Shaking Medicine and Yoga

Shaking, rocking, vibration, oscillating and undulating are natural human reactions to stress, trauma and ecstatic states.

These rhythmic, shaking movements, have been present in all cultures and understood to be expressions of deep healing states. Used in healing modalities such as osteopathy, massage, shiatsu and qi gong for hundreds of years. These small back-and-forth movements help to release areas of tension in the connective tissue network.

Shamanic, indigenous and religious traditions have used shaking and vibration as a gateway into altered trance states of consciousness to raise  energy vibrations healing the body, mind, spirit. They believe that “the shake” is an expression of the life force also known as prana, chi or ki.

The healing cycle includes both arousal and quietude. Heightened arousal in the form of ecstatic dance or bodily shaking  may be a missing and valuable transformative practice, along with quiet sitting and resting poses. A complete healing practice combines both active states and stillness.

The Quakers, also known as the Shakers, were a Christian community they believed in connecting with the Holy Spirit through movements like shaking, bouncing and trembling.

Humans inherently use oscillation as a tool to calm their nervous system and restore balance, for example a crying baby can be gently rocked to sleep.

Trauma is an overwhelming experience which by passes the conscious mind, tremors or shaking are nature’s way of releasing this pent-up energy. Mammals shake after a traumatic experience.

Shaking in humans has been discouraged. We have been taught to never appear to be out of control. Dr. David Bercoli has taught the tremoring response to over half a million people all over the world, specifically helping people deal with post traumatic stress syndrome. His focused work with the U.S. Army is spreading into the mainstream.

The Percussor is a hand held instrument that distributes waves of percussive impulses  deep into tissues of the body. It can be used to decrease muscle tension and loosen fixed areas. It also increases circulation and lymphatic drainage.

Bouncing and rebounding stimulate lymphatic drainage while creating waves of motion through the body which is 70 per cent water. These waves are also known as undulations.

In this workshop, you will learn simple techniques to integrate this ancient healing modality into your yoga practice and classes.