The minute you meet Becca Odom, an instructor here at Asheville Yoga Center, you immediately recognize her genuine kindness. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Yoga Teacher, her warmhearted nature compliments her ultimate goal of empowering individuals to release stress and trauma through yoga and self-regulation. Combining her backgrounds as a Social Worker and yoga instructor, she works with clients in a number of ways- Private Therapeutic Yoga Sessions, Transformational Counseling, Equine-Assisted Therapy and Yoga for Resiliency and Trauma programs. Through these therapies, she helps clients to regulate stress and emotions effectively.
Becca teaches two classes at Asheville Yoga Center, where she also received her 200 TT certification, Warm (slow) Flow and Gentle Restorative with Live Music. Each is open to all levels, offering variations to increase or decrease the difficulty of poses, depending on your comfort level. Both classes end with a heart opener before Savasana and a body scan/Yoga Nidra, leaving you feeling refreshed and recharged. Either class is well suited for beginners because in each she encourages students to listen to their bodies. If you feel comfortable taking a more strenuous approach to the poses, that option is available. But for those new to yoga, Becca’s classes help to ease you into the self-awareness necessary to create a healthy practice. Her advice to beginners? “The biggest thing to remember while practicing yoga is that you have a choice. The teacher is simply a guide so listen to your Self.”
Warm (slow) Flow is a form of vinyasa yoga, synchronizing the movements of the breath with a dynamic sequence of connected yoga postures, joined together in a flowing way, almost like a dance. The warmth of the room allows the body’s tissues to soften more deeply, with a temperature between 80-89 degrees, a practice ideal for individuals recovering from injuries.
Becca’s Gentle Restorative with Live Music class is one of our $8 classes available. It is a calming, therapeutic practice that soothes the nervous system and releases physical and mental tension. Props such as blankets, blocks, bolsters and straps support the body in gentle stretching sequences, easing the entire body into relaxation and balance. Restorative yoga is perfect for beginners and also serves as a great compliment to the more experienced yogi’s practice. It can help heal the effects of chronic stress and fatigue, support recovery from illness or injury, and aid in navigating anxiety and change.
The live music aspect of Becca’s Restorative class serves to create a more interactive experience between the musicians and students. The live music differs from week to week- from her playing the harmonium to local musicians who charm the class of yogis with beautiful tunes from instruments and/or vocals. Becca describes the live music as something that “enriches the space, deepening the intention of the practice through the vibrations of the music.
“With her business, Soulful Mountain Therapy, she works with clients who suffer from anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other mental health struggles or traumas through yoga and self-regulation. Self-regulation is the ability to direct energy levels as needed through a sequence of grounding, energizing and centering poses. While she is primarily drawn to supporting women with a history of trauma in their journey of recovery, she has a diverse clientele ranging from individuals in their 60’s to pre-teens.
Reclining Bound Angle is Becca’s favorite pose. It seems fitting considering the heart-opening posture serves to ground one’s physical body while at the same time uplifting the spirit, which is precisely what she aims to instill in the participants of both her group classes and one-on-one therapies. Visit youryoga.com/class-schedule/ for Becca’s AYC class times and her website, soulfulmountaintherapy.com, to find self-empowerment, reduce stress and improve body image.
