What is Phoenix Rising yoga therapy?

Phoenix Rising is an inspirational form of bodymind therapy in which you are encouraged to explore your own internal landscape and experience how your inner life manifests in and through your body. The practitioner does not interpret or advise but acts as a compassionate witness, creating a space in which you are able to access your own innate wisdom. You don’t need to be fit or flexible to receive this work, or to have any experience of yoga. However, if you do already have a yoga practice, Phoenix Rising is a great way to work more deeply into postures and explore your physical and emotional edge.



Where does it come from?

Phoenix Rising was created in the early 1980s by Michael Lee, an Australian then living at Kripalu yoga ashram in Massachusetts, USA. Through working on himself and assisting others to move more deeply into their own yoga practice, Michael came to realise that profound emotional and physical release could be facilitated by the supportive presence of a partner. From this experience, he began to evolve Phoenix Rising yoga therapy. The first training programme for practitioners took place in 1987, and today the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Center, now based in Vermont, trains about 60 new practitioners every year, from the US and from countries around the world.



What happens in a session?

Phoenix Rising sessions are one-to-one and last about 90 minutes. Having a session is more like receiving bodywork and a therapy session at the same time than attending a yoga class. The practitioner moves your body into supported yoga postures and uses simple dialogue techniques (derived from person-centred therapy) to enable you to let go of physical and emotional tensions, release energetic blocks, and experience a deeper sense of connection and awareness. In Phoenix Rising, the practitioner acts as a guide, but you are in charge of what happens. You won’t be asked to enter into any dialogue or posture that doesn’t feel right for you.



What is it useful for?

Phoenix Rising can be helpful in working with a wide range of psychological and emotional issues. Some of the experiences clients have brought to the mat include sexual and other abuse, trauma, eating disorders, addiction, questions of sexual identity, depression, grief, life crises and making transitions. Other people don’t have any particular ‘problem’ but use Phoenix Rising as a tool of general self-growth and awareness. While Phoenix Rising may help in the healing of injuries and illnesses, the main intention of this work is to enable you to enter deeply into your own feelings and experiences, so if your aim is simply to find functional solutions to injury or illness, you will probably find a more biomechanical or medical model of work more appropriate.



When, where and what does it cost?

Sessions are available as follows:

Place: Woolwich, London SE18.
Times: Sunday, Monday, 1–9pm. (Other days and times are sometimes available – please contact to enquire.)
Transport: Woolwich Arsenal DLR / mainline.
Cost: £60 first session, £50 thereafter if you book a block of sessions. Concessionary rate sessions are available by arrangement for those who cannot afford the full fee.
Booking: please contact. Advance booking essential.



Phoenix Rising by Skype

If you live too far away to travel for a session, I also offer Phoenix Rising by Skype. The sessions are a little different from in-person work, mainly because there is no touch or physical assisting; however, they are nonetheless very effective. You just need a computer with a webcam, and a Skype account (which is free). The times and costs are as above. Please contact me to arrange a session.



What clients say about Phoenix Rising

“I felt that Jess built up a very supportive and calm environment which gave me faith and bravery to face emotions and give them space, which I normally would not do. I am very thankful for it. The whole-body focus felt important to me as we experience everything we deal with with the whole body, and other therapies I have experienced have mainly focused on the mental part, which for me does not feel appropriate. I felt that Jess had a very good understanding of the whole body and that gave me faith to open up, not only to her but also towards myself.”—Anna

“My Phoenix Rising session was relaxing and revealing, allowing me to release and resolve knots that were in my mind, heart and body. Jess was reassuringly ever present through this process and maintained genuine professional grace.”—Shawn



FAQS ABOUT PHOENIX RISING

• Can I do Phoenix Rising in a class?

Phoenix Rising sessions are one-to-one. This is a therapy in which you are supported in exploring information and emotions held in your body, rather than a lesson in which you are taught how to do yoga postures. However, I do sometimes offer group workshops in which you can learn more about this work and find out what it feels like to give and receive Phoenix Rising assists. Contact me if you’d like to be informed about the next workshop.

• Do I need to have done yoga before to receive a session?

Yoga experience is not necessary. However, if you do have a yoga practice, it may be enriched and deepened by Phoenix Rising sessions.

• Do I need to be fit to receive a session?

Phoenix Rising sessions are tailored to individual needs and is suitable for those whose fitness is currently limited as well as those who are fit.

• Can I receive Phoenix Rising if I have injuries, disabilities or health problems?

Most physical conditions can be worked with. However, please mention any health issues when you contact me, so that I can make sure Phoenix Rising is right for you. If you go on to book a session, we will discuss your health and other needs in more detail before we begin work.

• Can I receive Phoenix Rising if I suffer from mental illness?

Phoenix Rising is beneficial for most people with mental health problems. However, there are a few types of mental illness that may not be helped by this form of work. If you have a mental health issue and would like to book a session, please contact me to talk things through first.

• I have an injury – can Phoenix Rising help?

Phoenix Rising is about working with all of you, including your mind and emotions as well as your body, so if you are simply looking to make an injury better in the functional sense, physiotherapy, osteopathy or a more structurally oriented modality of yoga therapy is probably more suitable for you. Having said that, all injuries are more than just the sum of their mechanical components, so Phoenix Rising sessions do sometimes help to resolve injuries. However, the ethos of this work is the exploration and healing of the whole person.

• Part of my body is very tight, and I think it's due to blocked energy – can Phoenix Rising help?

Phoenix Rising can be helpful in exploring physical limitations from an energetic point of view.

• I’m interested in becoming a Phoenix Rising practitioner. How do I go about it?

Professional training takes place at the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Center in Vermont, USA. The training is partly residential and partly by distance learning. It is not currently possible to train professionally in the UK.