Why You Should Consider Turning to Forrest Yoga for a Shift in Your Mindset – A Real Example
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 24
- 7 min read
Written by Ilias Kousis, Transformational Coach
Ilias Kousis is an expert tracker in recognizing untapped potential in his clients and helps them transform in all areas of life. He is utilizing the body as an entry point to unravel dysfunctional patterns, rewire the nervous system, and help his clients create new neurological pathways in order to overcome emotional blockages.
Have you ever wondered why, sometimes, you feel unable to get to the root of your issues and make a long-lasting change? Are you one of those people who quietly accept their chronic pain as part of their new identity because their doctor, physiotherapist, or chiropractor hasn’t provided a solution? Or have you lost faith after having spent years in therapy without experiencing any transformation? You do everything correctly and by the book, and are still stuck? Keep reading to discover how to take action for your healing.
What is Forrest Yoga?
Forrest Yoga is an internationally recognised yoga system that was created by Ana Forrest about 45 years ago. This is an “alive” system in the sense that it’s still constantly being updated by Ana Forrest and, in recent years, her co-creator and husband, Jose Calarco. Forrest Yoga is designed to equip the practitioner with practical tools for physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation. It is built on four pillars, breath, strength, integrity, and spirit. These tools are meant to bring transformation beyond the mat to resolve issues like addictions, depression, lack of sense of purpose, physical injuries, and emotional blockages (i.e., fear).
Why is Forrest Yoga exceptionally effective for healing issues beyond physical ones?
Forrest Yoga is excellent at teaching you how to move beyond the lies, excuses, and fears your mind holds onto to protect you from discomfort and see the truth for what it is. Often, the process starts with a superficial challenge or blockage on the physical level. After deep, conscious tracking, the practitioner begins to strip away the layers of fear and excuses, one by one, until the root of the issue is unveiled.
A real-life example
One day after my class, a regular student of mine approached me with a seemingly superficial question. She asked me, “Why can’t I bend my arms back enough to do wheel pose? Are my arms weak? What do I do?” At that point, I realised that was a pattern. She would repeatedly come after class, ask for tips, get them from me, and then not follow up, resulting in being stuck for about five years. At that moment, it was clear to me that the physical limitation of her upper back being stiff and weak isn’t the root of the problem, but just the tip of the iceberg. In other words, it was the entry point from which I could start to disentangle the problem together with her.
Digging deeper
First, I had to admit to myself that part of the responsibility was mine, as I was avoiding calling out my student on her evasion tactics. I had to recognise that my desire to be liked and avoid making my student feel uncomfortable was blocking me from speaking truthfully. I was depriving her of a trigger that she could use to grow. So I decided to break it to her.
Working hard isn’t always the right answer
The first thing I told her was that although she was working hard and she was consistent with her practice, she was showing up on the mat on autopilot. It felt as if she was trying to show the world she was making a strong effort, but nothing really changed (victim mode). In an attempt to convince me that she isn’t lazy, she mentioned that she is pushing herself hard by going on long hikes with a 20-kg backpack on her shoulders. And I had to explain to her that this is not about pushing hard, but embracing the discomfort instead. She was using the “go hard” card as a distraction from what really needed to be brought to light.
The hidden vulnerability is where the issue lies
I decided to challenge her to join any of my retreats or work with me 1-on-1, making it harder to hide, so she would be forced to delve deeper and truly understand what I meant. That is when the revelation happened. She said, “I don’t feel that I deserve to spend money on myself, because I feel like an egoist.” She elaborated on her story about her elderly mother being abusive and ungrateful, even though my mother was taking care of her very well. The painful wounds and disappointment from her mother’s behaviour are actually what’s sitting in her upper back and prevents her from living her life freely. She goes into victim mode as she doesn’t see any way to defend herself, since she loves her mother so much. But the pain is too much, and she swallows it. It then sits in the body and poisons her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It deprives her of any feelings of joy and freedom.
Embracing vulnerability and confronting the masked pain and fear is the way to heal
When we finally came to the root of the issue, the tears started forming in her eyes. She finally looked within herself unfiltered, without trying to run away from what is truly painful. She allowed herself to feel the pain and hurt, giving them a channel to express. She now knows that she needs to prioritise her own well-being in order to stand up to her mother and claim the respect she deserves. By building self-respect and changing her mindset to value herself, she can become a better version of herself for her family and enjoy life more in every way.
Deep and profound healing is not happening by thinking logically or analytically
My student has now realised that her body has been signalling her and calling for action to address much deeper issues than just inflexible shoulders and an inability to do the Wheel pose. She realised that she can use her body as an entry point and go into deep introspection using the tools of Forrest Yoga (some of them being intelligent sequencing and deep breathing) in order to track down how the fear of not feeling good enough is haunting her life. It is from that layer of feeling herself fully on the mat that she can use a specific set of poses, combined with deep breathing into her upper back area and the back of her heart, to melt her shields down and allow the joyful part of her soul to reemerge.
This is different from meeting up with an expert weekly and weighing the pros and cons of her actions and logically concluding that she needs to change her mindset. People like her need to feel deeply on a soul level what’s going on in order to change their mindset. And this goes beyond the scope of talk. It goes beyond saying to them, “We have now analysed all the ways your actions are harming you, why don’t you just stop acting like this since you know it’s bad for you?” Try saying that to an alcoholic or drug addict or somebody stuck with whatever kind of issue. If it were that simple, none would suffer from those issues today.
How can you increase your chances for transformation?
To ensure a long-term change of mindset, it is important to:
Understand that the change needs to happen on all levels, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The easiest is to use the body to uncover dysfunctional patterns and start excavating from there. Sometimes movements trigger spiritual breakthroughs, whereas other times spiritual breakthroughs serve as a pointer to bring relief and release in your body. It works both ways. There are increasingly more and more scientific articles and books highlighting the mutual connection between physical and emotional health.
Set as a sacred intention to track down the lies your mind is coming up with to protect you from discomfort, pain, and fear. Be willing to confront the pain and fear, look them straight in the eyes, instead of running away and distracting yourself with gadgets or methods that promise salvation. Grit is increasingly being documented by scientists as a contributing factor to improving mental health.
Arm yourself with the courage to embrace and hold space for your vulnerable and wounded parts. Know that calling yourself or a part of yourself “weak” is a red flag that you are being harsh against yourself. Take a deep breath. Accept the vulnerability you are hiding, and when you stop running away from it, that’s when it turns into a strength. The scientific community is beginning to acknowledge the importance of self-compassion for improving mental health.
Stalking fear and increasing neuroplasticity are skills that can be honed
Before telling yourself the lie that the aforementioned guide to change your mindset isn’t for you because you think you are not smart enough to do this work, I challenge you to think again. Pause. Take three deep breaths. Absorb this. Every human being on this planet is blessed to have the skills of tracking and learning new things innately with birth. Some are just more interested in sharpening them than others. So next time you think about going hard on something, go hard on embracing discomfort and awkwardness, and prioritise your thirst for growing and evolving. Don’t be hard on yourself for not feeling good enough.
You don’t have to do this alone
Although some people are good self-trackers, not everybody feels confident enough to figure this out on their own. Some people excel at connecting with their tracking abilities in group settings, whereas others need another type of support. This is when I would recommend working with a mentor who can help them improve their tracking skills. If this article inspired you to take responsibility for changing your mindset and you would like assistance, I’d love to work with you at a group level or 1-on-1. Feel free to learn more about me on my website or contact me directly here.
Read more from Ilias Kousis
Ilias Kousis, Transformational Coach
Ilias Kousis is a leader in the field of stalking fear, emotional, and physical healing and transformation. He grew up in an abusive environment and was clinically obese throughout most of his childhood. Instead of spending his entire life running away from pain and going into victim mode, he took action for his own healing. He turned his old pain, fear, and emotional blockages into wisdom and strength. He decided that committing suicide or living in fear isn't worth it, so he dedicated his life to finding ways to heal and share these tools of transformation with anyone who lives in suffering and wishes to find a way out. His motto. Each adversity hides a gem of truth, be willing to seek it.
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