Balancing the Art and Science of Yoga Therapy
What is Yoga Therapy?
Although all yoga is potentially therapeutic and healing, yoga therapy is the specific application of yoga postures, exercises, breathwork, meditation techniques, and more, to address an individual's physical, mental, and emotional needs. Many people first learn about yoga through its physical practices, but a common misconception is that the discipline is all about stretching or movement. In fact, yoga therapy can help people who can't move at all, as well as active individuals! The yogic model of health is unique because it addresses every aspect of life rather than considering each body part or system separately.
What Conditions May Yoga Therapy Help?
According to IAYT, yoga therapy may help:
- Musculoskeletal - back pain, neck pain, and arthritis
- Mental health - anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Neurological - multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson's
- Cardiovascular - high blood pressure and heart disease
- Digestive - irritable bowel syndrome and constipation
- Sleep disorders
Difference Between Yoga & Yoga Therapy?
Yoga provides a general pathway to well-being through postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. In contrast, yoga therapy applies these same techniques in a targeted way to address specific health needs. Certified Yoga Therapist tailor these practices for individuals in accordance with standards set by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).
How Does Yoga Therapy Work?
Although yoga has been practiced in some form for millennia, we are just beginning to understand these mechanisms from a Western scientific perspective. A tool applied in one area, a breathing practice, can profoundly affect a completely different area of the body or the mind. Researchers think this works partly because of yoga's ability to regulate the nervous system and possibly to affect the way the brain processes information. Another reason yoga therapy works so well is that it's not a treatment done to a patient, yoga therapists instead empower clients to tap into their own innate healing capabilities.
If you'd like to learn more about the The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and its resources on yoga therapy, you can visit their website: https://www.iayt.org/
Yoga Therapy w/ Debra Wolfe
Yoga Therapy is for those seeking personalized guidance to overcome their physical challenges, no matter what illnesses, injuries or structural anomalies may be present.
Debra offers an alignment-based (Iyengar inspired) sessions, focused on yoga therapeutics, the use of props, and breath work. It is taught in a warmer room with a workshop feel, allowing for open dialog between the client and teacher. The focus is to restore balance in the body in areas where clients have experienced injuries, imbalances, major stiffness and medical challenges. Clients receive individualized instruction that is not possible in a typical yoga class setting. Clients are taught more complex concepts to support their individual needs.
Please see "Service" page for full series description.
To sign up for a 6-week series with Debra, email her at dleeartsyoga@gmail.com
