THE KAIUT YOGA METHOD

A practitioner’s guide to a yoga alternative focused on the nervous system.

Kaiut, strategic director of the Kaiut Yoga Institute, approaches holistic wellness with the Kaiut yoga method, which works specifically at the “intersection of movement, neuroscience, and longevity” and, most importantly, how the nervous system affects pain and overall health. The author begins, unsurprisingly, with the origins of yoga: The agricultural revolution lowered diversity of movement due to specialized labor. Believing that mobility is the backbone of health, Kaiut explains how “Kaiut Yoga restores the office worker.” Organized into three parts, this guide covers the core principles behind the Kaiut method. Part I discusses the key indicators of physical health: strength, flexibility, and balance. Debunking common notions of these aspects of health, the book preaches diversity in movement, not performance. Most compelling is the author’s view of pain, or “blockages”: Not only is pain systemic, relating to the whole body through the nervous system, but the key to healing pain is training the nervous system to feel safe again across diverse movements. Part II discusses joints, where the center of the body’s adaptability lives. The author claims that students with joint pain or stiffness not only find relief from the Kaiut method, but also experience “improved focus, calmer thinking, deeper sleep, and renewed energy,” which are all signs that the nervous system is well regulated. Part III interrogates traditional yoga practices that reward perfection and performance, whereas in Kaiut yoga, “If you stayed in a pose long enough to feel something new, or found a way to feel the edges of what scares you, this is success.” In addition to the author’s impressive bibliography and helpful poses in the appendices, the text includes “From the Mat” stories, where real Kaiut students candidly share their positive experiences with the method.

An approachable and intriguing yoga method for those seeking an alternative route to wellness.