Cara Davis- LifeStyle Co-Creator

My name is Cara Davis and I have been practicing yoga and meditation for over 25 years now, teaching over 15.

As a teacher, it has been my role to notice what brings the body balance so the movement occurs freely from beginning to end. Any movement can be full of grace and ease or rigid and uncomfortable, integrated through awareness or apprehension.

There are so many moments between where the body can balance itself with the empty space and surfaces that surround it. By identifying and linking each balanced moment together, forming a path for the movement to express itself, each individual instance is witnessed and acknowledged as a uniquely beautiful piece to the puzzle that is experience. The path or bridge differs each day, depending on how the form (or body), is being affected by the environment (physical or emotional). Each movement and experience teaches us about resistance.

My teaching style, the nutritional support offered, as well as the images I capture or create, illuminates and examines my relationship with the ever changing environment, acknowledging the movement inherent in an instant. Each of us is so very different, not only as compared to other individuals, but ourselves different from day to day.

When I began this journey over twenty years ago, fitness of the physical body was most definitely my emphasis. In that body I was perfectly able to do anything they threw at me, as rigid as it may have been. After being on bed rest for 4 months and gaining over 100lbs with my twins, the body that came back to yoga with was entirely foreign (and I was living in it). Not only that, but I now had two lives depending on me and I couldn’t even sit on the floor or breathe without pain.

I found myself looking deeper, seeking compassion for myself and learning to honor all that I had been through, all parts physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Of course I found entirely knew ways to resist but have come to understand that that is my role: to illuminate and examine resistance. Whether it’s my own or in sharing the experience of another’s unfolding, I have learned that it is the resistance that causes friction and that tension (whether it’s mental or physical) is what causes pain and ceases movement. Things really only hold the value we assign them and the sooner we can identify the resistance, the sooner healing can occur.

I am never amazed at the delight I witness when one realizes they can do more than they ever thought they could (myself included), requiring we rethink what’s possible. I’m a big believer in suspending disbelief and all that I offer here today and forever, is whatever you make it. (Yes, you really are that powerful!) Feeling blessed to be surrounded by amazing individuals learning what we can about ourselves and each other, letting light seep through the cracks, this dedication to embrace every moment of the journey adds to the depth of our experience. I look forward to witnessing and celebrating the beauty of your becoming.

Every offering is part of my personal “recipe for life” puzzle book and I also acknowledge each of us requires our own unique recipe book. For me, all parts have been integral. Take what YOU need and let the rest be.

The yoga.

The breathing.

The meditation.

The water. (And no, not all water is the same)

The food. Whether we ingest it, absorb it, or create it. I am asking again that we pay more attention.

Thank you for daring to dance beside me, you truly are amazing! I am grateful to be part of your journey. In-Joy. ~Cara~

EXPERIENCE

American Institute of Vedic Studies – Ayurvedic Healing Course, (life long study). Topics include Ayurvedic anatomy and physiology, constitution for body and mind, fundamentals of diagnosis, nutrition, herbs, aromas, sensory therapies, Yoga, and spiritual methods.

Santa Barbara Graduate Institute – PhD program in Somatic Psychology (2yrs). Some of the topics include-Touch in Psychotherapy, Trauma and the Body, Life-Span Development, Body, Breath and Consciousness, Counseling Strategies, Body-Mind Psychotherapy, Neuroscience of Relationships and over a dozen additional modalities.

White Lotus Foundation – Certified Thai Yoga Therapy. An ancient and sacred system of healing with roots in Yoga, Ayurvedic Medicine and Buddhist spiritual practice. It is a unique and powerful system of Yoga Therapy, which combines rhythmic massage, acu-pressure, asanas (Yogic stretching exercises), gentle twisting, energy work and meditation. Thai Yoga Therapy stimulates and balances the flow of healing energy within the body, opening the areas which are blocked bringing the person deeper into balance and harmony for health, happiness and wellness of being. This system creates a powerful release of stress and tension, an increase in vitality and well-being and it deepens the connection between mind, body and spirit in both the giver and receiver.

Association for Integrative Psychology – Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming 2013. Some of the topics include -Building Rapport, Language and Communication, Sensory Acuity, Strategies of Human Behavior, Internal Representational Systems (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Eye Patterns), Anchoring and Reframing.

Hands on Healing Institute –Certified Massage Therapist. 2006. Primarily Swedish massage. Training’s focus was on the power of touch, how massage affects mind, body and spirit, helps to facilitate the body’s healing process, and the indications and contraindications for massage. (150 hours ) Additional topics included Trigger Point Therapy, Energy Awareness, Structural Bodywork, Chair Massage and Anatomy/Physiology. Additional training in Aromatherapy , 2006. The practice of skillfully integrating essential oils in a wide variety of application methods and treatment forms to prevent illness, and to enhance and maintain physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Aromatherapy, as with all holistic therapies, seeks to strengthen the body’s own innate, self-healing ability.

Yoga Ed.TM– Certified Teacher Training, 2005. Qualified to teach to children grades K-8 and Tools for Teachers to classroom teachers.

K-8 Yoga Ed. is an educational program that combines a science-based exploration of the body, mind and self with the exercise system of yoga to support and enhance learning, health and personal responsibility. Yoga Ed. serves to help children be learning ready, physically fit, aware of self and others and confident. In the following 36-week program, the practice of yoga (defined here as a methodology for integrating movement and breath to strengthen, align and balance the body, focus the mind and soothe and recharge the nervous system) is informed by a study of the body’s systems, the mind-body interface and the impact and consequences of one’s behavior choices. Students learn how to move gracefully, breathe smoothly and deeply and sustain their focus and concentration, developing strength, flexibility, balance, mental clarity and emotional stability. Yoga Ed. presents this program as an effective and measurable methodology to achieve lifetime physical and mental health.

Tools for Teachers– Yoga based techniques such as conscious breathing, basic yoga poses, and simple movement games and visualizations. All activities are designed for the classroom, require no extra equipment or space and take only 5 – 15 minutes to produce positive results. According to the classroom teachers that use these tools, the time spent on yoga is well worth it! They not only help teachers and their students feel energized about the work at hand, they make class time fun, easier and more enjoyable. Fundamental yoga techniques such as conscious breathing, basic yoga poses, kinesthetic play and visualization techniques improve and enhance learning, behavior, harmony and balance. These yoga-based tools are simple and effective, producing both immediate and long-term results.

Yoga Experience–Certified Yoga Instructor, 2003.

Teaching experience – Glendale Memorial Hospital, Crescenta~Canada YMCA, Descanso Gardens, Occidental College, Inspire Dance Studio, Glendale Yoga, Unity Church, Unitarian Church, Shakespeare Club Pasadena, Dance House, Yoga 4 Every Day Living, Roger Barclay Community Center, La Canada Country Club, Monte Vista Elementary, The Laurence School, El Cerritos Elementary, and extensive Private Instruction.