the sensation of discomfort and fear and not run from it. A certain amount of detachment is developed through holding yoga postures and breathing rhythmically. Detachment in facing fears is essential if the individual wants to change patterns of behavior.

Increased Flexibility

Flexibility in body and mind is critical in accessing creative solutions to deal with specific fears. There needs to be a letting go of old behavior patterns so the new behaviors can come in. When we stretch into yoga postures that require a release of the body, the thoughts also begin to release and a calmness takes over. This relaxation is important is accessing the solutions for that particular person.

Increased Relaxation

Individuals create change through the art of relaxation. In a fast changing world it seems impossible to relax. We always feel that we need to be doing something or somehow our lives are invalid. At the end of a yoga class or private session there should always be a deep relaxation to integrate all the poses. When deep relaxation takes over the body and mind, ideas and solutions that we have never thought of before come to the forefront. This requires that the individual allows the process to work. There is no need to look or search for answers when the intuition is allowed to emerge.

Combining over twenty-five years of yoga study with thirty years of professional nursing experience, Carmela Cattuti offers students a unique and effective teaching style. Having studied extensively at the Iyengar Center and achieving instructor certification at the noted Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Carmela provides in-depth yoga instruction to both men and women for reducing stress and harnessing one's full capabilities of body, mind, and spirit.

She received her nursing training from New York Hospital for Special Surgery and went on to complete her undergraduate degree at City College of New York where she graduated cum laude. She received an MA in English Literature from Boston College and went onto be a journalist for the Somerville News. Her writing is now focused on yoga and spirituality.

Carmela's specialty is working with corporations to create a gentle yoga atmosphere where all employees can participate. She also specializes in working with clients in private sessions. Carmela is also an artist with a focus on creating commissions for private homes and businesses - yoga combined with creativity is now her focus. She has published in Sacred Pathways Magazine and Diet & Fitness Magazine. www.yogaofthefuture.com