• Check in, centering, balanced hatha yoga set considering contraindications, relaxation (with imagery as appropriate),
• Balanced pranayama considering contraindications, meditation/centering.
• Include at least one suggestion from Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client.

I had to shift my initial plan a bit after intake when I realized that the client felt unable to identify emotions and then very quickly started to feel what she described as “big emotions.” She initially seemed to want to focus on her recent protest-related trauma, but it turned out that her spiritual needs were much larger than that one incident, as I expected. I adjusted in session four when she felt like her grief was present and wanted some help to process what she was feeling.

The client has received spiritual support, but it’s unclear if overall health has improved. She indicated that she wanted to adopt a healthier lifestyle and she is doing some of that, but at the same time is reluctant to build consistency to her life. I asked her in session four to think about any adjustments that she might want to make to her goals and to let me know before our final session.

The client has improved her self-awareness of her physical body, practicing her yoga poses with more awareness about the joints and ensuring that she’s not hyperextended in poses.

The client seems more energetically disrupted because she’s vocalizing emotions more, but her breath is deeper and she’s able to relax quicker.

The client reports that she has more awareness of her emotions and is able to name them, but balance is needed so that she doesn’t become hyper vigilant or more anxious by the awareness.

The client has a lot of room for reduction of self-criticism, but is aware now that the self-doubt/negative self-thinking is harmful and part of self-delusion/ignorance. She is already starting to see this as a necessary adjustment that she needs to make and recognizes how she feels criticism from others reinforces her deluded view of self.

The client has created a meditation altar and has a meditation practice, but needs to practice consistently.

The client has reported that she is feeling a better sense of self-understanding and feels good about not allowing herself to be triggered in recent incidents that may have previously been.

Build a daily meditation practice (continue, but with real effort to practice this daily at the same time each day): I recommend chanting OM as we did together for three slow rounds with drawn out "oh" and "mm" sounds before meditating. You should sit for meditation for one minute, ideally soon after you wake up in the morning. Repeat your comforting mantra/word. If the mind wanders, return to that word. 

I would have scheduled more frequent sessions with the client, perhaps meeting twice a week to start because of the state she was in when she first came to yoga therapy.

I’d like to find a way to ensure that I’m supporting the discussion around “big emotions” properly.

Yes.