Episode 77
64 mins
Dr Gail Parker - Restorative Yoga for Race-based Trauma
In this episode we speak to Dr Gail Parker. Gail Parker is a psychologist and a certified yoga therapist. She is a nationally and internationally renowned media personality, educator, author, and thought leader.
Dr. Parker is the author of the upcoming book Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma, and current president of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance (BYTA) Board of Directors. Her broad expertise in behavioural health and wellness includes forty years as a practising psychotherapist. We speak to her about how she weaves together knowledge from these different fields in her book, the parallels between her psychology practice and restorative yoga teaching, and how she appeared on the Oprah show seven times!
Dr. Parker is a lifelong practitioner of yoga and is well known for her pioneering efforts to blend psychology, yoga, and meditation as effective self-care strategies that can enhance emotional balance, and contribute to the overall health and well-being of practitioners.
This episode is sponsored by Yoga Australia:
https://www.yogaaustralia.org.au/
https://www.instagram.com/yogaaustralia/
Links
Gail's Website: https://www.drgailparker.com/
Gail's Book: https://www.drgailparker.com/book
The opinions expressed in this podcast do not reflect the view and opinions of the sponsor.
Highlights
Click on a timecode to play from that time in the recording.
5:51 Gail tells us about her background7:11 How did Gail discover yoga?
11:23 Taking a yoga teacher training.
15:06 Did Gail ever have problems integrating yoga and psychology?
20:00 How Gail integrates yoga and talk therapy
24:19 In what ways does race-based trauma differ from other types of trauma?
29:11 What is neuroception?
31:30 Midroll - a short break
32:31 Feeling safe in your vulnerability
34:43 Does Gail have any strategies to help with people who may feel like they are jumping out of their skin in savasana?
38:33 How self-care takes the onus off of society when it comes to taking care of people.
42:00 Should I be teaching people about race-based stress in my general yoga classes?
44:00 This situation is not unique to the USA
48:36 Rane’s dentist story
49:56 Social exclusion and hostile aversion
51:30 How did Gail get to be on Oprah’s show 7 times?
54:52 Gail talks about her book
58:04 Has it been a personal journey for Gail to value slowing down?
61:03 Is Gail’s husband a yogi as well?
62:22 What is Gail’s one core lesson for the world?
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