Therapists do not do their work alone. Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW invites Angela Madonia to the show to talk about her work as a yoga and mindfulness instructor. Angela often collaborates with psychotherapists and other care professionals, having taught yoga and mindfulness in non-profits, clinics, schools, and homes since 2007. She is passionate about making yoga accessible, simple, and supportive. Anna and Angela talk about their unique approaches to mindful body awareness, even in hard times, such as working with individuals facing cancer or loss. Learn about the intersection between therapy and other forms of self-care practices as you reflect on your own self-care rituals. Get comfortable for this episode and block a few minutes to cozy up as Angela leads us through an easy-going, gratitude-filled yoga practice. You don't even have to put on yoga pants to try it out! Pay attention to what gratitude feels like in your body. This is not Therapy. This is Real Life. 

--(Please excuse any transcript typos -- blame the AI! Thank you!) --

Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW: 

Therapists do not do their work alone. Welcome back to the Therapy For Real Life Podcast. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. And today I'm pleased to invite to the podcast, Angela Madonia, a yoga and mindfulness specialist who is part of my personal community. When you think of it takes a village to do anything. Therapists call on all kinds of supports to help clients live a life that is enjoyable and worth living. So I'm happy to have Angela here to talk about mindfulness concepts when it comes to yoga practice. Thank you for joining us, Angela. I was really excited to have you on the podcast because you are someone I really respect when I think of self care role models. And I know that you have a lot of experience working with their bus and offering self care support outside of the therapy process. So would you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and your work with mind body awareness?

Angela Madonia:
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's a joy to talk about in this particular way, because I think therapists are amazing. And and I also really honor and value your work in the community. The kind of yoga that I do is really supporting people to connect with themselves. And sometimes that can be quite hard depending on what they're working on. And the tools are meant to be simple and easily accessible for also for everyday life, something that is really important to me. So sometimes in a clinic setting. with folks with eating disorders, we're in intensive therapy for the recovery. Some of the practices we can incorporate through yoga and mindful This are just gentle and subtle ways to reconnect with their body with their emotions. And then a little practice on staying with them, and seeing if we can find some ease and softness in the middle of that. So it really depends on the person that I'm working with, and trying to personalize the practice so that they could incorporate the practices into their life. If it's someone I'm working with that has cancer, maybe bringing the practices to a chemo appointment, or someone is working with chronic pain, to have some tools with their breath to calm their nervous system. So it's it's pretty powerful work. And I like that it's you don't have to wait to get to a yoga class or to have specific yoga pants or enough money, or enough time to do their little practices you can bring to life so that's nice.

Anna:
I love the way that you concretize yoga practice, and that's actually why I wanted to invite you on the podcast today is because in the second half of the show, we're going to get a chance to practice what you're talking about. And Angela will lead us through a mindful meditation and a gratitude practice. And so we'll have the chance to feel the very real effects that you're talking about. So, the interesting thing about mindfulness is this is a practice that is millennia years old. And of course, therapists approach this practice. You know, I approached this practice through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, which is one of the research back therapies that are out there. And it's interesting to see such strong support and strong evidence supporting a practice that has been around for a very long time. And we know that there are studies that support the health and wellness effects such as, reduce blood pressure and improve sense of well being and reducing anxiety and depression. So it's interesting to hear the work that you do in collaboration with therapists. And it sounds like a lot of the work that you've done is either in crisis situations or very difficult turning points. And what would you say that you've learned about the power of being in your body, even in the most painful or difficult moments, some of the ones that you described eating disorders and cancer, I can imagine some people just kind of wishing they didn't have a body in those moments.

Angela:
Yes, there's really that tendency to want to disconnect and to not feel and to kind of push things away and in therapy, I'm sure you're working with that all the time, as well as with folks that are pregnant and maybe even feeling well but not wanting to connect. And I think our modern culture, there's lots of ways we can disconnect by checking in with other people checking in The phone checking in just more in the external and so have some tools to really notice is simple but so hard. And for some folks, especially with trauma history or a long disconnection with the body, whether it's through treatment or because of other issues such as the eating disorder example, just having a chance to breathe and move slowly in a group, sometimes other also individual work and making it personalized. So knowing a little bit about my students is really important. What might be triggering or uncomfortable and seeing if I can just in really unique and creative ways, just allowing for a little more spaciousness on inhale and movement, and then a release on exhale and allowing for a softness in the body. Sometimes even that simply makes a huge difference when we bring the connection With movement and breath, the mind is a little more focused. And we can actually notice and be with emotions. And there's this permission to kind of release the past and the future, which is, of course, almost impossible to do for a long period of time, this permission moments to just be present and take notice, and sometimes that feels like a little mini vacation for, for some folks so can be powerful.

Anna:
And this is where it's interesting, you know, some of the listeners on this show are therapists and training and new to the field. And they might be thinking, you know, as we talked about mindfulness, and I appreciate the fact that you brought up trauma because there are some, you know, therapists have some special considerations when they use mindfulness meditation in the therapy process. So we know that if you've been through stressful experiences, some folks are at risk for experiencing flashbacks during moments of quiet and we know that in practicing mindfulness meditation, it's really important to anchor Your attention whether it's on the breath or the palms of your hand or your heartbeat, but some centered next to that attention. And a lot of people think, Oh, I can't do meditation, I can't do mindfulness. Sometimes they're blacking out negative experiences they've had, and yet you're describing for some folks, if they're able to anchor their attention, there can be a paradoxical quality to what have you seen with that? When people really sit with discomfort? What do they What do they get from that?

Angela:
Yes, sometimes a big opening of clarity about something from their past. Even if the moment is uncomfortable, if it's a trauma situation, and they, you know, have gone to a place that is deeply, deeply uncomfortable and not just everyday discomfort and we do re anchor and reconnect and come back into the present. Sometimes there is this opportunity for just a shift of perception about something that past or something they're really working on in their future. And when they do the practices over time, and when they're in therapy, which is so powerful about doing work with therapists when they're in therapy, doing deep work, and in yoga and mindfulness doing deep work, and the combination of those two settings, it can bring a lot of light, the talk therapy, and the mindfulness practices that are happening there. And when they bring it into their real life, it's like an integration of that practice. So it is really interesting, what can come up for people in that moment.

Anna:
I think the way that you describe integration is this is one of the areas where therapists might overlap with health, other helping professionals like a yoga instructor or a mindfulness instructor, because we're looking for that sense of integration. So if you're, let's say you're speaking to someone who's never maybe they've heard mindfulness in the pop culture and You know, they can't take a long retreat and they are just trying to get a sense of what you're talking about what would be some of the simplest ways that they could practice this awareness in their body?

Angela:
Yeah, that's a great question. I love working with folks that have never done yoga and or that hate yoga because I myself eat a little bit. It's not that accessible in our culture. It's very white dominant, it's expensive. It doesn't necessarily feel comfortable to go into the class. But the true roots of yoga are about meeting people exactly where they are. And sometimes the practice can be as simple as in how lift your arms, Exhale, lower the arms, and it's so simple, but when you really bring your attention to connecting the breath and movement fully. So the top of the inhale, you come to your highest point of lift in arms. At the bottom of the exhale, you come to your lowest point is the lower the arms and just this active connecting breath and movement. Bring them up, brings the mind into a little more Focus. And even if you can't lift your arms, you could visualize that because the mind is so powerful. Even connecting visualization with movement can impact our nervous system and impact our attention and allow us to really notice a deeper level. So I really try to say it's just a way of reconnecting with yourself, of shifting some patterns deeply held in the body or the mind. And some coping mechanisms for those moments when we are are really faced with really uncomfortable or painful feelings in the body, the mind or in our emotions.

Anna:
Thank you so much, Angela for that explanation. And in a moment, we're going to get set up and try a mindfulness meditation. And before we do that, I just wanted to thank you for coming and spending your time with me today. I really appreciate and grateful for the gifts that you offer the community and I just wanted to give a shout out to all the folks out there who are supporting the therapy process in and out of the room. So these are the, you know, primary care providers and nurses and teachers and yoga instructors. I just want you to know, we know who you are, and we appreciate you. And you know, when people say that's my therapy, they mean it, whether they're talking about therapy or yoga. They're talking about a space of mind. So I love hearing another example from you. So before we get started, and people can find you, of course by following your link in the show notes to your website, and they can see your upcoming classes, and all of that. But before we get started, what should anyone know before they do the gratitude practice that we're about to do? Let's say they you know, they're listening to this podcast in their car or in their home or their between things. What should they do before they get started with the second half?

Angela:

Yeah, the main thing is to find a comfortable seated position. If you're driving, definitely try not to do this while you're driving. So ask you to close your eyes and really focus. So just being seated in any position, there will be an opportunity to lie down if you'd like. And it's just a way of connecting with something that we feel gratitude for and bring it in on a deeper layer. We know scientifically how powerful connecting with a gratitude practice is. And this is just a mind body connection way of of noticing that. So I hope you enjoyed that. 

Anna:
Thank you, Angela. Thank you so much.

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Angela:
We're going to start our gratitude practice by having some tools and ways of moving from the outer world to the inner So as you get comfortable in a seated position so you can come to the edge of the chair and plant your feet on the ground. You might notice the spine brightening upward as the shoulders relaxed down. Soften the space between the eyebrows and just feeling the ground under your feet.

Just check in with the breath exactly as it is right here. In how coming in a gentle pause the top of the inhale and then releasing the air out noticing the pause the bottom of the exhale. Sometimes we slow the body down, the breath gets a little bit tight. Imagining you can allow it to be smooth and steady. Just taking special note of that pause at the top of the inhale and at the bottom of the exhale.

From here we'll start to move into the spine. So in the inhale, lift the chest and the chin, slight arch of the back. On Exhale, tuck the pelvis, round the spine, tuck the chin and then inhaling to extend, looking up finding an arch in the spine, pelvis to forward XL, talking, rounding and releasing. So just continuing this movement. In yoga, we see the spine is the energetic center. And when it gets compressed during our day, our energy can also get stagnant or Source connecting with the body here connecting breath and movement, allowing the mind to come into better focus. And how to expand. exhale to release. Take two more maybe on the exhale, allowing for the sound. To help you give a tangible way of hearing your exhale. Inhale through the nose, looking, gaze lips. exhale, rounding. Last one like that.

Come back to neutral spine, aligning your head over your hips, and letting the arms dangle at the sides and how lifting arms are Exhale, twirling the wrists on the way down. So full circle in the wrist as the arms lower connecting breath and movement here. So the stretch is one part of yoga in the physical body, but connecting it with the breath. When your exhale starts, the arms move back down and the wrist twirl. When your exhale ends, the movement also ends. So this attention to detail really allows that mind body connection to be felt in that deep way in how to lift the arms. Exhale to twirl the wrists and release the arms back to the sides, the body. few breaths like this, getting a little more space on inhale and exhale, releasing. Finishing up your last one

If you're noticing you'd be more comfortable lying down, you can move to lying down position either on your couch or your carpet. Maybe you have a yoga mat or a blanket nearby. You might bend the knees to support the low back or get something under the knees like a pillow, or a pillow under the head or a blanket if you're cool. And just getting a comfortable position.

And here, we're just going to use our imagination. Some time to visualize. Just energy in the body. On inhale the breath, imagine it goes to the top of the head. an exhale imagine the breath travels throughout the whole body out the fingers and toes. Just a few long cleansing breaths like this.visualizing this energetic movement in the body. Knowing the breath can be a connector between mind body and heart. Of course these parts of ourselves are always connected but they can you lose communication with each other. And the breath can bring them back into synchronicity. And then just coming back to a natural breath.

Imagine your inhale and exhale coming in and out like the waves of the ocean. really noticing the ground under your spine and your head letting yourself be supported and held in a call to mind something you're quite grateful for. Don't think too hard about it. It might be person or a bigger concept like health or peacefulness. Whatever comes up, just seeing if you can really imagine this thing that you're grateful for the qualities or textures, colors or smells that you attribute to this thing that you're very grateful for. On inhale, you can either visualize or actually move the arms outward. Reach out for this thing that you're grateful for it, exhale into your own heart center. Bring the hands right to the heart and bring it inward and how to reach out. Reach up bringing it into the heart, and really just taking a pause after your exhale and how to reach out And then exhale into the heart. And then just pausing here, really feeling that thing that you're grateful for coming in to a deeper layer to yourself. Breathing right into your heart center. And on inhale, allow this feeling of gratitude to permeate the whole body. On exhale, sending it outward, just sharing that feeling of gratitude. So in how deep in and expand the gratitude throughout the body. Exhale, sending it outward.One more breath like that.

Just adjusting your body so it's quite comfortable now they're extending the Legs are having the hands on the body or the sides of the body. And just taking some time to be with this feeling. And here, bring your attention back to your breath. Allowing the inhale to get a little bigger. At the bottom of the exhale, pressing a little more air out, just gently lengthening, inhale and exhale.

You might start to wake up Got the body wiggling fingers and toes are moving wrists and ankles. Scratching up the face and maybe opening the mouth wide distraction to the muscles of the face. The head could go side to side and then bending one leg and then the other, hugging both knees into the chest. Rolling a little bit side to side, just massaging into the low back and then rolling all the way to the side and making a little pillow with your arm and a nice little fetal position so that the spine is rounded. Just a little counter pose to the straight spine position we were in and then coming up two hands and knees. planting your hands under the shoulders and knees. Under the hips start to weaken up a little more The eyes are open. Then you look forward a slight opening in the chest. Exhale at the head lower and then not the hips lower towards Child's Pose. arms extended using your inhale to come up look forward, eyes open, opening the front body. XL had lowers hips lower bowing down. One more breath like that. Just moving on. Inhale to hands and knees looking forward. Exhale, bowing the head and the hips releasing down. Good to see it in.

Anna:
Wow. After having sat in the same room with Angela To do this mindfulness, gratitude practice, paying attention to the body. Gratitude is a great word for it because I feel very grateful for her. And I feel grateful to the fact that therapists do not do their work alone. 

And it makes me think about all the supports that we have in the community and my invitation for you. As you continue your gratitude practice and mind body awareness is to think about all the supports that you have at your disposal. So whether that is therapy, individual family group, or perhaps there are other things in your life that you are tempted to call and say that's my therapy. So if it's yoga or reading a good book, or talking to an old friend That's your homework for today, I invite you to think about that as you make space for a gratitude practice. 

And I feel very grateful to have had the chance to participate in Angela's guided meditation. And I also feel grateful for the fact that I can pause this podcast and go back at any time. And sometimes it's just nice to know that those resources are there. And if you let me I'll go ahead and share just a recent example that I experienced of really profound gratitude, which was going to a local nonprofit in Northern California, and leading a workshop on self care and sustainability in the workplace. And what was really cool about this workshop is that I was just a visitor for the day and You know, show them here are my favorite tips and tricks for stress management. And over the course of the day, I heard all the stories and I heard the examples of the stresses and all the things that people face in the workplace. And yet they continue to show up for and do the good work that they do. For me the sensation of, of hearing those stories and being invited into that community was such a pleasure. And it almost felt, you know, the same feeling of on inspiration that I felt the last time I visited Yosemite, and it was such an inspiring, natural event. Just to know that that was there was gratitude inducing for me. 

So, what we know about self care and therapy skills, we know that Some emotions take time and space to grow and foster. So, thank you for letting me share my gratitude for Angela and the work that she does explaining mindfulness and yoga into everyday terms. I invite you to think about who are the supports that you have in your community to help you foster your self care practice. Enjoy your practice and have a great day. For more self care tips and tricks, visit TherapyForRealLife.com