Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
for Yoga Teachers
2 day course with Antonia Boyle
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| Antonia Boyle |
NLP
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) originates from California. The excellence in modelling NLP was influenced by Milton Hyland Erikson, he noted that people always performed better with relentless encouragement, this forms the basis of NLP where confidence is instilled through building rapport, offering guidance and using a careful selection of language. Following on from the firm footings of Erikson John Grinder developed NLP further in the 1970's in collaboration with Richard Bandler.NLP practitioners have learned to notice that what makes people outstanding is when they do not make assumptions about others, practitioners focus on recognising peoples beliefs without judgement, working with their beliefs and communicating with clients using all three Representational Systems; Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic.
NLP & Yoga
NLP can lead to considerable benefits in Yoga teaching as you are able to effectively encourage your students to achieve more than they initially believed they could. Incorporating encouraging words such as ‘that’s right’ helps students feel comfortable moving into a posture and confident that they are doing the right thing, this relaxes them and they are more likely to get more out of the pose with these simple yet very effective words of encouragement. Beginning a sentence with ‘now…’ then adding a short pause is used a lot in NLP as it’s a technique that really gets peoples attention. If you have something to say in your class that everyone needs to really hear try it, begin the sentence with ‘now…’ and you will see that everyone pays attention.Yoga & NLP share the same beliefs; don’t add, remove obstacles. There is no need to add things to people because they are already perfect, already sacred. For example don't add relaxation, but remove the block standing in the way of relaxation allowing it to occur naturally. They also share the belief that mind and matter are one, life is not considered as a case of ‘mind over matter’ as the old saying goes it is more a case of ‘mind and matter’ as one. NLP as with Yoga can help you to create a mantra to remove an obstacle, for example my mantra from this workshop became ‘I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again’ helping me to find ways of moving towards things I have done before that I have since convinced myself are no longer achievable as a result of my experiences and there outcomes.
Logical Levels
We were invited to work in pairs and go through exercises that really make you notice the effect of words. A simple Q & A was used to get to know each other and introduce us to the ‘Logical Levels’ of NLP.Identity who you are?
Beliefs/Values what you value?
Capability what you are able to do?
Behaviour what you do?
Environment/Time where and when i.e. time & place?
4 Step Learning Model
NLP recognises and works with the belief you have of your own competence.Unconscious incompetence you don’t know that you don’t know
Conscious incompetence you know that you don’t know
Conscious competence you know that you know
Unconscious competence you
know it without having to be conscious
of it
of it
Representational Systems (Modality; ways of experiencing the world)
To connect with individual learning styles/primary senses relating to neurological perception NLP includes words from each system to form language patterns that engage a whole group.Visual;
see, view, vision, colourful, outlook, insight, reflect, sparkle, highlight, look, picture, focus, scan, perspective, clear, murky, bright, transparentAuditory;
hear, listen, sound, tone, accent, music, call, loud, whisper, say, click, resonate, rhythm, harmony, tune in, clash, discordant, echo
Kinaesthetic;
feel, grab, pull, grasp, rub, sticky, rough, smooth, gritty, touch, pressure, handle, texture, heavy, firm, uptight, pushy, sting
Non Sensory;
(digital auditory); think, understand, sense, notice, decide, explain, arrange, perceive, work out, attend, remember, factCommunication
We naturally and unknowingly make presumptions based on our experiences; they can effect our communication either on a one to one basis or across a group. We as humans communicate physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically and we all interpret the world differently therefore we need to be careful of how we use and voice our opinions to others respecting that each individual’s beliefs are true to them.Individual beliefs can cause blockages and working carefully with these beliefs can help to unblock them. Blockages within the body left to their own devices can manifest into fear or anger amongst other emotions and as the body and mind are one the body forms the need to express the emotions of the mind and vice versa. Taking all this into consideration helps to build rapport with others, you do not have to agree with others beliefs but you do have to demonstrate understanding in order to avoid working against them. You need to work at the pace of your client and lead where necessary.
Stating in the Positive
This is about recognising what you want. For example ‘I don’t want to fall over in this posture’ is stating in the negative, instead think about what you do want rather than what you don’t so you could say ‘I want to be balanced and grounded in this posture’. Encourage clients to visualise themselves doing the posture and as they are working into the posture say ‘that’s right’ offering encouragement whilst building the clients confidence.Stress Management
When we endure stress we become ruled by the primal fight, flight or freeze response. Our body is flooded with stress hormones as the body prepares to protect itself from perceived danger. The body can then restore balance once the perceived stress is no longer present, however in situations where stress is continually present the body forgets how to restore balance and illness occurs. The digestive and cardiac systems can become affected, the skeletal muscles develop habitual tension often creating chronic pain, circulation of blood to the brain alters creating confusion, panic, headaches and poor sleep. As the condition worsens the body responds to imaginary dangers as if they were real, this can be the result of trauma and the development of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) where triggers that are reminders of the trauma can leave the body stuck in the stress response. Periods of stress need to be balanced with calming activities such as Yoga, relaxation, mindfulness and meditation to prevent the stress response becoming chronic.Herbert Benson a Harvard Professor has discovered that 20 minutes of relaxation per day not only reduces the after effects of stress it also helps to reduce the initial response to stressors in the first place. Deepak Chopra once said ‘our minds are like runners that only have to slow down in order to walk, then slow down from a walk to a stand still’ this is what meditation can allow our minds to do.
State of Mind and Anchors
Our state of mind changes frequently and is directly linked to our body posture, for example if you are folding over and curling forwards around the shoulders you are in a protective body position as your mind is sensing the need for safety. If you are standing tall, head held high you are feeling alert and confident. If you are feeling sluggish try this; change your posture, shift your gaze, breathe deeply and notice how this reawakens your mind. Using Mudras (hand gestures) in Yoga affects our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual energy by guiding our nervous impulse back into the body changing our state of mind Mudras can become an anchor that brings a sense of calm and centring to a stressed fearful mind and posture. Mudras can be used as anchors within NLP as can contact, such as fingertips resting gently on the shoulder to secure a state of being which can be accessed frequently.We Are Already Perfect…
As individuals we don’t naturally realise we are already perfect, we don’t feel perfect because we have not yet accessed the inner resources available to us, this belief system is at the core of both Yoga and NLP. Throughout our life journey we collect beliefs and experiences some of which become of no use to us if we hold onto them, they can take residence as behaviours in our body such as tension, poor posture, limited breathing etc. If you were to investigate where these behaviours have come from they would be linked to the primal fight or flight automatic response we have that is there to protect us from harm. These behaviours become born from fears that are stuck within our unconscious body mind they are stuck within us from past experiences becoming habits that are not useful to our progress they are in fact barriers. Our primal instinct acts fast to protect us and is fuelled by learned experiences to prevent further suffering but is guided by out-dated information that is negatively affecting our body and mind. Just beneath the surface of all this is the perfect you waiting to wake up, to be set free. Yoga and NLP support and guide you on this journey of self-discovery…- Regular Yoga practice guides us to rediscover our perfect state of existence it seeks to remove the stiffness located beneath all the tension freeing the body and mind to move
- Pranayama guides us to discover our breathing and meditation encourages us to let go of mental pollution
- NLP guides our mind away from
unhelpful habits born of our pasts
Unspoken Influential Communication…
We must also consider the value of unspoken communication as our beliefs can unintentionally be transferred onto others. As Yoga teachers it is incredibly important that we hold the belief that our students can practice postures, this energy is communicated without words and the students will believe it too, this unspoken communication is where you can begin to realise rapport is present as even unspoken words are listened to, the students will be encouraged to try poses as they sense this energy and believe it is possible too.
Example;
When guiding students to
move into a pose such as a lunge to stretch the psoas muscle ask your students
to ‘look at a place on the mat where you really
want to step to’. This holds an unspoken belief and using this technique
encourages students to believe they can step further than if you said something
like ‘I am sure you can step wider than
that’, this springs doubt in the mind that you will not achieve it whereas
the first sentence offers hope, a belief gained from holding the gaze in that
spot which creates a focused intention a desire to reach that spot on the mat
it is empowering for the student. Gazing at the spot the students wants to
place their foot also creates the opportunity to be free from boundaries such
as an inner dialogue ‘I can’t do that
because of…’ it offers choice a sense of empowerment, it uses both visual
and kinaesthetic senses.Deepening Postures and Discovering Inner Resources…
Demonstrating postures is key for many students to access their deepest pose, using key words to demonstrate how the pose feels plants the seed of opportunity in the students minds who would also like to gain these benefits from the posture, seeing other students in poses can also encourage others to lift their spine further or reach a little deeper as we are naturally keen to impress others.Practicing a standing back bend can have very different results depending on your mind set, you have a predetermined place fixed in your mind of where you can bend backwards too in a Yoga pose, however if you take yourself back to childhood and recall the freedom of bending backwards you will gently fold yourself back deeper with arms open wide and a smile on your face, the suggestion comes from your thoughts and it releases the restrictions placed on your body over time learned by experience, instead the pose become more playful, more enjoyable, less restricted.
Introduction to NLP Timeline
This is an incredibly powerful technique where you are guided through a sequence of instructions that lead you back to a time when you were confident about doing something that you are no longer confident about, the technique takes you back to recall that time and it creates the opportunity for you to reconnect with that feeling, that mind set and it creates a pathway for you to bring that time into your present life. A number of students were guided through the timeline that demonstrated how powerfully the mind affects the body it also highlighted the persuasive power of suggestion, the results were amazing. I was able to move deeper into a posture that I had not been able to perform since serious injury, my fearful beliefs had been telling me I would never be able to do this pose again, however this brief exposure to timeline therapy proved otherwise. You give your present self a very clear message from the past and it guides you through the barrier that you have created through fear. Everyone who tried this found they were holding a negative belief in their mind that was holding their body back from doing something now, most restrictions were born from fear which had remained to cause a blockage. Of course if there is a mechanical medical reason why you can no longer do something this will not change that but there’s no saying it won’t help the way you feel about it.Circle of Excellence for Yoga
You can incorporate the principal of the NLP Timeline technique when teaching students, encouraging them to achieve a pose they think they can’t do. You could incorporate a task in your lesson plan where you guide students to gather resources for themselves to perform a pose of their choice more effectively. This involves visualising themselves practicing the pose and then imagining a circle in front of them, this is their individual ‘circle of excellence’ and in this circle they visually place 3 words, these 3 words are the resources they would need to perform their preferred pose, you can then invite them to step into their circle to collect one of the resources. Next guide them to step out of the circle, help them to anchor all 3 resources and lead them into practicing their selected pose. These identified resources can be carried through to many situations. If a student is struggling they can try one of the other resources from the circle.Guided Relaxation & Meditation
When teaching relaxation state positive factual elements as you lead students into relaxation. Prepare a script with an objective and outcome, use a range of words from the representational systems; hearing, seeing, feeling. Only state things you know to be true e.g. ‘you’re lying on the floor’. Include metaphors to create an experience e.g. ‘you are fully supported by the floor’. Pace the delivery of instruction to nurture relaxation, ensure you are seated to allow your state to be relaxed with your students. Lead them through the relaxation before informing the students what the after effects of this relaxation will be and how long they could feel them for, bring their awareness back to the present moment and begin some gentle awakening stretches. It is important to say ‘relax’ rather than ‘let go of tension’ to appeal to the unconscious mind and avoid bringing focus to tension.Examples of methods to include for connecting to individual modalities
Auditory
Internal (silent)/External Mantra, Listening to external sound or the gap between thoughts, Listening to the breath
Visual
Drishti/Trataka
gazing (eyes open focusing on an object/point such as a candle) Kinaesthetic
Practicing walking meditation, Performing Yoga postures, Feeling the breath in the body
All 3 modalities; V.A.K. E.g. Hear your breath, feel the cool inhalation and warm exhalation, Visualise the air entering your body, sense the energy it brings and feel the release as you exhale.
Meditation Preparation
1.
Sit upright in a comfortable position and bring your focus to your breath
2. Keeping eyes open and activate peripheral vision to calm the mind
3. Close the eyes, tell yourself how long you will meditate for and that you will feel both relaxed and motivated at the end of your meditation
4. Notice your buttocks contact with the floor/chair
5. Take your awareness to your spine
6. Notice your shoulders relaxing, bring your attention to your chin as you draw it back lengthening the back of your neck
7. Become aware of your tongue then encourage relaxation of the jaw with lips barely touching invoking calmness of mind, preventing internal dialogue that causes the jaw to tighten
8. Take your awareness to your eyes and soften them
9. Become aware of your hands gently resting upon your knees or in your lap
10. Become aware of your body and anything happening around you, allow sounds to help you relax further, notice thoughts without attaching to them, notice the gaps between your thoughts
11. As your meditation ends gently bring your awareness back, begin to gently move fingers and toes, open your eyes, only move out of the meditation pose when you feel ready and then gently ease into the rest of your day
2. Keeping eyes open and activate peripheral vision to calm the mind
3. Close the eyes, tell yourself how long you will meditate for and that you will feel both relaxed and motivated at the end of your meditation
4. Notice your buttocks contact with the floor/chair
5. Take your awareness to your spine
6. Notice your shoulders relaxing, bring your attention to your chin as you draw it back lengthening the back of your neck
7. Become aware of your tongue then encourage relaxation of the jaw with lips barely touching invoking calmness of mind, preventing internal dialogue that causes the jaw to tighten
8. Take your awareness to your eyes and soften them
9. Become aware of your hands gently resting upon your knees or in your lap
10. Become aware of your body and anything happening around you, allow sounds to help you relax further, notice thoughts without attaching to them, notice the gaps between your thoughts
11. As your meditation ends gently bring your awareness back, begin to gently move fingers and toes, open your eyes, only move out of the meditation pose when you feel ready and then gently ease into the rest of your day
Nb Whilst you remain in the practice focus in turn on these points from number 4 through to 10, to come out of the practice work backwards from 10 through to 4. It is useful to create an anchor for meditation such as; practicing in the same place, at the same time or wearing the same meditation shawl for example. Aim to build up your meditation practice to 20 minutes twice a day. Even if your concentration isn’t the same each day, aim to sit for the planned amount of time each day.
On Another note… Tips for dealing with pain arising from surgery;
Disassociate yourself as soon as you are conscious enough to do so and go through the surgery from arriving at hospital to going into theater, imagine the details of the surgery, following on to recovery and being back on the ward, run your self through this process imaging the parts you did not see. I’ve tried this and can agree that it works effectively as a method of pain reduction.
If you would like to find out more about Antonia Boyle & NLP visit
http://www.alphawavesnlp.co.uk/
