Only the tissues know . . ."
Jean Pierre Barral, DO, RPT
CAROL YAHNER
Licensed Massage Therapist · iRest® Yoga Nidra Instructor
Bodywork and guided meditation in Eugene, Oregon, drawing on more than thirty years of practice — a dialogue between the physical body and the mind.
My work
A practice built on listening
Carol’s professional interests revolve around various forms of embodied, contemplative practice: yoga, meditation, painting and her 30+ years working as a massage therapist. These various influences highlight ways to consider how our physical bodies create a dialogue with our minds and vice versa — via our nerves, arteries, organs, fascia and musculature.
She enjoys the collaborative aspects of teaching and learning in community with others - whether facilitating iRest ® Yoga Nidra group classes or meeting with clients individually. In noticing our innate patterns of movement, breath and physical sensation, we learn to “listen into” our physical bodies and begin to release inner tensions helpful to our own healing capacities. Following these somatic cues, clients often experience a deeper sense of calm, vitality and energetic balance.
Yoga
a steady physical practice
Meditation
sitting with what arises
Painting
thirty years of creative study
Massage Therapy
thirty-plus years in practice
Practices
Two ways in
iRest® Yoga Nidra
"Yoga Nidra is an ancient art and science of conscious rest, a path of restoration and renewal . . . a guided meditation for deep relaxation and inner awakening." — Sagal Urlacher, MEd, E-RYT
Yoga Nidra, also known as “yogic sleep” is a practice intended to provide deep physical, emotional, and mental relaxation. Individuals typically practice laying down in a supported, comfortable position so that the physical body can feel at ease.
Integrative Restoration, or iRest ® Yoga Nidra is a contemporary adaptation of Yoga Nidra. It shares many basic principles and techniques with traditional forms of Yoga Nidra, but differs in various ways. For example, in classical variations of Yoga Nidra, one is told what to see, feel, hear, sense, taste, smell, or think while practicing. In contrast, iRest ® Yoga Nidra provides technique and instruction to help the individual inquire more specifically into their own unique experience of seeing, feeling, hearing, sensing, tasting, smelling and thinking in the moment.
Developed by Richard Miller, PhD, iRest ® Yoga Nidra helps us enter receptive states of deep relaxation and meditation, while remaining alert and aware. Rather than trying to force the mind into silence or push away distractions. iRest ® treats every sensation, thought, and memory as a "messenger" arising within the field of awareness.
Within the 30 minute meditations, the practice teaches us to welcome and embrace all experiences. We begin to witness these messengers as simply coming and going, in an ever-present sense of fluid change. This deep relaxation and inward attunement helps each of us to regulate our nervous systems. Research shows that iRest ® Yoga Nidra effectively reduces PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and chemical dependency; while increasing health, resiliency and well-being.
Bodywork
Carol has been a practicing massage therapist for the past 30+ years and offers her clients a customized session with each office visit. Sessions incorporate her experience with massage, visceral manipulation, acupressure, Reiki and trigger point modalities. The use of heat and essential oils are also offered as part of the therapeutic experience, if the client desires.
Respect for the human body's innate intelligence and its ability to continually adapt and compensate to daily life is reflected in how she approaches each appointment. Client concerns are discussed and assessment and treatment of both muscular and fascial systems are considered. As an iRest ® Yoga Nidra Instructor, Carol can also offer personalized meditations tailored to the individual.
"In manual therapy, every touch is more than a technique — it is a conversation with the body, the mind, and the lived experience of the person before us." — Jean Pierre Barral, DO, RPT
Services
Ways to work together
iRest® 10-Step Protocol — Group Class
Eugene Yoga South Studio — 10-week series
Learn to relax more completely and experience a greater sense of peace through mindful attention toward gentle movement and subtle breathing exercises. Each class includes a 30-minute guided iRest ® Yoga Nidra meditation experience.
Contact Eugene Yoga directly to inquire further about the class and register for the series.
Creative Expression & iRest® — Group Class
Eugene Yoga South Studio — 6-week series
This course combines the somatic experience of iRest ® meditation with creative self-expression. Carol’s painting practice has long been a source of both curiosity and contemplation. Drawing from many years of art studies and practice, she introduces various creative prompts (from short writing reflections to brief drawing/painting exercises) where participants can explore the relationship between their own somatic experiences and creative expression. These practices open space within to foster deeper self-inquiry, appreciation and profound states of inner peace.
Bodywork Sessions
1034 Lawrence Street
1 hour — $110 · 1.5 hours — $145
Text or email with your name and preferred session length. Carol typically replies within 2–3 business days.
Modalities
What each session may include
Swedish Massage
This form of massage primarily uses long strokes, kneading and deep circular movements to help relax and energize a client’s muscular system. Carol also includes trigger point therapy, acupressure, compression and stretching techniques to improve joint movement and range of motion.
Visceral manipulation
Using this manual therapy, tensions in the fascia (connective tissue) can be assessed and treated so that the body’s own inherent movement within and between internal organs and their connective structures can be optimized. Visceral work can enhance range of motion, blood flow and improve breathing.
Reiki
Placing hands lightly on or just above a person, the practitioner directs “universal life force energy” to help facilitate an individual’s own healing response. Reiki is based on the Eastern system of energy pathways (meridians) and centers (chakras) where this life force flows.
iRest® Yoga Nidra
iRest stands for Integrative Restoration. This secular form of Yoga Nidra works with guided, spoken meditations where participants lie down comfortably to experience deep physical relaxation. Meditations are offered either in group or individual sessions and are designed to gently guide the mind and body into a state of calm and relief from everyday stressors.
The body as messenger . . .
Exercises in self-inquiry . . .
Cultivating awareness . . .
Use of breath and movement . . .
Incorporating the use of opposites . . .
Care and connection . . .
Collaborative (co-creative) group sessions . . .
learning to safely co-regulate with others, cultivate awareness about our own lived experiences while also witnessing others doing the same. When connecting with one another in a group setting, we learn to bear witness to others experiences, cultivate compassion while also reflecting on the thoughts, feelings and sensations that arise in us as individuals.
"Listen . . . only the tissues know . . ." — JP Barral
Collaborators
Part of a larger community
Carol works alongside a wider community of women practitioners — bodyworkers, artists and counselors she's taught and collaborated with over the years. This section is reserved for those partnerships and will go live once each collaborator has confirmed inclusion.pending permission
Lakshmi
Yoga Instructor
Jessica
Role
Erin
Role
Astrid
Counselor
Resources
Recommended reading
Books on the body, breath and creative practice
Understanding the Messages of Your Body — Jean Pierre Barral, D.O.
The Art of Aliveness — Flora Bowley
Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao — Mantak Chia
Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep — Kamini Desai, PhD
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma — Peter Levine, PhD
Yoga Nidra: The iRest Meditative Practice — Richard Miller, PhD
The Creative Act: A Way of Being — Rick Rubin
Radiant Rest — Tracee Stanley-Newell
The Joy of Feeling — Iona Marsaa Teeguarden
Making Art a Practice — Cat Bennett
The Artist's Way — Julia Cameron
Anchored — Deb Dana, LCSW
Energy Medicine — Donna Eden
When the Body Says No — Gabor Maté, M.D.
The Joyous Body — Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human — Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.
Conscious Creativity — Philippa Stanton
The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Contact
Get in touch
Location
1034 Lawrence Street, Eugene, Oregon
Text (preferred)
541-505-4035
Response time
Typically within 2–3 business days