National Yoga Month: "Yoga Saved My Life" Says War Survivor, Author Sahar Paz

DALLAS, Sept. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Though she survived the bombings of revolutionary Iran, Sahar Paz battled a war-of-words within from a series of childhood traumas. Bombs, sexual abuse, and abandonment, resulted in PTSD, depression and addiction - and finally three suicide attempts. Hospital stays and Cognitive Behavior Therapy helped; but it wasn't until she found yoga that her downward spiral finally ended.

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"I still have negative thoughts and can start spiraling downward, but now, I not only recognize it, I can detach and physically move it out of my body with yoga," said Sahar.

In recognition of National Yoga month, and to share the healing that continues in her own life, Sahar is offering a free online yoga and meditation practice at www.saharpaz.com.

Through yoga, Sahar has found the inner voice of validation, permission, acceptance, and love. "Your inner voice is the greatest source of validation. I want you to tap into that," she says.

As an author, speaker and life coach, Sahar is on a mission to help free women from the mental slavery that holds them back, regardless of their background. "You don't have to suffer through a war to experience a war-of-words within," she added.

With her poignant personal stories as a backdrop, Sahar's first book, "Find Your Voice. The Life You Crave is a Conversation Away" details her journey from tragedy to triumph. Part memoir, part reflective guide, it offers readers tools, based in cognitive behavior therapy, to embrace their authentic voice and step into their personal power. She ends each chapter with a yoga practice readers can access online at www.saharpaz.com.

Your Brain on Yoga: How Yoga Heals Trauma

While many are familiar with some of the benefits of yoga, the real physiological benefits that affect the body and the brain may not be common knowledge. Understanding the body's physical and even cellular response to yoga helps explain how this ancient practice can benefit those who suffer from trauma, depression, and post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD).

Ayurvedic Specialist and Founder of the Houston Yoga & Ayurvedic Wellness Center, Sharon Kapp, explains how yoga affects our physiology. "The more we practice yoga asana, the more we free ourselves from the slavery of the mind," said Kapp.

"Physically it affects our sympathetic and para-sympathetic function in the physical body. One is able to physically bring about chemical changes by altering the breathing pattern and the brainwaves as a result of correct yoga practice."

According to Dr. Peter J. Rappa, Medical Director of Methodist Rehabilitation Hospital in Dallas and author of "Healing Heart to Soul", practicing in a group setting, such as a yoga class, stimulates the production of oxytocin, the love and bonding hormone.

"Practicing mindfulness through yoga and meditation results in higher serotonin levels - the happiness hormone, " Dr.Rappa said . "Also, as you harness awareness to breath, you stimulate the lymphatic system and cleanse cellular memory."

So, because we hold emotional stimuli in the cells, the effects of trauma can continue for years - like Sahar's did - until the cellular memory is 'cleansed'.

"When Saharembraced the principles of mindfulness and yoga, it changed her physical body from the inside out," added Kapp. "Chemical changes, now creating good endorphins, fed her spirit, opened her mind and strengthened the body to bring out her story with courage and grace."

Sahar will discuss her book, "Find Your Voice" at two Dallas area Barnes & Noble locations this Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, September 5, at 2 p.m., she'll be at the Preston Royal Barnes & Noble at 5959 Royal Lane, Dallas and at 5 p.m. she'll speak at the Plano Creekwalk Barnes & Noble, 801 W. 15th, Plano, TX.

More information about the physical benefits of yoga is available from the National Yoga Health Foundation.

SOURCE Sahar Paz

Related Links

http://www.saharpaz.com