Yoga Therapy

Yoga therapy tailors the “tools” of yoga to the specific needs, capabilities, goals and life circumstances of the individual. These tools include postures, breath regulation, meditative practices, visualizations, use of sound, and lifestyle changes. The individual does not need to meet any requirement of fitness, age or health to start a yoga program. Often there is a focus on a specific health concern.

Yoga therapy aims to empower people in a healing process. Clients are actively engaged in developing and undertaking a customized personal practice that is adapted to their (often busy) lives. Since healing comes only through regular practice, a key responsibility of the yoga therapist is to inspire and motivate clients to maintain their practice.

Yoga therapy is particularly effective in helping individuals become physically stronger, improve sleep, manage stress, cope with anxiety and depression, increase energy levels, make needed lifestyle changes and address negative thoughts and behaviours. From a medical standpoint, yoga therapy is highly valuable for supporting the function of the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn promotes healing.

Yoga therapy is conducted either in private one-on-one sessions or in a therapeutic group class that is designed for individuals who share similar circumstances or concerns (e.g. depression, back pain, diabetes, and chronic fatigue).