KURE BEACH – A special yoga series, geared toward helping people dealing with trauma, is being offered at the Kure Beach Community Center in September.
Town resident Carla Ann Drummond, who also teaches reggae flow yoga at the center on a weekly basis, will be leading the six-class series, which will be spread out over three weeks.
“One of the first things I noticed when I moved here is that we didn’t really have a yoga presence in Kure Beach, and we have such a great space in the community center, so I wanted to showcase that as well as bring yoga to the town,” said Drummond, an instructor at Salty Dog Yoga at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. “That’s how I started the reggae flow class.”
Drummond said she also became interested in learning more about yoga for healing, which modifies different aspects of the practice to make it easier for people with any kind of pain or sensitivity; that includes emotional damage resulting from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I was learning a lot through my own research, but I wanted to take it further, so I did a certification with Yoga Warriors International in Fayetteville,” Drummond said. She said she also did additional training with Warriors with Ease, another organization that aims to help military members through yoga and meditation.
There are many things that have to be adjusted from a routine yoga class, Drummond said. That includes which particular poses to do, whether or not you infuse the room with essential oils and other smells, and what kind of music to use, if any.
“Any one of those things could trigger something in someone,” Drummond said. “You just never know, and you have to be aware and sensitive to that.”
Though it will differ from the other classes she has taught in the past, Drummond said she’s looking forward to providing the service to a community that has many veterans and active military members, as well as first responders and law enforcement officers, who may have had tough experiences.
“It seems like we have a large portion of our local population here that could benefit from this,” Drummond said, adding that based on the level of interest, more series could be held in the future. “I think there’s a need for these types of classes.”
Classes will be held from 11 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Wednesdays, from Sept. 12 through Sept. 28. Space will belimited to 10 participants to make sure each person can get the level of attention they require. Preregistration and prepayment of the $55 class fee are required. Anyone interested in registering or seeking information can email Drummond at cshifferdrummond@yahoo.com. Drummond can also be reached via her Facebook page.
