Releasing tension with shaking

I took a yoga workshop over the weekend called "Yoga and TRE."  TRE stands for Tension Release Exercises. It can also be called Trauma Release Exercises.  It was developed by Dr. David Berceli, a bioenergetic therapist.  He worked in Africa with communities, who experience trauma all the time such as war, terrorism, genocide, etc.  It focuses on releasing this tension from the Psoas muscle, which is located very deep in the pelvis, under the abdominal muscles and organs.  It is where our core is located, or our power center.  These exercises have been taught to firefighters, police officers, soldiers, and those who have experienced some form of post-traumatic stress.  We all have experienced some form of trauma/tension in our lives.  Traumas have a way of imprinting the body in some way, and when they're happening in the moment, our minds may not be able to deal with it, so we bury it away in our bodies.  We have physical injuries, as well as emotional/mental injuries.

What I found interesting about this work was the shaking movements that occurred in the body.  After we did some gentle yoga to get out of the mind, we started the exercises.  One in particular was lying down on the floor, with the soles of your feet together, and the knees wide apart (like Reclined Bound Angle pose).  We began with our knees toward the floor, and then after a minute, you move your knees up a quarter-of-an-inch and hold for another minute.  You continue this about 5 times. Each time I moved my knees, my legs and pelvis were shaking so much!  It intensified as I brought my knees closer together.  It felt as if my pelvis was a propeller, and the vibration was so strong, it was going to burst out and away!   I was definitely giggling--as was other people--and a few tears surfaced.  The teacher explained throughout the exercises that some people may shake more than others, but that's okay.  The important thing is to breathe and to try and let go of any judgments.

Afterward, I felt relaxed and sore.  This is expected, but you can have a different experience every time you do it.  She recommended practicing the exercises on your own, which I most definitely will do!

When I went to bed that night, I had this dull, achy feeling in my pelvis.  I could feel my psoas muscles!  But, the feeling was also around the area where I had my surgery.  The teacher shared that this work helps with scar tissue, which I know I still have in this area.  So it's possible that the scar tissue in my lower abdomen was shifting, changing, and responding to the exercises.  She emphasized to pay attention to yourself later on, and even into the next day because things can surface later on.  The achy feeling didn't disrupt my sleep, in fact, I slept very well.  I'm excited to try these exercises again, and will be back to share more about it.

For more information on these workshops, http://traumaprevention.com/.

My teacher, Maria Alfaro, http://www.yogadventure.com/yoga_retreat.html