Today we’d like to introduce you to Tzipporah Gerson-Miller LCSW C-IAYT.
Tzipporah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I contemplate how I got to where I am today, it’s a difficult endeavor to go back and review all of the steps, twists, pivots, turns, and moments of paralysis. The intention to do the work I do has always lived inside of me. I started dancing at age 3 and always knew throughout my life the profound sense of empowerment, freedom, and connection I felt when I moved my body. Dance gave me my confidence to be seen. Yoga showed me my blind spots.
I started taking yoga when I was 24. I used it initially as a tool for recovery for the aftermath of some mental health challenges I was experiencing at the time. I was quickly drawn to the deeper teachings, as I had always been a spiritual seeker as well as an artist. I also knew I wanted to help people foster a connection to their bodies as a container for safety and inner peace, rather than a place of shame and fear. I earned an MSW in Clinical Social Work from UGA and went on to become a 500-hour yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist.
I have been working with many populations ever since, including hospice, cancer centers, domestic violence shelters, and community mental health. I have always brought my love of yoga and meditation to all of the populations I have served and been fortunate enough to be able to provide groups, classes, and one on one sessions. I’ve been doing that ever since.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been smooth at times and rougher at others. Some of the biggest struggles have been self-doubt and accepting that there are things outside of my control. I resisted for years being put in a box regarding my role as a mental health provider.
Having a creative spirit makes it extremely difficult for me to fit into corporate-style settings. I have always been a truth teller and actively challenged the thought patterns of the status quo. Working in larger organizations has both advantages and disadvantages. Convincing the administration to allow for and pay for integrative yoga and other complementary interventions was more of a challenge in the beginning.
However currently, there is a lot more research that supports the use of yoga and meditation as an evidence-based intervention. I still rub up against agencies that assume yoga therapists and teachers will come in and “volunteer” to teach/lead a class. However, with the initiative of the Southern Yoga Therapy Association, I hope to be able to provide some advocacy and education regarding this matter.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Inner Sky Therapeutics and Southern Yoga Therapy Association story. Tell us more about the business.
In my private practice, I utilize integrative yoga therapy and somatic/body-oriented psychotherapy to work with primarily complex trauma, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. I help men, women, teens, and adolescents reduce self-harming and addictive behaviors so that they can implement sustainable lifestyle changes that support mind/body health and personal transformation.
I started the podcast, “Ancient Tools for Modern Living”, which is a podcast dedicated to promoting mental health in all stages through practical yoga, holistic lifestyle, and spiritual growth. When I started the Southern Yoga Therapy Association, I envisioned a local, grassroots organization dedicated to the advancement of yoga therapy as a respected profession, while offering enriching spaces for continued learning, personal transformation, and peer support for the professionals.
I envisioned a space in which we could all share with one another our knowledge and skills while forging a collective path that strengthened us as a community. What I am most proud of in my work, is that I have been able to successfully provide psychotherapy from a yogic perspective, while seeing the overlap and commonalities in other theoretical orientations.
With my podcast, I am proud of the fact that I actively try and reduce mental health stigma by normalizing the human spectrum of emotional states, emphasizing the transience of suffering, and analyzing the challenges of modern day society.
The Southern Yoga Therapy Association is a unique entity, as it is the only local/regional organization in the country, comprised of yoga professionals that supports and advocates for the advancement of yoga therapy as a respected and recognized field.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in dharma. I believe that we all come into the world with a purpose and it takes time and intention to discover what that is.
It took me several decades to get clear on what my purpose is and I would venture to say that it continues to be an evolving and unfolding process.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.innerskytherapeutics.com www.southernyogatherapy.com
- Phone: 404-913-1496
- Email: Tzipporah@innerskytherapeutics.com . syta@southernyogatherapy.org
- Instagram: @innerskytherapeutics . @southernyogatherapyassociation . @ancienttoolsformodernliving
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongStillness/ . https://www.facebook.com/southernyogatherapyassociation/ . https://www.facebook.com/ancienttoolsformodernliving/
Image Credit:
Jamie Katz Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
