What is Yoga Therapy?

Yoga therapy sessions are conducted one-on-one and are directed by your intentions and goals. The yoga therapist draws on all aspects of yoga, as appropriate, to contribute to your mental and physical healing and the maintenance of your overall wellness. You are given an individual yoga therapy plan to take home and apply to your daily life. These plans usually involve recommended postures, mental exercises, breathing skills, and visualization and relaxation techniques. When we are dedicated to changing our experiences, yoga is truly a healing path.

Who Attends Yoga Therapy?

Yoga Therapy is a personalized experience, where you bring your own healing intentions to a practice designed just for you.

Could Yoga Therapy Help Me?

Yes. Yoga therapy is an appropriate tool for dealing with:

  • Stress Management

  • Anxiety/Panic

  • Phobic reactions

  • Body image issues

  • Chronic Pain

  • Abuse

  • Trauma/Post-traumatic stress

  • Sleep disruptions

  • Spiritual crisis

  • Lack of focus and/or direction

  • Lack of effective coping skills

  • Depression

  • Addiction

  • Balance

  • Physical health problems (disease, nervous system, muscular/skeletal, organ/glandular, and more)

  • Asthma and Other Respiratory Ailments

  • Heart Disease

  • Cancer Quality of Life

  • Digestive Disorders

  • Depression and Anxiety

  • ADD and ADHD

  • Insomnia and Sleep Issues

  • Addiction and Recovery

  • Pain Management and Injury Recovery

  • Healthy Weight Management

  • Eating and Body Image Disorders

  • Women’s Health Issues

  • Energy Imbalances

  • Grief and Loss

  • Healthy Aging

  • Healthy Relationships

  • Healthy Parenting and Family Life

  • Work-Life Balance

 

 
 

How Does It Work?

Yoga Therapy addresses the whole person. It takes personal history, into account.

What to Expect?

The initial sessions will be information gathering and intention setting to build rapport and have a direction for growth.Communication with clients around their current medical treatment and health practitioner network will be established early on to inform the Yoga Therapist and guide them towards making connections with this network.It is important to know that the approach is custom-fit to the client. Typically three to six sessions constitute the beginning program; with sessions scheduled at one to two week intervals at the onset and then tailored to individual needs and scheduling considerations.

Stress Management

Yoga Therapy defines stress as an adverse reaction to a real situation. Stress has been proven to be a common contributor to a variety of modern disease conditions.

Yoga Therapy offers a variety of tools to address clients’ unique pain points, and your Yoga Therapist will create personalized practice plans to meet your individual needs.

  • Deep Breathing

  • Yoga Postures

  • Exercise Routines

  • Relaxation

  • Meditation

  • Mindful Eating

  • Pain Management

  • Lifestyle Coaching

  • Emotional Regulation

  • Healthy Relationships

So what’s the difference between physical therapy and yoga therapy?

As movement experts, physical therapists focus on optimizing the body’s functioning, and their education includes training in evaluating and treating pain and movement disorders. These treatments may include neuromuscular re-education, therapeutic exercises, gait training, education, modalities such as laser and electrical stimulation, and more. In fact, a physical therapist may even recommend yoga therapy. The goal of a physical therapist is to identify the cause of pain or dysfunction and to specifically treat that dysfunction.

Yoga therapists can be considered lifestyle management experts. Their training focuses on the therapeutic applications of yoga and includes philosophy, postures (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation, mantra chanting, and lifestyle modification according to principles of yoga and ayurveda. The goal of a yoga therapist is not to treat a specific pain or illness, but rather to support improved physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being; although yoga therapists aren’t focused on “fixing,” the tools they offer clients typically facilitate healing and often result in resolution of pain or disease. Yoga therapists assess clients from a holistic perspective—physically, energetically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. They recommend individualized practices to promote well-being, complement other medical interventions, and empower clients.