Healing Through Movement with Lisa Scialla
I remember lying on the mat with tears pouring down and thinking, 'I'm healing.'
Lisa Scialla has been teaching Sunday morning Flow at Artemis for 9 years! As many of you know, Lisa is also a Physical Therapist and the Owner of Boston Physical Therapy on West Broadway in South Boston.
Recently, when Artemis Owner Liz Padula broke her arm, she got to experience first-hand the magical work that Lisa does as a physical therapist.
After a PT session, Liz decided to pull out her voice recorder and ask Lisa some questions about how Lisa integrates physical therapy with yoga teaching. Below are some highlights of the conversation.
How did your yoga journey begin?
My yoga journey started during a challenging personal period. A friend invited me to a class, and I unexpectedly found myself healing.
At first, I was using yoga as a complement to other exercise at the gym, I went for the workout. The yoga teacher would always say ‘this is for your healing’ and I remember thinking, ‘what is everybody healing from?’
Then during a hard time in my personal life, I remember lying on the mat with tears pouring down and thinking, ‘I’m healing.’ That was the first day of the rest of my life. Yoga transformed me during a challenging time and helped me to find my inner strength. That moment changed everything.
Initially, I did not ever intend on teaching yoga as it was a personal journey. But then some friends started asking me to teach them and I really enjoyed it. Then I thought the only way to do it is to make it legit, you know, to actually go to some trainings and get a job – now here I am!
How does being a physical therapist and a yoga teacher complement one another?
Teaching yoga helped me find my voice.
My knowledge of anatomy allows me to design yoga classes that prevent injury and support safe movement. I understand where the end range is for a joint and the best way to move from one yoga pose to another without stressing the body too much.
Teaching yoga helped me find my voice to explain what I wanted to in physical therapy that I wasn’t able to easily. That practice of clearly guiding 20 people in a room has been really helpful when telling one person what to do in physical therapy. As a result, I have become a better communicator in both roles – as a therapist and a teacher.
You’ve had some injuries – what do you want students to know?
I share my injuries and challenges in class because I want everyone to know—nobody’s perfect. All bodies are capable. Your body will meet the challenge if you give it time and grace.
I think I used to idolize my yoga teachers as being some sort of perfect form and over time I found teachers that had different shaped bodies and different capabilities.
And while I knew this as a physical therapist, yoga showed me that everybody in the class probably has something that’s hurting and yet they are still there on their mat.
Is there a philosophy that guides your teaching?
Persistent and diligent effort with nonattachment to results.
The Yoga Sutras are all great but this one really sticks with me. I say it all the time in class and I see it in my PT practice too. People are very goal-oriented but if we’re looking at the goal too much, we can lose sight of what we’re doing, which defeats the purpose. This powerful sutra guides both my teaching and physical therapy practice, and is a reminder to stay present and to trust the process.
What is a quick tip if you’ve only got 5 minutes?
You know I love Bird-Dog – table top with one leg and opposite arm extended. It is really a lot of bang for your buck [Editor’s note: Lisa’s been teaching Bird-Dog since her Day 1 Audition]. And just about every class I teach has Malasana Squat. To be able to squat is such a functional skill that we need as we get older – you see this in the studies of longevity in the “blue zones.” If you can’t squat as you age, there’s a lot you can’t do!
Are there any quotes you regularly turn to?
Make a different choice.
This quote is about not getting into a rut of immediately thinking, ‘I can’t do this pose’ or ‘I’m not good at that’ but rather you can make a different choice in your head, and you’re suddenly changing the trajectory of the brain and you get out of that rut. It pours into everything in life. This quote is also about the journey, we never arrive. If you think you have, then it’s all over. So, make a different choice and it can transform your life.
Anything else to share with us?
It’s a journey and I’m happy to be on it.
You can find me teaching on Sundays at 9:30am at Artemis Yoga or at my 5-year business, Boston Physical Therapy on West Broadway in South Boston. Liz, you know what it’s like owning a business, and mine is only 5 years old so getting it up and going plus teaching yoga keeps me pretty busy. I am also the proud mom to 3 young adults who are launching into the world.
My goal for the next year is to have some more free, unstructured time to walk the dog, read a book or sit next to a river. As I said, it’s a journey and I’m happy to be on it.
