How is Yoga Therapy different from regular Yoga?

Yoga therapy is the intentional application of yoga tools - asana, pranayama, mudra, mantra, meditation and more - to meet the specific needs of an individual. Yoga looks at all 5 Kosas, or bodies to see a person in their wholeness: physical body, energetic body, mental body, wisdom body, and bliss body. Yoga Therapy recognizes how inextricably linked our physical health is with our mental and emotional experience, seeing the body as a “silent communicator of spirit.” The asana, pranayama and practices of yoga therapy focus on the mind, body and spirit simultaneously, developing both mental, physical and energetic awareness. This helps with mind-body integration and improves mindfulness.

A growing body of research confirms yoga therapy's promise to offer relief from the suffering associated with a number of chronic and debilitating conditions.

Yoga Therapy is typically performed in a one on one setting, addressing a client’s unique needs. Group Yoga Therapy classes tend to be small group sessions focusing on a particular injury or disease and can be a beneficial addition to, or follow up to, individualized sessions. 

In an individualized setting, with the yoga therapist holding presence for the practitioner, and offering gentle hands-on assistance, when it feels comfortable,  the benefits of yoga can be enhanced and the practitioner may experience greater relief from symptoms of anxiety or other troubling mental/emotional states.

The role of a Yoga Therapist is not to fix or heal, it is guiding the individual to listen to their own inner wisdom by providing the space and opportunity to surrender to the present moment, to feel their breath, to notice physical sensation and emotional undercurrents, and get closer to Self.