I am applying Nature elements to help ground and provide sensory mindfulness as distraction for a client with Vertigo. In her life, nature is healing for her.

The goal is to help the client find new pathways in the brain to “ground” the patient (vertigo is considered a Vata condition). In addition, our goal is to provide positive, pleasant sensory experiences to distract from vertigo symptoms and add positive experiences to help her gain better balance in her health.

59-year-old female, teacher of yoga with sudden onset vertigo 9/22/23. Otherwise healthy and active before bending over to pick something off the floor. She had symptoms of chills fever and typical nausea. Loss of hearing initially, has returned. Balance is unresolved. She was doing well then relapsed a few weeks ago, too many activities and stimulation setting her back. Fatigue and sleep are issues as well.

Client agrees to: diet changes towards a healthy “brain” diet, using sensory mindfulness with nature to help focus attention( touching tree bark for a few minutes with eyes closed or feeling plants), using slow walking meditation with precise attention to the weight transferring in the feet, mindful eating as well as teeth brushing, extended exhale using pleasant scents. Overall increasing daily mindfulness activities and experiencing focus on nature. Another activity is to use cross body activity to encourage cross brain activity. For this client I suggest lying on the back knees bent feet on floor. The activity is to inhale while bringing the left knee to the chest and the right arm overhead, with the exhale lower to floor and opposite arm and leg on next inhale repeating eight or more times. The focus is on the breath and movement together. Rest and do your best to sleep well.

In this aspect of her plan we are using internal work. She will use Hatha practices as she is able, my suggestions relate more to her internal self-study svadyaya and dharana.

I spoke with client and asked questions to clarify her abilities, current condition, and her interest in treatment ideas. We landed on using various dharana -mindfulness techniques to be used through her day. The reasoning based on her feeling ungrounded (natural consequence of vertigo) and her feedback that focus on other things can help the vertigo. We reviewed dietary ideas, discussed slow walking meditation with focus on feet pressures as she moves through her gait, using touch with eyes closed to explore tree bark or a plant, pranayama with extended exhale, using aromatherapy scent that is pleasant to her, and added mindful eating and teeth brushing. Each of these covers different places and opportunities during a day so that if she misses one, she is likely to do 2 or 3 others. Providing choices is providing opportunities to practice.

Continue to explore different ways to connect focus and nature. Encouragement for the client to find ways to connect to her body in a way that leads her to feel more stable and grounded. As people practice and develop their sense of feeling more stable may lead them toward some practices and away from others. Allowing the ability to choose what works and what doesn’t is a part of this particular practice.

The plan was given, and choices explored. The client will have to experience the practices on her own to decide which are beneficial and which may not be. Leaning into the ones she finds beneficial will hopefully lead her to create more choices the minimize the vertigo and bring her a greater sense of stability.

No, she can adapt as she practices herself. As with most people with vertigo, the practices should be slow and steady. This client has had multiple instances where doing too much led to a return of symptoms. I really emphasized the idea of steady repetitive movement, moving alternate sides of the body to reinforce cross body patterns in the brain, that is simple and avoids putting the head in an inferior position to the heart. I also emphasized sitting and lying postures like marching, moving opposite arm and leg- lying on the back or sitting in a chair, advancing to leaning back on a counter to hold body in place while she marches gently.

Yes, gentle and slow, simple movements. With different clients’ I would take their habits desires, and joys, to use as different areas of focus for the mindfulness and healing practices. These practices were meant for her sensibilities.
The use a natural elements and Ayurveda come from Ayurveda: Nature’s Medicine by Dr. D Frawley and Dr. S Ranade. The assessment comes from my experience as well as Yoga Therapy: Foundations, tools and practice by D. Finlayson and L.C. Hyland Robertson. The healing aspects come from my own experiences as well as our Manual for Healing Relations.