Services
Yoga Therapy
What is Yoga Therapy?
Yoga therapy is when yoga techniques such as movement, postures,
breathwork, and meditation or visualization are used intentionally to
promote physical or spiritual healing. Yoga therapy aims to address the
physical, mental, and emotional needs of an individual through using a
combination of yoga practices. Through attention to proper alignment, weaker parts of the body will be strengthened and stiff areas of the body can release, thus awakening and realigning the whole body.
We can think of yoga therapy the same way we might think of other
healing systems such as Chinese medicine. We have a system that helps us
identify various imbalances in a person and then we offer techniques to
bring those aspects into balance. A Yoga Therapist uses various
techniques to help a person find balance and healing such as movement
(asana), breath work (pranayama), chanting, philosophy or point of view,
and meditation to name a few.
Yoga Therapist
What Makes a Yoga Therapist Different from a Yoga Teacher?
A yoga teacher is trained to guide students through classes and
sequences to better their health and wellbeing in a general way. A yoga
class will stretch a person’s muscles, ease everyday aches, and help
boost their mood.
Yoga therapy, on the other hand, is much more specialized. A Yoga
Therapist has been trained to work with the system of yoga to treat
specific conditions. The therapist will incorporate different yoga
techniques to form a treatment unique to the individual depending on
their condition and desires.
What Happens at a Yoga Therapy Session?
Yoga therapy sessions are done in a private setting. Typically, a Yoga
Therapist will do a thorough intake to get to know you and your
concerns. Depending on the nature of your issue there may be a physical
evaluation as well to determine the best course of action for treatment.
Once the Yoga Therapist has decided on a course of action, they will
begin the process of teaching you practices to help with your condition.
The relationship between a Yoga Therapist and their client is an
important one. Usually, you will be given practices or exercises to work
on outside of the session and will have follow up appointments to make
sure things are improving for you.
This could be practicing a certain pose at home to relieve stress and
muscle tension, breathing exercises to calm the mind, or combination of
other yoga practices to promote healing.
Yoga Therapy Benefits
What Can Yoga Therapy Treat?
Yoga therapy is useful for many different areas, ranging from physical
pain to mental health conditions. It can be used as treatment method for
a plethora of conditions, including (but not limited to):
| Physical Conditions Back pain Shoulder injuries Diabetes High blood pressure Asthma COPD Heart Disease Obesity |
Mental Health Conditions Anxiety disorders PTSD Insomnia Depression Addiction ADHD Eating Disorders Postpartum depression |
Yoga therapy can act as a useful adjunct to the western medical model or as a stand-alone therapy depending on the condition and/or the skill and experience of the Yoga Therapist. The biggest difference between a yoga class and a yoga therapy session is that yoga therapy is tailored to suit each individual’s needs.