What Is Yoga Therapy & How Can It Help You?

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel pulled in every direction - mind racing, body tense, energy scattered. Yoga therapy invites us to pause, breathe, and remember: healing begins within.

Yoga therapy is the professional application of the principles and practices of yoga - along with other holistic tools - to promote optimum health and well-being. Through personalized assessment, goal setting, and lifestyle support, yoga therapy offers a therapeutic path back to balance.

At its heart, Yoga Therapy is the art of remembering that we already hold the medicine we need inside. My role is to help guide you back to that place of quiet inner knowing - your body holds incredible wisdom - we have only to slow down enough to listen in order to heal.

General Framework

The essential essence, the core of Yoga is beyond the various shapes we organize the body into. It is an ancient and sacred time-honored system of self-investigation, self-transformation, and self-realization.  

"Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self" ~ the Bhagavad Gita.

Yoga therapy builds upon this foundation through a therapeutic lens - tailoring the practices of yoga and other holistic healing modalities to support the unique needs of each individual in body, mind, and spirit. Each practice is personalized to meet you where you are. We begin with a consultation and through intake process and move forward from there - co-creating a plan together that feels right. Between sessions, you may also receive helpful "hOMework" - simple practices to integrate into your daily life so that you become an active participant in your own healing journey.

Yoga therapy sees every human being as a multidimensional system - body, breath, mind, emotions and spirit - each interconnected and influencing one another. Through intelligent, specifically curated practice, we can bring these dimensions into harmony, supporting overall health and vitality.

Why People Seek Yoga Therapy

• Relief from back, neck, or joint pain

• Support with anxiety, depression, or emotional overwhelm

• Recovery from illness, surgery, or injury

• Better sleep, digestion, and energy

• Improved posture, flexibility, and mobility

• A safe space for self-care and inner renewal

The Goals of Yoga Therapy Include:

• Reducing or managing symptoms that cause pain or suffering

• Supporting recovery and resilience

• Preventing recurrence of illness or imbalance

• Improving function and quality of life

• Cultivating greater harmony, clarity, and well-being

How is a Yoga Therapist different from a Yoga Teacher?

To ensure competence, an IAYT-certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) has undertaken specialized, in depth training beyond that of a yoga teacher - typically a 3year curriculum, in accordance with IAYT’s educational competencies for certification under alternate pathways.

Yoga therapists have familiarity with biomedical, psychological, and spiritual knowledge. In addition, many yoga therapists bring in complementary healing modalities such as Aromatherapy, Reiki, or Sound Healing. In my practice, I often weave these into sessions when it feels supportive, enhancing the therapeutic process.

How It Works:

Unlike a general yoga session or class, Yoga Therapy is a highly personalized approach that meets you exactly where you are. It blends the time-honored wisdom of yoga with evidence-based, science backed, therapeutic tools to address your physical, mental, and emotional needs. Every session is crafted specifically and uniquely for YOU - your body, your life, your goals.

In a yoga therapy session, we might use:

• Breath-work (pranayama) to calm the mind, relax the body, and regulate the nervous system

• Postures or Restorative shapes to gently open, strengthen and align the body

• Guided relaxation and meditation to reduce stress and promote deep rest

• Mind-body awareness techniques to cultivate presence, resilience, and self-understanding

These tools are adapted to suit your unique circumstances - whether you are managing pain, recovering from injury, living with chronic stress or anxiety, or simply seeking a deeper connection with yourself.

A Partnership in Healing

Yoga therapy is not something done to you, it is something we do together. As a Yoga Therapist, I offer my full support along your journey - guidance, tools, and a safe, compassionate space for you to explore your own capacity for healing. Over time, you begin to carry these practices more and more into your daily life, creating an inner sanctuary you can return to anytime and remembering....that everything you need is already within you. ✨