Yoga Therapy
What is yoga therapy?
"Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga. -International Association of Yoga Therapists, Educational Standards for the Training of You Therapists
Yoga Therapy focuses on the path of yoga as a healing journey that brings balance at all levels of the person: physical, psychological and spiritual. The healing journey is unique to each individual. Yoga therapy selects, adapts, and modifies the practices of yoga appropriately to the client, with respect to their individual needs, in order to facilitate optimal health and healing of the whole person. The yoga therapist assists the client in accessing their own resources to facilitate healing, believing that all healing ultimately comes from the client’s realization of their own indwelling wholeness, integration and connection within themself. The aim is to provide opportunities for the client to help themself, to fortify the strengths they have and add to them.
Christine has studied Kripalu Integrative Yoga Therapy and is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT).
Yoga Therapy for Mental Health
Mental Health is different than “mental illness,” and is dynamic and constantly shifting. It is demonstrated in the ability to adapt to change; the experience of harmony between the mind, body, and emotion; and is shown in one’s ability to self-manage. In Western Medicine, mental health issues are viewed as pathology and the goal is symptom reduction. The focus tends to be at the level of emotion. In Yoga Therapy, Mental Health is viewed from a wellness perspective and the goal is to cultivate well-being and to facilitate healthy living beyond diagnosis.
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Kripalu Integrative Yoga Therapy views individuals as multidimensional and uses a Five Kosha Model as a framework for describing and applying yoga therapy to the whole person. You could say it is a bio-psycho-social-spiritual model. The practices of yoga therapy support and strengthen each of the 5 koshas, or levels of being:​
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Physical (anatomy, body awareness, effort of movement and posture)
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Energetic (energy level, breath, nervous system regulation)
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Psycho-emotional (emotions, thoughts, stress level, self-perception)
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Wisdom/intellectual (level of insight, coping skills, sense of knowing/intuition, beliefs about self)
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Meaning (sense of purpose in life, what sustains them, connection to self/environment/others, spirituality)
How can yoga therapy help me in my journey toward mental health?
There are many proven mental health attributes to yoga therapy, including:
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Resiliency:
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Enhances emotional resiliency: increased ability to adapt to change, self-soothe, and bounce back from challenges
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Calms the nervous system:
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Supports and regulates the nervous system: reduced cortisol levels, increased heart rate variability, decreased negative emotions, reduced impulsivity, improved executive functioning, increased relaxation, enhanced immune response
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Self-awareness:
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Increases self-awareness and integration: better awareness in the moment which allows one to investigate experiences in a way that is contained and feels safe, and then use the information to break patterns and create new habits
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Better relationships:
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Increasing and enhancing capacity for interpersonal connections
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Restoration and sleep
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Lifestyle changes
Yoga therapists help clients access their inner resources through various tools including:
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Yoga postures (asana)
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Breathing techniques (pranayama)
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Self-inquiry
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Meditation
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Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation)
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Mudras
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Mantras
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Intention setting
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Yoga Philosophy
The yoga therapist meets the client where they are in the present moment and helps them facilitate inner awareness through processing their experience in the present moment. The goal is not to dig into the past, but to attune to the present moment and use what is observed to support the client in facilitating their own natural intrinsic healing potential.
Certifications
Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT)
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hour (RYT-500)
Little Flower Yoga for Kids: Level 1, 2, and 3
LifeForce Yoga for Anxiety and Depression Training: Level 1