About Cranioga 

Cranioga is not just another hybrid distortion of yoga attempting to appeal to the contemporary memes of modern minds. Neither is it intended to be a didactic process blinkered by the confines of ‘orthodox yoga’. It is, however, a genuine inquiry of relevant felt-sense contact and resource which serves to catalyse the awareness and expression of health in the body.

An incredibly useful way of understanding this approach can be obtained by attending one our single day Cranioga meditation retreats. For information on this check out the next page..

 

The mind often requires excuses to keep it occupied (focused) whilst being able to appreciate the passing nature of one's tendencies and habits. When the mind calms and is sharpened in this manner it will start to illuminate the existence of subtle intentions (patterns) residing in the body. If unnoticed these patterns can cause tension, whereas the very act of calmly noticing them can provide release and unlock vitality.

Health (balanced physiologic expression) is often waiting patiently to show itself, and many times all it requires is the presence of skilled contact combined with the application of appropriate resources which help to sustain and deepen this expression of health.

 

Cranioga is a form of restorative yoga and 'non-doing' hands on therapy helping to access awareness of the subtle expressions of the body.

The therapist is encouraged to develop qualities within themselves in order to help and support their client to enter into a sense of physiologic embodiment (embodied safety, a sense of wholeness, and a synchrony with nature).

 

Fundamentally this therapy is designed to help clients, and therapists themselves, to lastingly move beyond patterns of inner tension, discomfort and overwhelm/trauma 

 

At a later stage this approach helps the health practitioners themselves become more skilful in the art of listening with their own body whilst providing appropriate space for the clients body to subtly adjust 

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Clients:

Here are some of the fundamental benefits for clients receiving treatment 

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•  Establishing a grounded midline sense of ones own body (which reciprocally helps provide grounding for another). Whether learning how to establish this as a client, or learning how to teach it as a therapist, it is the foundation.​​​

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•  Becoming aware of the subtle physiologic nuances expressed by the body e.g. the way the various tissues feel when releasing or the fluid nature of the body when it feels present and whole.

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•  Noticing the subtle transformation which occurs when tendencies, impressions, machinations and  experience (T.I.M.E) are perceived for what they are, especially their inherent ephemeral nature (the felt-sense quality of passing). The felt- sense of this vibrational arising and passing is here called 'potency'.

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•  Developing an ability to be aware and encourage any inclination the clients body has to return to balance. Encouragement is provided with the sense of safety, space and stillness, rather than trying to change something.

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•  Realising that the felt-sense of space and stillness is not a quality of stagnation, rather it is alive with expression. 

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•  Understanding that when the passing of T.I.M.E is established, as a subtle yet tangible insight, a sense of connection opens to both therapist and client. This might be considered a relational field.

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•  Appreciating that natures external rhythms are also expressed internally in ones own body. This sense of inner and outer appreciation helps the client open to the sense of wholeness. 

 

Learning to establish these qualities in oneself (client or therapist) helps the long term expression of health in a client's body rather than providing temporary mechanical fixes.

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The elements outlined above are a selection of the prerequisites to help prepare and resource the bodymind of both clients and therapists. Once established the therapist will be able to approach and contact a client in a balanced and grounded manner. This is invaluable for providing the client with a felt-sense of safety, space, stillness and synchrony with nature in order for their system to reorganise and reintegrate. 

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Depending on the condition/capacity of the clients body/mind it is relevant to incorporate all, or a number, of the following client specific approaches:

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Therapists:

Here are a few of the progressive skills learnt and applied by therapists (providing treatment):

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Approaching and treating clients

• Assessment

• How to relevantly pace treatment sessions

• Listening to the expressions provided by the clients body (key to enhancing safety, space and stillness) 

• Educating an appropriate level of felt-sense awareness (body tissues, fluids and potency)

• How to advise on postural alignment to optimise the expression of health

• Breathing exercises (breath-work); including relevantly controlled retention and stilling of the breath cycle (sahita kumbhaka)

• Autonomic neurogenic release exercises (sometimes referred to as TRE)

• Pran-ayama (non-intentional breath attention) *Pranayama is often incorrectly interpreted as breath control. So in order to avoid ambiguity I have included a hyphen to emphasis 'ayama' (non-control) rather than 'yama' (control); Including natural stilling of the breath cycle (kevela kumbhaka).

• Non-doing contact (touching without manipulating) 

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These elements are key aspects of the process which promote and encourage a sense of embodiment for clients, and therapists, presenting in a variety of ways, which will be explained during the practical sessions.

Understanding where the client is at, both physically and mentally,  helps the therapist to approach them in a manner where they feel met (listened to both somatically and psychologically). Such approach lets the therapist accommodate and attend to the arising tendencies, impressions, machinations and experiences (TIME) which may be inhibiting the expression of the clients physiologic and/or psychologic health, without trying to force it to change it. The subtle changes then take place naturally.

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The assessment process is an in depth aspect of this therapy and  will require in house tuition to cover it fully. But it is suffice to say that the main part of the assessment is to establish the presenting nature of the clients autonomic nervous system and how it is affecting their body.  

 

A clients access to their body awareness can vary hugely, from vague awareness of their skin, to awareness of subtle external or internal sensations. When awareness is limited, methods such as finger tapping on relevant areas of the body, and/or, helping the client become attentive of the skin stimulated by atmospheric air, and/or, their clothes touching their skin, can be a useful inclusion. Other methods of promoting sensation awareness involve guiding the client/therapist to express various emotional gestures, for example, those mimicking openness and/or friendship (which stimulates an aspect of their autonomic nervous system promoting social engagement) etc. 

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Posture (asana):Therapist education to help optimise  postures to help address asymmetries caused by autonomic nervous system imbalance. These postures are offered based on physiologic reasoning, rather than needing to obsessively mimic a pose from a text book.

Examples: ​

 

Breath-work (breath regulating exercises): helps to increase embodiment, sensitivity and the willingness to let go.

An autonomic nervous system release (neurogenic release) generally evolves from the breath-work exercises when the body is positioned in a few unique postures. Such release is an expression which is not controlled by subconscious  defence patterns and/or dissociation tendencies, which can reduce body sensation awareness and/or awareness of space and/or time. 

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Preparing the body/mind with breath-work (breathing exercises) and facilitating postures which produce a spontaneous neurogenic release (which usually expresses as an involuntary body tremor) are very useful preparations for a type of felt-sense attention called  'pran-ayama'. This is awareness of the naturally calm breath (i.e. without intentional control) and the inner body expressions/sensations which unfold/unveil with this manner of awareness (pratyahara).

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Once a client has become familiar with the rejuvenating inner awareness provided by the natural breath attention, or any other relevant attention which provides a sense of the body’s natural expressions, then relational touch (by a trained bcst and/or yoga therapist) can be of optimal benefit without the client/therapist getting side tracked by bodymind reactions, including the otherwise common tendency of dissociation.