Yoga Therapy – Nurtured Wellness

What is yoga therapy?

Yoga therapy is a holistic form of health care that attends to the mind, body, and spirit to offer relief from symptoms/struggles through yoga-based practices such as movement, breath, meditation, and/or compassionate awareness practices. Yoga therapy emphasizes individualized therapeutic care, attuned to the needs and values of the client, and hence requires no particular level of flexibility or previous experience with yoga.

While yoga therapy draws heavily from ancient texts and practices, it is also informed by modern research, and is well-aligned with current health care trends favouring more individualized, whole-person care.

Yoga therapy is a practice of acknowledging ourselves;
it is a practice that invites us to take the time to better know the being behind all our life’s doings.

Why might you work with a yoga therapist?

You recognize that your mind and body are interconnected. For instance, you may have physical symptoms that seem to be exacerbated by stress or anxiety, and you long to work with the physical body in a way that also acknowledges and tends to the mind.
You may be feeling sensitive to negative messaging about your body. You might be experiencing a time of bodily transition, for instance, pregnancy/postpartum or menopause, or you may just be aware that some of the health care language you’re used to hearing (for instance, how your glutes are weak and your piriformis is tight) isn’t helping you cultivate the relationship you seek with your body. You may instead be looking for a therapeutic approach that nurtures a more compassionate relationship with a dynamic and changing body.
You are looking to integrate information from specialists. You may have worked, or be continuing to work, with various health care practitioners, such as chiropractors, dietitians, or psychotherapists, etc. Their wise perspectives have offered great insights on specific aspects of your being, and you are now looking for a way of integrating these insights into a more unified understanding of your whole self.
You may have experienced a life event, such as the loss of a loved one, that has overturned your status quo and given you pause to consider how you are living your life.

In short, you are looking for a therapeutic way of working with your symptoms and challenges
that acknowledges and respects all of you and your rich life experience.

Welcome to yoga therapy.

Is there a difference between a yoga class and yoga therapy?

Whereas yoga teachers often work with large groups, yoga therapists tend to work with individuals or small groups. This is because, as health care practitioners, yoga therapists work closely with clients to identify one or more areas that would benefit from greater support, which may include working with particular medical diagnoses. Yoga therapists co-assess their clients on an ongoing basis throughout their work together, to ensure that the practices being offered are aligning with the client’s needs and values.

While many yoga classes in Canada focus largely on physical practices (e.g. yoga poses/āsana), yoga therapists often employ a variety of physical, breath, mental, and wisdom practices to best support their clients.

It is worth noting that all yoga therapists (who are certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists) are yoga teachers, having completed a teacher training program as part of the prerequisites for admission to a yoga therapy program.

What happens in a yoga therapy session?

In yoga therapy, we explore what it is to be you, and what supports you in living a more easeful life that is in alignment with your values. To do so, your yoga therapist may guide you through mindful movement, breathing, or meditation practices to help explore your moment-to-moment experiences and symptoms, and better understand what supports you in living your unique life. Throughout it all, your yoga therapist endeavours to be a good and steady companion on the journey, offering compassionate accompaniment and gentle, non-insistent guidance.

Initial appointment: Getting to know you

Follow-up sessions:

The focus of the first appointment is on getting to know you and better understanding what brings you to yoga therapy. As such, the first appointment begins with rich discussion, exploring what’s going on in your life, what you are feeling in this moment, what’s feeling challenging, what has supported you in the past, and where you want to go with your yoga therapy sessions.

Your yoga therapist will then offer some practices to explore together, which could be movement practices (staying within what feels safe and accessible to you), breathing practices, meditation practices, or other practices that encourage noticing what you are feeling, thinking, or otherwise experiencing. Together with your yoga therapist, you will decide what practices (and in what positions: sitting, lying down, standing, etc.) feel most supportive to you.

After completing a practice, your yoga therapist will check in with you about your experience with the practice, as well as what you are feeling now, in order to inform your choice together of subsequent practices. If you would like to explore one or more practices in your time between sessions, your yoga therapist may offer some ideas for you to explore individually. Your yoga therapist will also discuss with you how frequently you would like to attend yoga therapy, and schedule a follow-up session, if that is of interest to you.

Each session involves a check-in, noticing what feels most pertinent to you in the moment, as well as anything you feel needs to be shared regarding what you have noticed between sessions. If you explored practices on your own between sessions, you can share about your experience with them. (Note that this is a great time to share if a practice didn’t feel good or your found you just couldn’t get yourself to do it. This is all valuable information and very welcome in a yoga therapy session.)

Based on what you share, your therapist will then offer other practices to explore together. Throughout all explorations, your therapist will endeavour to offer compassionate accompaniment while nurturing your agency in choosing how you proceed. Sessions usually conclude with a final check-in, noticing how your body, mind, and spirit feel after your practice.

What do I need to know before showing up?

Yoga therapy can be equally appropriate for someone who has never practised yoga before as for someone who has a longstanding yoga practice. By attending to your moment-to-moment experience, combined with what you hope to gain from your time with yoga therapy, your yoga therapist works collaboratively with you to tailor each session to your needs.

When attending yoga therapy sessions, most clients find it helpful to dress in clothing that allows them to feel comfortable and to move freely. Layers of clothing can be helpful to help you maintain a comfortable temperature.

If you are attending yoga therapy virtually, you will likely want a comfortable seat for conversation, and enough space that you can lie down in (if lying down is accessible/ comfortable for you). Having a blanket nearby can add comfort to various practices. Similarly, a yoga mat (or additional blanket/towel) is optional, but may offer more comfort if you and your yoga therapist choose to come to the floor.